SAU Cultural Anthropology Midterm

All of the following are cultural and moral assumptions that are associated with market exchange EXCEPT:

"I will exchange freely and with no restrictions."

Approximately how many children are believed to currently be living on the streets?

100 million

Population densities among horticultural populations rarely exceed _____ people per square mile.

150

An institution that is organized primarily for financial gain is called a(n):

firm

The "Arab Spring" began when a young man named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire as a protest against:

police corruption and brutality.

The productivity of any given environment is directly related to:

the technology used to exploit it.

Subsistence strategies are best defined as:

ways in which societies transform the material resources of the environment into food

The term "key informant" is used to refer to individuals who are:

well informed and eager to talk with the anthropologist regarding material the anthropologist is studying.

Children born into families with incomes in the poorest 20 percent of the nation have less than a _____ in _____ chance of making it into the wealthiest 20 percent of Americans.

1; 12

Approximately what percentage of families in the United States were classified as earning less than twice the official poverty rate in 2011?

33 percent

As of 2002, Mexicans accounted for what percent of total legal immigration to the United States?

50 percent

What percentage of Americans believe that wealth should be distributed more evenly, according to a 2015 Gallup poll?

63 percent

There is a severe crisis of plant species disappearance in the United States. One study found that _____ percent of the vegetable varieties available in the early 20th century are extinct today.

97

Why did anthropology pay little attention to women prior to the 1970s?

All of these choices are correct.

Which of the following is one of the primary differences between horticulture and agriculture?

Amount of capital investment

Which of the following statements best illustrates the significance of culture for most anthropologists?

Anthropologists agree on the basic characteristics of culture, but disagree on the relative importance of those characteristics and on how they study them.

Which form of political organization has no formal leadership?

Bands

In the mid-1960s, the U.S. Army and Department of Defense attempted to enlist anthropologists to serve as consultants in the development of American foreign policy goals. This project was named:

Camelot

In what kind of society would you be most likely to find an inherent conflict between family systems and employment systems?

Capitalist society

What term do we use to identify the environmental impact that individual products have in our food chain?

Carbon footprint

During what historical period did the United States begin to shift from assimilation to multiculturalism?

Civil Rights era

Culture is an "ensemble of texts...which the anthropologist strains to read over the shoulders of those to whom they properly belong." Whose words are these?

Clifford Geertz

Culture, as a concept, can be thought of many different things. Which of the following is it NOT?

Culture is conflict without consensus.

Which of the following was one of the core beliefs of Franz Boas?

Cultures are products of their own histories.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic shared by all cultures?

Cultures are transmitted biologically.

Who was primarily known as a native anthropologist?

Darren Ranco

Which of the following focuses primarily on describing human systems of organization and classification used by individual cultures?

Ethnoscience

Anthropologists do not do library research until they return from the field in order to minimize their bias.

False

As wages fall in the United States, employers tend to move from white employees to Latinos and then to Black employees and then close their doors.

False

Cultural ecologists primarily focus on the study of different systems of classification and organization within a society.

False

Culture shock occurs exclusively among new anthropologists doing first fieldwork.

False

Economic decision makers will always maximize their work and minimize their financial benefit.

False

In all democratic societies, everything can be bought and sold through market exchange

False

In collaborative anthropology, the researcher allows the consultant to write the ethnographic text.

False

In hegemonic societies, elite interests can count on permanent stability.

False

In state societies, economic surplus is redistributed back to the population.

False

Interpretive and symbolic anthropologists primarily use methods drawn from the natural sciences.

False

Muslim Americans express significantly higher amounts of dissatisfaction with their lives than other Americans.

False

Peasants normally produce solely for the larger society.

False

Postmodernism has been accepted in its entirety by all anthropologists.

False

Power is always accompanied by authority.

False

The anthropological Code of Ethics mandates that anthropologists always support human rights.

False

The characteristic mode of exchange in chiefdom societies is balanced reciprocity.

False

The large-scale meatpacking industry has generally had a positive impact on the environment.

False

There are no disadvantages to cultural adaptation.

False

There is no violence in band societies.

False

Women were not involved in anthropology prior to 1950.

False

Among which subsistence system do we find the most flexible land boundaries?

Foragers

For most of the history of our species, human lived by which form of human subsistence?

Foraging

Which subsistence strategy supports the lowest population density?

Foraging

Which theoretical school of thought focused on presenting objective descriptions of cultures within their historical and environmental context?

Historical particularism

Tribes are primarily found among which subsistence groups?

Horticulturalists and pastoralists

Which of the following statements about anthropology and human rights is NOT correct?

Human rights are universal rights that pertain to all individuals regardless of their culture of origin.

Which of the following statements is true?

Humans are plastic and are able to change their behavior in order to adapt to changing social and ecological conditions.

Which of the following types of societies generates the most overall inequality?

Industrial

Which union campaigned for the abolition of capitalism and wage labor in the late 19th century United States?

Industrial Workers of the World

Which of the following statements about Inuit child rearing is true?

Inuit children are discouraged from asking direct questions and primarily learn experientially.

How would you best characterize a subculture?

It is a group within a dominant society that does not share the society's norms and values.

How is anthropology unique among other disciplines?

It is based on first-hand fieldwork.

How does conflict theory explain the presence of so much inequality?

It is caused by the struggle for scare goods and services.

How is capitalist business involving women frequently conducted in Turkey?

It is patterned on social life so that women produce goods for their husbands' relatives and do not work directly in an impersonal capitalist setting.

What did anthropologist Clyde Kluckhohn mean when he said that Americans are characterized by "effort optimism"?

It is the belief that if a person works hard enough, then success will follow.

Conflict theory was central to the work of which social scientist?

Karl Marx

Which of the following statements is correct?

Law is universal, because in every society there are offenses considered gravely disruptive.

In his study of giving and receiving, which anthropologist argued that human societies are held together by patterns of gift exchange?

Marcel Mauss

Which of the following anthropologists was classified primarily as a culture and personality theorist?

Margaret Mead

Following the 1965 immigration laws, what happened to Muslim immigration into the United States?

More highly skilled and educated Muslims migrated to the United States.

Which of the following statements about the nation-state is NOT correct?

Nation-states are created on the basis of a common history and language.

Which of the following forms of exchange is found primarily outside of social relations and in situations of impersonal and unfriendly transactions?

Negative reciprocity

Which of the following forms of technology is specifically related to the practice of agriculture?

Plows

Which theoretical approach argues that no knowledge is objective and all knowledge is influenced by the observer's own culture, social position, and gender?

Postmodernism

What is the relationship between power and authority?

Power and authority do not necessarily come together; each can exist without the other.

What are the three main dimensions of social stratification?

Power, prestige, and wealth

What is the characteristic mode of exchange associated with ranked societies?

Redistribution

The United States is a cultural complex of more than 318 million people and numerous cultural and ethnic backgrounds. However, we also tend to share certain attributes as a nation. Which of the following would you expect to be the LEAST shared among citizens of the United States?

Religious belief system

Which of the following has suffered most directly from the spread of meatpacking and poultry-processing industries?

Rural communities

What is mana?

Spiritual power in Polynesia

Peasants are always integrated into which types of societies?

State

In which kind of society do we most commonly find elites?

Stratified societies

What kind of problem is "built into" being a bigman?

The bigman gives large amounts of goods to his competitors in order to shame them and reduce their prestige. This leaves little for his (or her) followers.

What is the primary difference between nomadic and transhumant pastoralism?

The existence of permanent villages

Which of the following is a weakness in using an organic analogy for human culture?

The organic analogy implies that properly functioning human societies are stable and conflict-free.

Which of the following statements about global warming is NOT correct?

The pelts of fox and marten are now thicker than they used to be.

Which of the following statements about specialization in complex societies is NOT generally correct?

The work requires a great deal of decision making on the worker's part.

Which of the following statements about feral children is correct?

There is no reliable evidence that any human child has ever been raised by members of another species.

What is best meant by the term "involuntary minorities?"

These are racial groups that exist as minorities and are born into the nation-state.

Why have anthropologists used the "dictator game" and the "ultimatum game" in their study of other cultures?

These games help anthropologists understand the social and cultural dimensions of economic behavior.

What is the Hindu religious belief about Indian castes?

They believe that individuals earn their castes based on their actions in a previous life.

Why did the Canadian government outlaw potlatch feasts from 1884 to 1951?

They considered it to be an irrational waste of goods.

During the "hungry time," to what lengths do the Pintupi go in order to nourish weak individuals?

They feed them blood from stronger and healthier individuals.

Which of the following statements best describe the Yarahmadzai subsistence strategy?

They herd various types of animals, but also sell and exchange milk products for grain.

What specific precaution must anthropologists take when studying their own culture?

They must not assume they understand all identities within their own culture.

What is the most significant consequence of cargo systems, according to anthropologists?

They serve to reinforce social hierarchies and economic differences.

How would you describe Lewis Henry Morgan's and Edward Tylor's evolutionary theories?

They studied the history of human society from simple to complex technology and social institutions.

The border fence separating the United States from Mexico is facing opposition from which Native American Indian group?

Tohono O'odham

Agriculturalists are more vulnerable to environmental changes, such as crop failures, and disease, than are horticulturalists.

True

Although ethnicity does have cultural content, ethnic group identity is constructed.

True

Anthropologists argue that warfare is more common in societies that promote male solidarity.

True

Brazilians who self-identify as having African descent are far worse off according to socio-economic indicators than those who self-identify as white.

True

Capitalism always occurs within the context of other social relationships.

True

Community obligations like cargo never fully eliminate the economic gap between the rich and poor.

True

Dominant cultures retain their power through control of institutions.

True

In agriculture, the same piece of land is repeatedly cultivated.

True

In every society, human beings learn their culture continuously from the moment of birth to the time of death.

True

In nomadic pastoralism, men and boys regularly move cattle to different areas as pastures become available at different altitudes or in different climates.

True

In recent years, as a result of globalization and culture change, research methods in anthropology have changed.

True

In the United States, social mobility has long been tied to race, ethnicity, gender, and class.

True

In the United States, there is both ethnic and racial stratification.

True

Increasing dependence on a global marketplace makes our food supply vulnerable to economic volatility.

True

Informed consent is a critical aspect of anthropological ethics.

True

It is common for anthropologists to feel confused and disoriented when they first arrive at their field sites.

True

Knowledge is classified as a productive resource within the economic system.

True

Language is a symbolic system.

True

No society has ever organized a large and diverse population without stratification and inequalities.

True

Not all human societies are engaged in food production.

True

One of the most important sources of prestige is one's occupation.

True

Political organization within a society is a means of regulating behavior so that it is consistent with social order.

True

Political organization, social differentiation, and social complexity sometimes intertwine within a society.

True

Potlatching is a considered a form of redistribution.

True

Societies organized primarily by capitalism are a late development in the history of humankind.

True

Some ethnocentrism seems necessary, as it binds a group's members together and helps them perpetuate their values.

True

Sometimes, when domination is intense, minority subcultures protect themselves through religious faith.

True

Sources of power in a single society may be both consensual and coercive.

True

Studies reveal that the United States experiences less social mobility than most other wealthy nations.

True

Subsistence strategies must change in response to changing environments.

True

The gathering and interpretation of information based on intensive, firsthand study is called ethnography.

True

The household is an economic unit.

True

The oldest form of human subsistence is foraging.

True

The untouchable status has been officially, legally outlawed in India.

True

Very few human behaviors are under direct genetic or biological control.

True

Which of the following anthropologists would be most interested in studying the role of the mudyi tree (with its white, sticky sap) for girls' puberty rites among the Ndembu of East Africa?

Victor Turner

Which of the following statements about wealth today is correct?

Wealth is the accumulation of material resources or access to the means of producing those resources.

Which of the following products was developed through ethnographic research conducted by Susan Squires and Bryan Byrne?

Yoplait's Go-Gurt

A category of persons who have similar opportunities to obtain economic resources, power, and prestige and who are ranked high and low in relation to each other is called:

a class

A group of people united by kinship and sharing residence and organizing production, consumption, and distribution among themselves is called:

a household

The domestication of plants and animals led directly to:

a sedentary lifestyle

An interview based on the use of a written list of questions or topics the researchers intend to cover in a specific order but are not bound to follow exactly is called:

a semistructured interview.

A change in the biological structure or cultural practices of an individual or population by which it becomes better fitted to survive and reproduce in its environment is called:

adaptation

Anthropologists' work as researchers for the U.S. military raises concerns about:

all of these choices.

In the ultimatum game, anthropologists found that among foragers:

although there was a high degree of social equality in the society, the players were not generous economically.

Anthropological interview techniques:

are always the same from field project to field project.

Early anthropologists who relied on travelers and missionaries for their fieldwork data were called:

armchair anthropologists.

Exchanging gifts is an example of:

balanced reciprocity

The kula ring is an example of:

balanced reciprocity

The kula ring is an example of:

balanced reciprocity.

Anthropologists agree that warfare stems from all of the following EXCEPT __________ conditions.

biological

Anthropological theories tend to emphasize __________ as the dominant factor(s) in the emergence of the state.

both conflict and integration

In anthropology, the issue of human rights:

can be challenging as different cultures define rights differently.

Karl Marx identified two main social classes in a capitalist society. They are the __________ and the __________.

capitalists; workers

Unlike chiefdoms, in state societies __________ most commonly regulates social relations between different social strata and defines an individual's rights and duties.

citizenship

The theoretical perspective focused on the relationship between mind and society is called:

cognitive anthropology

The wealth of America's 20 richest people is equal to the:

combined wealth of the poorest half of the nation.

Most anthropologists today, whatever their theoretical orientations, are primarily interested in:

cultural change

How we make economic decisions depends on the values we give to both goods and ideas, which in turn depend on:

culture

The primary means through which humans adapt to their environment is:

culture

The deep connections among cultures and the global movement of individuals means that:

cultures are constantly changing and must be re-evaluated frequently.

All of the following characterize contemporary industrial and postindustrial societies EXCEPT:

decreased emphasis on skill and education.

All of the following are results of the Industrial Revolution and industrialization EXCEPT:

decreasing consumer choices.

In general, as population and social complexity increase:

differential access to resources develops.

The rapid transfer of American music all over the world is a form of:

diffusion

The culture with the greatest wealth and power in a society that consists of numerous subcultures is referred to as the:

dominant culture

Robert Carneiro argues that the Inca Empire emerged primarily in response to __________ factors.

ecological

The study of the relationship between environment and society is called:

ecological functionalism

The process of learning to be a member of a specific cultural group is called:

enculturation

Researchers who view the actions of other people simply in terms of the degree to which they correspond to their own notions of the ways people should behave are:

ethnocentric

The study of general laws and principles that govern cultural phenomena is called:

ethnology

Lewis Henry Morgan and Edward Tylor were influenced deeply by the:

evolutionary theories of their era

Although people are able to change social classes, the odds of achieving wealth are heavily biased by the:

families of their births.

In capitalist societies:

firms produce goods to create wealth

The Gwich'in peoples of the Arctic are classified as:

foragers

All of the following help integrate tribal societies EXCEPT:

formal court systems.

The most common form of reciprocity found among foragers is:

generalized reciprocity.

The integration of resources, labor, and capital into a complex global network is called:

globalization.

All of the following are true of Franz Boas EXCEPT:

he did his fieldwork in the Trobriand Islands

The key to the pastoralist economy is:

herd growth

Most commonly, land is communally owned and managed by an extended kin group among:

horticulturalists.

Max Weber argued that people's behavior could best be explained:

in terms of prestige.

Many local urban governments are using advancements in __________ to increase the chances of success between the poor and housing courts.

information technology

The study of cultural texts in public events, celebrations, and rituals is a major part of:

interpretive anthropology

All of the following statements about the lengthy period of human immaturity are correct EXCEPT:

it allows mature individuals in a society to function as teachers and no longer be in a role as learners

All of the following are associated with the concept of race EXCEPT:

it is biologically-based as a category.

Among the Inuit, childhood play is useful in enculturation for all of the following EXCEPT:

keeping a child under strict adult supervision.

The high productivity and efficiency of the meat-packing industries is primarily made possible by cheap:

labor

In comparison with horticulture, the greater productivity associated with agriculture comes from all of the following EXCEPT:

leaving farm land fallow every 5 years.

Forms of redistribution that tend to decrease social inequality are called:

leveling mechanisms

Individuals who serve as guides and teachers for anthropologists in the culture in which they do fieldwork are called all of the following terms EXCEPT:

managers

The idea in which immigrant ethnicities blend to create a unique American identity is known as:

melting pot.

Unlike the other subsistence strategies, in industrialism the focus:

moves away from food to the production of goods and services.

Bronislaw Manlinowski's style of fieldwork was known as:

participant observation.

Informed consent involves all of the following EXCEPT:

participants must sign a contract with the anthropologist indicating that they approve of the research study.

How groups and individuals use power and authority to achieve various public goals in a society is part of the:

political process

Anthropologists have become more sensitive to issues of voice and power and have begun to reflect more critically on their role as observer in another culture primarily as a result of:

postmodernism

Political organization is all about:

power

Mahatma Gandhi had a great deal of influence on his and other societies because of:

prestige.

Prestige is:

primarily associated with increased consumption and display of goods and services in Western societies.

All of the following are mechanisms of social control in tribes EXCEPT:

prisons

Child-rearing practices in all cultures are designed to:

produce adults who know the cultural content.

All human societies have an economic system in which people must:

produce, distribute, and consume

In economic systems, tools, labor, knowledge, and money are classified as:

productive resources.

The difference between the value of the workers' contributions to production and the wages that they are paid is called:

profit

Chiefdoms are classified as:

rank societies.

The attempt of one group to reallocate power and resources within a political structure is a:

rebellion.

The most common form of exchange found in horticultural societies where political organization includes self-made leaders is:

redistribution.

Functionalism is the study of:

relationships between kinship, religion, and politics in order to find laws.

When one group attempts to replace one political structure with another, it is called:

revolution

The main subsistence crop of the Lua' people of northern Thailand is:

rice

The most important goals in households and kin groups tend to be:

social

The functionalist perspective of social stratification argues that:

social and economic rewards for working hard and taking risks generally benefits society as a whole.

The relative access individuals and groups have to basic material resources, wealth, power, and prestige is known as:

social differentiation.

Movement from one social class to another is called:

social mobility.

A relatively permanent, unequal distribution of goods and services in a society is called:

social stratification.

It is not uncommon today to find that cultural groups are pleased to be studied by an anthropologist because:

studies can play important roles in establishing group claims to "authenticity."

Problems of American poverty have been augmented in recent years by all of the following EXCEPT:

the devaluation of the U.S. dollar.

The agricultural revolution began with:

the domestication of plants and animals

The central structure of traditional peasant agriculture is:

the household

Postmodernism is an approach that focuses specifically on:

the negotiation of norms and values within a society

Market exchange is:

the primary distribution mechanism in most societies today.

All of the following concepts were founded or developed by Franz Boas in his fieldwork and analysis of human cultures EXCEPT:

the reflexive approach

All of the following are unique elements in the Indian caste system EXCEPT:

the strict separation between the groups

Ethically, anthropologists have responsibilities to all of the following under the American Anthropological Association Code of Ethics EXCEPT:

their sponsors.

Capitalism results in the creation of a society in which:

there will always be rich and poor

Capitalism results in the creation of a society in which:

there will always be rich and poor.

Malinowski's and Boas' practices of anthropology were alike in many ways. All of the following are things they shared EXCEPT:

they valued the study of history as essential to a deeper understanding of societies.

In his research about homelessness, anthropologist Lyon-Callo found that a major problem is:

unemployment and lack of affordable housing are the most serious issues of homelessness.

The notion that technological improvements are good and beneficial to society is classified as a:

value

The main constraint on the Pintupi foragers of Australia is:

water