Social and Cultural Anthropology Review Questions
Course Introduction
Social and Cultural Anthropology explores the diversity of human societies, cultures, and behaviors across the globe. This course introduces students to key anthropological concepts such as kinship, ritual, language, belief systems, economic practices, and social organization. Through the examination of case studies and ethnographic research, students gain an understanding of how societies adapt to changing environments, negotiate identity, and confront issues like globalization, power, and inequality. The course emphasizes critical thinking about cultural differences and promotes a holistic appreciation of humanitys varied social lives.
Recommended Textbook
Cultural Anthropology 14th Edition by Carol R. Ember
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18 Chapters
990 Verified Questions
990 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: What Is Anthropology
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Q1) An anthropologist with a __________ specialization focuses much of his or her research on a particular region of the world.
A) theoretical
B) time period
C) geographical
D) political
Answer: A
Q2) A cultural anthropologist who spends a year or so living with, talking to, and observing people whose customs he or she is studying is known as a(n) __________.
A) ethnographer
B) archaeologist
C) ethnohistorian
D) linguistic anthropologist
Answer: A
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Chapter 2: Culture and Culture Change
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Q1) Which of the following is true of conformity studies across culture?
A) The degree of conformity varies, but most studies still show a conformity effect.
B) The degree of conformity is relatively stable across cultures.
C) The number of studies showing a conformity effect is about equal to those that find no effect.
D) There is no conformity effect in most non-Western societies.
Answer: A
Q2) The Tapirapé of Brazil maintained their tradition of having very small families even in the face of extinction. This is an example of a(n) __________ custom.
A) maladaptive
B) adaptive
C) integrating
D) constraining
Answer: A
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Chapter 3: Culture and the Individual
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Q1) Cross-cultural research on parental acceptance and rejection found that children who are not treated affectionately by their parents tend to be __________.
A) hostile and aggressive
B) sullen and withdrawn
C) anxious and hyperactive
D) dull and lazy
Answer: A
Q2) Humans are unusual among mammals in our __________.
A) long post-reproductive life span for females
B) close connections between mothers and their infants
C) high lifetime reproductive rates in males
D) tendency to live in social groups of unrelated adults
Answer: A
Q3) Which of the following is a strong cross-cultural predictor of field independence?
A) the degree of reliance on hunting
B) average family size
C) participation in a market economy
D) level of schooling
Answer: A
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Understanding and Explaining Culture
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Q1) Today, evolutionary anthropologists or behavioral ecologists look at how a behavioral characteristic may be __________.
A) adaptive for an individual in a given environment
B) adaptive for a group in a given environment
C) maladaptive for an individual in any environment
D) maladaptive for a group in any environment
Q2) What was one of the ways that Franz Boas brought about the end of the evolutionism period in early anthropology?
A) He was strongly opposed to "race" theory, and emphasized the importance of cultural context.
B) He disagreed with the dependence on fieldwork and encouraged more theoretical research.
C) Boas was the first to consider adaptation to environmental conditions as a major factor for cultural traits.
D) Boas was the only anthropologist to work with subjects from developing nations.
Q3) Discuss the pros and cons of anthropologists using pseudonyms and fake community names in their publications.
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Chapter 5: Communication and Language
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Q1) Why might someone code-switch between their own language and the language of a politically more powerful society?
A) The dominant culture's language is seen as a symbol of high status and upward mobility.
B) It is inevitable that the dominant culture's language will soon be taught in schools, so it is easier to adopt it right away.
C) They do not fully understand the dominant language, and revert back to their native language as needed.
D) Only certain members of society are permitted to speak the dominant culture's language.
Q2) Which of the following findings would best support the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?
A) a language that lacks gendered pronouns is associated with an acceptance of fluid gender roles
B) multilingual individuals have trouble code-switching in some situations
C) men and women have identical internal syntax and grammar, but choose to speak differently
D) all languages represent the same basic ideas, just in different ways
Q3) Compare and contrast human and nonhuman communication.
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Chapter 6: Getting Food
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Q1) What do Lewis Binford and Kent Flannery suggest must have influenced the changeover to food production?
A) Population growth pushed people out of optimal areas, and they turned to food production to try to reproduce the resources they once had.
B) People settled first, then realized that they would have to produce food to sustain their permanent residence patterns.
C) There was an economic incentive for foragers to become food producers.
D) Food production was spread culturally through contact with neighboring communities.
Q2) What archaeological evidence is needed to support the Binford-Flannery model?
A) population increase before the emergence of domestication
B) evidence of seafood in conjunction with agricultural fields
C) artifacts indicating long periods of trade with food-producing societies
D) skeletal evidence of domesticated animals
Q3) What herding strategies do contemporary Saami use?
A) The Norwegian government now regulates reindeer herding.
B) They still herd animals, but have switched to sheep and goats.
C) They maintain their traditional nomadic lifestyle.
D) There are no longer any reindeer herders among the Saami.
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Page 8
Chapter 7: Economic Systems
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Q1) Explain the relationship between the allocation of resources and food production. Show how foragers, horticulturalists, pastoralists, and intensive agriculturalists denote ownership of land, food, and tools.
Q2) What kind of exchange takes place at a potlatch ceremony?
A) A chief gives away food and gifts to guests in order to enhance his social status.
B) People provide their annual tribute to the ruling family.
C) Parents of young women give money and gifts to their daughter's future husband. D) Two friends exchange gifts of relatively equal value.
Q3) Give specific examples of how you, personally, have recently participated in generalized reciprocity, balanced reciprocity, redistribution, and market exchange.
Q4) Researchers have found that cooperation is __________.
A) common across cultures and seems to evoke pleasure for people
B) generally considered a good quality but rarely shown by individual people
C) unnatural for humans but socially developed by most societies
D) found in human societies but no other animal communities
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Chapter 8: Social Stratification: Class, Ethnicity, and Racism
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Q1) In a country with one large core ethnic group (such as the United States), it is common for the majority group to __________.
A) not think of itself as an ethnic group
B) consider itself the best ethnic group
C) actively discourage intermarriage with other groups
D) try to minimize differences between the ethnic groups
Q2) __________ diversity is almost always associated with differential access to advantages.
A) Ethnic
B) Economic
C) Racial
D) Educational
Q3) Why do many of our laws seem to favor the upper- and upper-middle classes?
A) Many of our laws are designed to protect property.
B) Most laws are designed to restrict violent crime.
C) Upper-class people are less likely to break the law.
D) The laws are actually different for people of different classes.
Q4) Does industrialization increase or decrease social inequality? Support your answer.
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Page 10
Chapter 9: Sex and Gender
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Q1) According to the __________ theory, men tend to do more dangerous work because the loss of men is less disadvantageous reproductively than the loss of women.
A) expendability
B) economy-of-effort
C) compatibility-with-child-care
D) strength
Q2) Cross-cultural studies of how societies regulate sexual behavior have shown that extramarital sex is __________.
A) generally more acceptable for men than for women
B) considered unacceptable in virtually all of the world's societies
C) permissible for women in most of the world's societies
D) common in only a small minority of the world's cultures
Q3) The idea that women are kept out of warfare because their potential fertility is more important to the group than their potential as warriors is consistent with the __________ theory.
A) expendability
B) economy-of-effort
C) compatibility-with-child-care
D) strength
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Marriage and the Family
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Q1) What is the primary weakness of both the gender division-of-labor and prolonged-infant-dependency models for the benefits of marriage?
A) There are many ways other than marriage for groups of men and women to work together.
B) Marriage seems to be much older than the typical division of labor by gender found today.
C) The division of labor around childcare responsibilities is only found in a few cultures.
D) Many species have a longer infant dependency than humans and get by without marriage.
Q2) What two major factors do all forms of marriage consider?
A) sexual and economic
B) economic and land-ownership
C) economic and kinship
D) sexual and kinship
Q3) If some form of male-female marriage is nearly universal, it is reasonable to believe that it is in some way adaptive. Discuss the various theories for why marriage is nearly universal, and explain which idea you feel offers the strongest explanation.
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Page 12
Chapter 11: Marital Residence and Kinship
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Q1) Explain the differences between a lineage and a clan, and give examples of societies that use each descent system.
Q2) Compare and contrast matrilocal and patrilocal residence, giving specific examples where appropriate.
Q3) In a matrilineal descent group, __________.
A) females rarely exercise authority in their kin groups
B) authority is passed down the line to the current female head of household
C) the elder woman makes all decisions concerning marriage and residence for the group
D) all decisions are made by a group of related women
Q4) Which kinship terminology system is used by most North Americans?
A) Inuit
B) Crow
C) Omaha
D) Sudanese
Q5) Matrilineal descent affiliates individuals with __________.
A) kin of both sexes related to them through women
B) only male kin related to them through both men and women
C) only female kin related to them through both men and women
D) kin of both sexes related to them through men
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Associations and Interest Groups
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Q1) Which of the following nations has a particularly complex organizational life, with most individuals expected to be active in at least a couple of associations?
A) Norway
B) England
C) Spain
D) Germany
Q2) Which of the following is an example of a nongovernmental organization?
A) World Bank
B) Internal Revenue Service
C) Democratic Party
D) Google
Q3) When did most Chinatowns in the United States and Canada develop?
A) since the mid 19th century
B) in the early 19th century
C) in the early 20th century
D) since the mid 20th century
Q4) Describe an association in which you participate. How does it fit the characteristics of an association as defined by anthropologists?
Q5) Discuss the reasons that may explain why voluntary associations exist.
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Chapter 13: Political Life: Social Order and Disorder
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Q1) Pre-colonial American societies had examples of both chiefdoms and states. Explain how you would distinguish between the levels of political organization, and give an example of each from the Americas.
Q2) Among the Tiv of Northern Nigeria, political organization is based on __________.
A) kinship
B) agriculture
C) religion
D) wealth
Q3) Compare and contrast the political life of bands and tribal organizations.
Q4) On what area has anthropological theory and research on political organization focused?
A) the origins of the first state societies
B) the governance abilities of chiefdoms
C) conflict management in bands
D) kinship ties in tribal societies
Q5) List and explain the major forms of conflict resolution known to anthropologists. For each, state in which type of society such resolution is most likely to occur.
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Chapter 14: Religion and Magic
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Q1) Which of the following is an example of a religious ritual?
A) a baby's baptism
B) high school graduation
C) pledging allegiance to the flag
D) brushing your teeth every morning
Q2) Which of these faiths shows the greatest interest in obtaining converts?
A) Islam
B) Judaism
C) Buddhism
D) Hinduism
Q3) What is the difference between sorcery and witchcraft?
A) Sorcery uses materials, objects, and medicines, while witchcraft uses thought and emotion alone.
B) Sorcery is performed by men, while witchcraft is performed by women.
C) Sorcery is usually malevolent, while witchcraft is usually performed for good.
D) Sorcery involves manipulation of the supernatural, while witchcraft manipulates natural forces.
Q4) Outline the ways in which people interact with the supernatural.
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Page 16
Chapter 15: The Arts
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Q1) Which of the following body ornamentations has been borrowed from other societies but is now commonplace in Western culture?
A) tattoos
B) elongated necks
C) tooth filing
D) body painting
Q2) In Africa, __________ are often used in uncentralized systems, while __________ are common in kingdoms.
A) masks; headdresses
B) gowns; masks
C) headdresses; gowns
D) headdresses; masks
Q3) Which of the following features would you be most likely to find in the art of egalitarian societies?
A) unused space
B) unlike elements
C) asymmetrical design
D) framed figures
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Chapter 16: Practicing and Applying Anthropology
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Q1) What was the ethical dilemma presented by the remains of Kennewick Man?
A) The group claiming a relationship with the remains did not want them tested, which is the only way to confirm the relationship.
B) The state of Washington had legally awarded the remains to the Umatilla, but the federal government had overturned the ruling.
C) A Native American group claimed the remains as an ancestor, but there was clear evidence that the skeleton was of European descent.
D) Anthropologists insisted that the skeleton be displayed in a museum, in defiance of the traditional burial practices required by Umatilla culture.
Q2) Which of the following applied anthropologists applied cultural anthropology to a forensic investigation involving several elder Bannock-Shoshoni women?
A) Barbara Joans
B) Clyde Snow
C) Wayne Warry
D) Kathy Reichs
Q3) How does the field of museum anthropology exemplify applied anthropology's role in public education?
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Page 18
Chapter 17: Health and Illness
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Q1) Medical anthropology, and anthropology in general, are developing in the direction of a __________.
A) biocultural synthesis
B) postmodern paradigm
C) traditionalist movement
D) ideological revival
Q2) Which illness is thought of as a "culture-bound syndrome"?
A) anorexia nervosa
B) diabetes mellitus
C) depression
D) hypertension
Q3) For most women in the world today, what is the biggest risk factor for becoming infected with HIV?
A) being married
B) age at first birth
C) ethnic group
D) nutritional status
Q4) Outline the various reasons why poor societies, and poor individuals within societies, have higher incidence of illness.
Q5) Compare and contrast the methods used by physicians and shamans.
Page 19
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Chapter 18: Global Problems
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Q1) Which of these countries has an income inequality most comparable to that of the United States?
A) Cambodia
B) England
C) Sweden
D) Japan
Q2) Social problems are mostly __________.
A) of human making
B) a result of economic greed
C) a result of divine intervention
D) bad luck
Q3) While famines are usually triggered by severe weather conditions such as droughts or hurricanes, starvation that results from these natural events is often made worse by
A) unequal distribution of food aid and supplies due to local rules of social and gender stratification
B) people not liking the taste of food aid provided by foreigners
C) too much food aid, which discourages locals from producing food for themselves
D) ignorance of religious observance of local diets by foreign aid agencies
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Page 20