key concept 5 - power
1. A general term for relatively simple political systems in which power is diffused throughout the society is _______. a) acephalous b) hierarchical c) chiefdoms
a
1. As some horticultural societies of the past developed more intensive agricultural subsistence patterns when their populations grew into the thousands, they were forced to create new levels of political integration in order to maintain unity and order. Which of the following did they develop first? a) Chiefdom b) State
a
1. In what kinds of societies are laws usually written down formally? a) Large-scale societies b) Small-scale societies c) Both of the above d) None of the above
a
10. A term referring to different general types of political systems used to organize and manage societies. a) Levels of political integration b) Subsistence patterns c) Foraging, pastoralism, horticulture, and intensive agriculture
a
12. According to this tutorial, what was the main reason that our ancestors first developed domesticated food plants and began farming? a) A combination of a changing climate and human overpopulation made it necessary. b) Constant warfare demanded greater food production. c) Curiosity driven experimentation led them to realize that farming was a better way of getting food.
a
12. How were disputes and crimes within the community usually settled traditionally by the Ju/'hoansi and other small-scale societies? a) They openly gossiped about the deviant individuals and socially ostracized them. b) They had trials in formally organized courts with judges and advocates speaking for defendants. c) They avoided public discussion about a dispute or crime in order for the tension to be reduced and everyone to forget about it.
a
13. What is the name of the theory of the state formation that the British archaeologist V. Gordon Childe developed in 1936? This theory assumed that people made rational economic decisions that led them inevitably to develop the first states. a) Voluntaristic theory b) Hydraulic theory c) Coercive theory
a
14. What is the legal concept at work in the following case? A man is murdered by his neighbor as a consequence of a dispute over the ownership of a small field. The neighbor's family is ordered by a judge to pay the dead man's wife 12 goats in order to pay for the crime and to end the murder's guilt. a) Weregeld b) Primogeniture c) Neither of the above
a
14. Where did indigenous tribal level societies have leaders called "big men"? a) New Guinea b) Uganda c) Hawaii
a
15. What was the main argument of the coercive theory of early state formation? This theory was developed in the 1970s by Robert Carneiro. a) Centralized state governments developed to mobilize and direct armies which would continue to exist as tools for controlling conquered peoples, collecting tribute, and allocating resources. b) Food surpluses made possible by farming allowed some to become wealthier than others which resulted in greater social inequalities and the decision to develop less democratic states. c) None of the above.
a
15. Which of the following kinds of legal concern is commonly found among pastoralist and rich settled fishing societies but usually not among pedestrian foraging ones? a) Property theft b) Violence among men resulting from competition for the same mate c) Both of the above d) Neither of the above
a
2. In what way are chiefdoms similar to bands and tribes? a) They are mostly classless societies. b) Their top political positions are only temporary. c) None of the above
a
2. What are common laws? a) Laws that evolve slowly over time and are usually part of the existing cultural tradition rather than being enacted by legislatures or rulers b) Laws that are enacted by legislatures or rulers and that apply commonly to everyone c) Laws that are commonly found in all kinds of societies
a
3. What commonly functions as a rudimentary beginning of a taxation system in chiefdoms? a) The redistribution of surplus goods by the chief b) The chief forcing farmers to give up some of their girls to be his wife c) Both of the above
a
3. What level of political integration would be expected to exist in a society in which the total number of people does not exceed a few dozen and there is no economic class differentiation? a) Band b) Tribe c) Pan-tribal association
a
4. How are difficult disputes between people living in a chiefdom usually settled if an informal agreement cannot be reached by the parties? a) A chief usually functions as an arbitrator and judge. b) Someone from a neighboring society is asked to act as an arbitrator and judge. c) None of the above
a
4. Juries around the world commonly are expected to reflect the judgement of _____. a) a reasonable man b) a reasonable person c) the political elite within society
a
5. When a political system has a number of positions with different levels of responsibility, power, and authority, it is referred to as a _____. a) bureaucracy b) monarchy c) democracy d) all of the above
a
5. Which of the following statements is true of bands? a) Typically, there is no leadership position in bands that has the authority to conclusively settle disputes, punish criminals, or prevent families from leaving. b) They rarely split into two separate bands because of the strong leadership of their headmen. c) The political and economic power of women is generally very low compared to men.
a
6. An informal negative sanction is _____. a) an unofficial, non-governmental punishment for violations of social norms b) a law prohibiting sexual intercourse and marriage between people of different races c) a socially recognized link between individuals created as an expedient for dealing with special circumstances, such as the bond between a godmother and her godchild
a
8. Which of the following statements is true of band leaders? a) They usually only have temporary political power. b) They are usually appointed to their positions for life. c) Bands do not have leaders of any sort.
a
9. About how many band level societies survive today with their traditional form of political organization intact? a) Few if any b) Hundreds (mostly in Africa and South America)
a
10. Which of the following kinds of people would most likely be considered to be a criminal for acting oddly in public and subsequently be arrested by the police in North America? a) A well dressed rich man b) An unemployed man of African origin who is living on the street c) A homeless woman of European origin who is living on the street
b
11. What kind of political system is most likely to be found among horticultural and pastoralist societies that consist of a few hundred people with multiple communities and other kinds of social subdivisions? a) Bands b) Tribes c) Either bands or tribes
b
12. Tribes are different from bands in that they have a new kind of integrative mechanism consisting of organizations that cross-cut society by bringing together a limited number of people, typically at least one from each family. Anthropologists refer to these kinds of groups as _____. a) age sets b) pan-tribal associations c) neither of the above
b
14. What is the name of the theory of state formation developed during the 1950s by Karl Wittfogel and Julian Steward? This was an ecological explanation that proposed that states arose out of the need to construct and manage large-scale irrigation systems necessary for intensive agriculture within avid river valleys. a) Coercive theory b) Hydraulic theory c) Tribute theory
b
2. The simplest kind of political system for a society is a _____. a) tribe b) band c) chiefdom
b
5. The term "positive sanction" refers to _____. a) the concept of ownership in which an owner of property has the right to keep it whether or not it is being used or actively possessed b) a reward for appropriate or admirable behavior that conforms with the social norms c) a punishment for violations of social norms
b
6. Which of the following kinds of societies are likely to have bureaucracies of political officials? a) Small-scale societies b) Large-scale societies c) Both are equally likely to have them
b
7. Bureaucracies with the clearest chains of command are most often ____. a) large national governments such as that of the US b) armies and other military organizations c) no bureaucracies have clear chains of command d) all bureaucracies have clear chains of command
b
7. Which of the following is likely to have pyramid shaped power relationships with a small hereditary elite class at the top headed by a king and royal family? a) Chiefdoms b) States c) All of the above
b
8. Which of the following are important parts of social control in some small non-western societies? a) Forced use of hallucinogenic drugs b) Threat of witchcraft c) Both of the above d) Neither of the above
b
8. Which of the following would be expected to have the most centralization of power? a) Chiefdom b) State c) Both are about equal in the centralization of power
b
9. Which of the following would be most likely to have a well equipped professional army? a) Chiefdom b) State c) Both of the above would be equally likely to have professional armies
b
1. "Competition for power over people and things" is a definition of ____. a) pedestrian foraging b) levels of political integration for societies c) politics d) bureaucracies
c
10. What percent of people living today had ancestors who lived in societies with band level political systems? a) 5% b) 45% c) 100%
c
11. When did the transition from acephalous bands and tribes to chiefdoms begin? a) 2,000 - 3,000 years ago b) 4,000 - 5,000 years ago c) 8,000 - 10,000 years ago
c
13. Which of the following cultures traditionally used "song duels" to settle quarrels between individuals within their community? a) Masai b) Ju/'hoansi c) Inuit
c
15. In New Guinea, tribal leaders often worked for years to accumulate things of high value in order to give them away in large, very public formal ceremonies. What traditionally was the most important kind of thing that they gave away? a) Fish oil b) Women and children c) Pigs
c
17. Modern nation states differ from the states of the ancient civilizations in that modern states commonly have _____. a) smaller bureaucracies b) less social mobility c) larger cities d) all of the above
c
17. Which of the following kinds of society are most likely to have formalized laws and special government institutions (e.g., police, courts, and jails) to enforce them? a) Pastoralist b) Horticultural c) Advanced agricultural and industrial
c
18. Which of the following statements is true? a) There is no slavery in modern nation states. b) The human population is no longer growing in numbers. c) Over the 21st century, much of the world very likely will face severe shortages, including those of food, drinking water, arable land, and petroleum based fuels. d) All of the above
c
3. Which of the following statements about law is true? a) It is not uncommon for some laws to be confusing for the members of the society in which they exist. b) Laws are often open to interpretation depending on the situation of a crime. c) Both of the above d) None of the above
c
4. What is the primary binding mechanism of a band level society? In other words, what usually is most effective in keeping these societies from disintegrating? a) Pan-tribal associations b) Religion c) Kinship
c
5. What is the subsistence base that is almost always found among societies with a state level of political integration? a) Pastoralism b) Horticulture c) Large-scale intensive agriculture
c
6. Around 4,500 - 5,500 years ago, kingdoms with state level political systems developed into ancient civilizations in which of the following areas? a) Northwestern Europe b) Japan c) Mesopotamia d) All of the above
c
6. In his field of studies of the ju/'hoansi, Richard Lee noted that as the number of people in a band level society increases, the potential for disruptive conflicts inevitably rises. What did he call this phenomenon? a) Social discord b) Kinship divorce c) Social velocity
c
7. How does someone in a pedestrian foraging band usually become a political leader for the community? a) Appointment by a superior b) Appointment by a mystical religious leader c) Community consensus arrived at through casual discussion
c
8. In small-scale pedestrian foraging societies, succession to political offices usually occurs through ____. a) formal election b) inheritance c) general recognition of personal achievements d) promotion by a superior
c
10. Which of the following statements concerning slaves in the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia is true? a) They were often people defeated in war. b) They were often made servants in the households of the political elites. c) Their children could sometimes become free, wealthy, and politically powerful. d) All of the above
d
11. What kinds of legal concerns are common in societies that have pedestrian foraging or simple horticultural subsistence bases? a) Failure to share food b) Theft of property c) Fights resulting from competition for the same mate d) A and C e) All of the above
d
13. Which of the following statements is true of tribes? a) They are essentially egalitarian in that no one family or residential group is politically or economically superior to others. b) They are advanced over bands in the way that they are integrated. c) They are essentially acephalous. d) All of the above are true.
d
16. This tutorial concluded that the theory of early state formation that is mostly likely the best one is the _____. a) coercive theory b) hydraulic theory c) voluntaristic theory d) multi-case theory
d
16. Which of the following statements is true? a) Unlike permanently settled farmers, pastoralists usually can move to a new area to avoid a continuing dispute with their neighbors. b) One method horticulturalists commonly use to deal with crime within their own community is to shift the blame to people in other communities or even other societies. c) The fear that witchcraft might be used against you is often enough to prevent deviation from the social norms in settled fishing and farming communities. d) All of the above are true.
d
2. What kinds of societies have politics? a) Small-scale societies b) Large-scale societies c) Western societies such as those of North America and Europe d) All of the above
d
3. A political leadership role is one in which individuals ____. a) Usually have authority related to broad areas of concern for the society b) Usually are allowed to make decisions concerning the group as a whole c) Are often expected to lead community discussions and act as spokesmen in dealing with outsiders d) All of the above
d
4. Political leaders often are allowed access to and control over society's important resources. However, this does not necessarily mean that they are richer than others. In what part of the world were traditional political leaders in the past expected to bankrupt themselves by giving away their wealth to others? a) New Guinea b) Western Europe c) Vancouver Island, Canada d) A and C e) None of the above
d
7. In what kinds of social environment are informal negative sanctions most likely to be an effective mechanism of social control? a) Large cities in modern nation states like the United States b) Small rural towns in which everyone knows everyone else c) Isolated bands of foragers d) B and C e) All of the above
d
9. A political symbol is ____. a) a tool used by politicians b) a kind of musical instrument used by politicians in some small-scale societies c) an idea or physical thing that is used as a tool for focusing the attention and emotions of people d) A and C
d
9. Which of the following would be a positive sanction? a) Receiving good grades in school b) Being promoted in the military c) Being allowed to go to your religion's "heaven" d) All of the above e) None of the above
d