Essentials of Cultural Anthropology 3rd Edition by Garrick Bailey - Test Bank

Essentials of Cultural Anthropology 3rd Edition by Garrick Bailey – Test Bank

 

Instant Download – Complete Test Bank With Answers

 

 

Sample Questions Are Posted Below

 

CHAPTER 5: STUDYING CULTURES

 

MULTIPLE CHOICE

 

1. European scholars in the nineteenth century replaced biblical explanations of cultural differences with the application of scientific thinking. What factors contributed to this new scientific approach?

a.	Darwinism and new geological evidence of the age of the earth
b.	The spread of Christianity and the disappearance of superstition
c.	The emergence of Marxism and cultural materialism
d.	The work of Franz Boas and historical particularism

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   83                  OBJ:   1

MSC:  Pickup

 

2. In Darwin’s theory of evolution:

a.	one species emerged out of another.
b.	humans were the descendants of monkeys.
c.	humans evolved from savagery to barbarism to civilization.
d.	all species purposely adapt themselves biologically to an environment.

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   83                  OBJ:   1

MSC:  Pickup

 

3. The nineteenth-century theory that held that all cultures pass through a similar sequence of stages in their development is called:

a.	unilineal evolution.
b.	matrilineal evolution.
c.	bilateral evolution.
d.	bilineal evolution.

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   84                  OBJ:   2

MSC:  New

 

4. Unilineal evolution refers to:

a.	the notion that some species evolve to be better than others.
b.	the hypothesis that biological life began at a singular point.
c.	the theory that evolution impacts all species the same way.
d.	the idea that all cultures pass through the same stages of development.

 

 

ANS:  D                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   84                  OBJ:   2

MSC:  New

 

5. In Primitive Culture, E. B. Tylor described the evolution of religion through three stages:

a.	cults, sects, and Christianity.
b.	animism, polytheism, and monotheism.
c.	superstition, religion, and science.
d.	evolutionism, historical particularism, and materialism.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   84-85             OBJ:   2

MSC:  Pickup

 

6. The theory of unilineal evolution:

a.	developed from Keppler’s ideas on natural selection.
b.	states that different peoples represent different stages in human development.
c.	described some cultures as “more civilized” than western Europeans.
d.	was the paradigm that Franz Boas used in his work.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   84                  OBJ:   2

MSC:  Pickup

 

7. What contribution from nineteenth-century theories of unilinear evolution is still considered a central feature of anthropology today?

a.	The theory of cultural development from primitive to civilized
b.	The importance of the comparative perspective
c.	Using biological theory to understand human culture
d.	The idea that all societies evolve similarly

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   85                  OBJ:   2

MSC:  Pickup

 

8. Which of these is not a major criticism of the nineteenth century unilineal evolutionists?

a.	They were ethnocentric in their thinking.
b.	They believed that all cultures are equally valid.
c.	They argued that all cultures evolved through the same set of progressive stages.
d.	They did not study each culture “on its own terms.”

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   85                  OBJ:   3

MSC:  Pickup

 

9. The theory of historical particularism was championed by:

a.	Bronislaw Malinowski.
b.	Franz Boas.
c.	Sir E. B. Tylor.
d.	Lewis H. Morgan.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   85                  OBJ:   3

MSC:  Pickup

 

10. An early twentieth-century approach that challenged evolutionism by emphasizing that each culture is a unique result of its distinctive past, which makes cross-cultural generalizations questionable, is called:

a.	cultural relativism.
b.	indigenous creativism.
c.	historical particularism.
d.	unilineal evolutionism.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   85-86             OBJ:   3

MSC:  New

 

11. Another name for historical particularism is:

a.	historicalism.
b.	particism.
c.	patricularicism.
d.	historicism.

 

 

ANS:  D                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   85                  OBJ:   3

MSC:  New

 

12. Historical particularism suggests:

a.	each culture is unique and therefore must be studied on its own terms.
b.	all cultures develop along the same evolutionary path.
c.	the notion of time is relative, so history must be looked at in particular context.
d.	culture is the same for all groups of people.

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   85                  OBJ:   3

MSC:  New

 

13. A major contribution of Boas to the field of anthropology was:

a.	his emphasis on social evolution.
b.	his unilineal approach to the study of different cultures.
c.	his research demonstrating that cultural differences are not explained by biological factors.
d.	his idea that all human cultures begin as savages.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   87                  OBJ:   3

MSC:  Pickup

 

14. Which of these is considered a limitation of historical particularism?

a.	The emphasis on cultural relativism
b.	The belief that biological race does not explain cultural differences
c.	An overemphasis on cultural differences and biological differences have little to do with each other
d.	Challenging the framework of unilinear evolutionists

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   87                  OBJ:   3

MSC:  Pickup

 

15. The perspective in anthropology that analyzes cultural elements in terms of their useful effects to individuals or to the persistence of the whole society is called:

a.	Functionalism.
b.	Cultural materialism.
c.	Unilineal evolutionism.
d.	Critical anthropology.

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   87                  OBJ:   3

MSC:  New

 

16. The basic tenet of functionalism was that:

a.	people can only use culture if it’s beneficial for them.
b.	cultures can only function if all people contribute to society.
c.	the cultural features of a people should be explained by their useful effects.
d.	culture functions best when people maintain social cohesion.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   87-88             OBJ:   3

MSC:  New

 

17. What was the theoretical perspective of Bronislaw Malinowski?

a.	Functionalism
b.	Cultural materialism
c.	Unilineal evolutionism
d.	Critical anthropology

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   87                  OBJ:   3

MSC:  Pickup

 

18. With his emphasis on understanding culture as an integrated system that must be understood “in all of its aspects,” Malinowski is associated with the concept of:

a.	ethnocentrism.
b.	cultural evolutionism.
c.	holism.
d.	materialism.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   88                  OBJ:   3

MSC:  Pickup

 

19. The lasting contribution of functionalism was to:

a.	completely eliminate ethnocentrism from society.
b.	continue the basic principles of cultural evolutionism.
c.	eliminate science from anthropology.
d.	strengthen the notion that cultures are integrated.

 

 

ANS:  D                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   88                  OBJ:   3

MSC:  New

 

20. The contemporary evolutionist Leslie White:

a.	thought that technological changes influence changes in many areas of culture.
b.	believed the more aggressive cultures are more likely to survive than others.
c.	was actually more accurately called a British Functionalist.
d.	discredited any investigation into cultural evolution.

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   89                  OBJ:   4

MSC:  Pickup

 

21. Technological determinists believed:

a.	technology can be produced and changed only when it is necessary.
b.	the technology available to a people has enormous impacts on their culture.
c.	technological changes were determined by environmental changes and colonialism.
d.	the environmental restraints of a group are the most important aspect of culture.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   89                  OBJ:   4

MSC:  New

 

22. Cultural materialists:

a.	are skeptical of attempts to generalize about cultures.
b.	emphasize the unexplained diversity and uniqueness of human culture.
c.	focus on how people make a living from their environment.
d.	believe the beliefs of a culture are its most fundamental aspect.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   91                  OBJ:   5

MSC:  Pickup

 

23. The theory holding that the main influence on human ways of life is how people produce and distribute resources from their environment is called:

a.	Functionalism.
b.	Cultural materialism.
c.	Unilineal evolutionism.
d.	Critical anthropology.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   91                  OBJ:   5

MSC:  New

 

24. From the perspective of cultural materialism which of these is most fundamental to a culture?

a.	Technology
b.	Family structure
c.	Political organization
d.	Values and beliefs

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   91                  OBJ:   5

MSC:  Pickup

 

25. Humanists:

a.	are skeptical of general explanations and cultural comparisons.
b.	focus on trying to explain why people live the way they do.
c.	believe in a scientific approach to the study of culture.
d.	emphasize the inherent and universal nature of human wants and needs.

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   92                  OBJ:   5

MSC:  Pickup

 

26. From a humanist perspective, the environment _____ cultural possibilities; from a materialist perspective, the environment _____ cultural possibilities.

a.	determines / constrains
b.	constrains / determines
c.	directs / constrains
d.	has no effect on / has no effect on

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   94                  OBJ:   5

MSC:  Pickup

 

27. Which of these perspectives pays the most attention to how knowledge is created, by whom, and for what purposes?

a.	Materialist
b.	Idealist
c.	Postmodernist
d.	Functionalist

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   94                  OBJ:   5

MSC:  Pickup

 

28. The orientation that questions the truth value of beliefs and knowledge and focuses especially on how power relationships affect the creation and spread of ideas and beliefs is called:

a.	Materialism.
b.	Idealism.
c.	Postmodernism.
d.	Functionalism.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   94                  OBJ:   5

MSC:  New

 

29. Postmodernism:

a.	believes that modern science is the ideal academic perspective.
b.	questions the truth value of beliefs and knowledge.
c.	frames social distinctions as the product of biology.
d.	looks at aspects of culture in terms of the functions they perform.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   94                  OBJ:   5

MSC:  New

 

30. Methods of collecting information about a culture by systematic questioning that may be structured or unstructured is called:

a.	interviews.
b.	surveys.
c.	observations.
d.	participations.

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   96                  OBJ:   6

MSC:  New

 

31. A key informant is:

a.	generally the person with the highest status in the group being studied.
b.	a local person with expertise in a particular area, with whom the ethnographer spends a lot of time.
c.	the person or agency from whom the anthropologist receives the money for research.
d.	someone whom the anthropologist pays to observe and report on the activities of others.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   97                  OBJ:   6

MSC:  Pickup

 

32. The main technique used in conducting ethnographic fieldwork, involving living among a people and partaking in their daily activities is called:

a.	cultural relativism.
b.	going undercover.
c.	participant observation.
d.	anthropological methods.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   97                  OBJ:   6

MSC:  New

 

33. Which of the following is not a difficulty affecting every field research situation?

a.	Identifying and interviewing consultants
b.	Defining the fieldworker’s role in the community
c.	Culture shock
d.	Not liking the food

 

 

ANS:  D                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   98                  OBJ:   6

MSC:  New

 

34. The feeling of uncertainty and anxiety that an individual experiences when placed in a strange cultural setting is called:

a.	cultural relativism.
b.	ethnocentrism.
c.	culture shock.
d.	fieldwork apprehension.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   98                  OBJ:   6

MSC:  New

 

35. Those who subscribe to a humanist perspective believe :

a.	reasonable objectivity in fieldwork is not possible.
b.	our subjectivities do not impact us in fieldwork.
c.	scientific approaches are the most effective in fieldwork.
d.	humans are the only species we should be studying.

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   99                  OBJ:   7

MSC:  New

 

TRUE/FALSE

 

1. A major contribution of the nineteenth-century evolutionists was the establishment of anthropology as a legitimate academic field.

 

ANS:  T                    REF:   85                  MSC:  Pickup

 

2. Unilineal evolutionists insisted on firsthand fieldwork as the only means of acquiring legitimate information.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   85-86             MSC:  Pickup

 

3. Historical particularism is considered the only genuinely valid anthropological perspective.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   87                  MSC:  Pickup

 

4. The functionalist perspective is able to explain most cultural differences by exploring their relationship to basic human needs.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   87-88             MSC:  Pickup

 

5. Contemporary technological determinists are considered simply modern versions of nineteenth-century evolutionists.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   89                  MSC:  New

 

6. According to Marvin Harris’ process of intensification, new technologies originate when peoples own actions create problems for them to solve.

 

ANS:  T                    REF:   92                  MSC:  Pickup

 

7. Most humanists are skeptical of scientific explanations of a culture.

 

ANS:  T                    REF:   93                  MSC:  New

 

8. Many humanists think that materialism overemphasizes consumption to explain cultural differences.

 

ANS:  T                    REF:   93                  MSC:  New

 

9. Surveys are a frequently used field method because the data they gather are both “wide” and “deep.”

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   96                  MSC:  Pickup

 

10. Interviews are generally the best way to get the most complete information about current cultural customs and beliefs.

 

ANS:  T                    REF:   96                  MSC:  Pickup

 

11. People don’t always behave in the ways they say they do; individual actions often differ from cultural norms.

 

ANS:  T                    REF:   98                  MSC:  Pickup

 

12. Very little of the experience of fieldwork is traumatic for many anthropologists.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   98                  MSC:  New

 

13. The scientific application of anthropological methods ensures objectivity in research and results.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   99                  MSC:  Pickup

 

14. The code of ethics of the American Anthropological Association is primarily concerned with protecting the interests of the organizations that fund anthropological fieldwork.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   100                MSC:  Pickup

 

15. The perspective of the insider, trained or not, is not always considered more accurate and legitimate than the observations of an outsider anthropologist.

 

ANS:  T                    REF:   102                MSC:  New

 

SHORT ANSWER

 

1. What did Charles Darwin propose in this 1859 book On the Origins of Species?

 

ANS:

Darwin proposed that one species emerged out of another.

 

REF:   83                  MSC:  New

 

2. What is the perspective of unilineal evolution?

 

ANS:

The nineteenth-century theory that held that all cultures pass through a similar sequence of stages in their development.

 

REF:   84                  MSC:  New

 

3. What is the perspective of historical particularism?

 

ANS:

An early twentieth-century approach that challenged evolutionism by emphasizing that each culture is a unique result of its distinctive past, which makes cross-cultural generalizations questionable.

 

REF:   85-87             MSC:  New

 

4. What is the major limitation of historical particularism?

 

ANS:

In focusing on the differences that existed between cultures, historical particularists tended to overlook the similarities and to neglect the factors that might explain them.

 

REF:   87                  MSC:  New

 

5. Describe the perspective of functionalism.

 

ANS:

Functionalism analyzes cultural elements in terms of their useful effects to individuals or to the persistence of the whole society.

 

REF:   87                  MSC:  New

 

6. What did technological determinists such as Leslie White believe?

 

ANS:

They believed the technology available to a people has an enormous impact on the other aspects of a culture.

 

REF:   89                  MSC:  New

 

7. What is the perspective of materialism?

 

ANS:

Materialism is a theory holding that the main influence on human ways of life is how people produce and distribute resources from their environment.

 

REF:   91                  MSC:  New

 

8. How do humanists and materialists differ on their ideas  about the relationship between culture and the environment?

 

ANS:

Humanists hold that natural environments constrain human cultural possibilities but do not determine those possibilities.

 

REF:   93-94             MSC:  New

 

9. What is the perspective of postmodernism?

 

ANS:

Postmodernism is the orientation that questions the truth value of beliefs and knowledge, and focuses especially on how power relationships affect the creation and spread of ideas and beliefs.

 

REF:   94                  MSC:  New

 

10. Describe the use of surveys in anthropological fieldwork.

 

ANS:

Fieldworkers use survey instruments such as censuses and formal questionnaires to gather information from a lot of individuals or families very quickly.

 

REF:   96                  MSC:  New

 

11. Distinguish between structured and unstructured interviews.

 

ANS:

Structured interviews are sets of questions with brief and somewhat clear-cut answers, while unstructured interviews tend to be more open-ended.

 

REF:   96-97             MSC:  New

 

12. What are the limitations of interviewing in fieldwork?

 

ANS:

Interview questions can be difficult to create either because the anthropologist does not know what to ask initially or because the topic is of interest to the anthropologist and not the informants.

 

REF:   97                  MSC:  New

 

13. What are key consultants?

 

ANS:

They are members of a society who are especially knowledgeable about some subject and supplies information to a fieldworker.

 

REF:   97                  MSC:  New

 

14. Describe the use of participant observation in anthropological fieldwork.

 

ANS:

This method required fieldworkers to take up residence with the people they were studying and learn their culture by observing and participating in their daily lives.

 

REF:   97                  MSC:  New

 

15. What is culture shock?

 

ANS:

Culture shock is the feeling of uncertainty and anxiety that an individual experiences when placed in a strange cultural setting.

 

REF:   98                  MSC:  New

 

ESSAY

 

1. Describe the influence of Darwin on the early anthropologists; discuss the contributions and criticisms of unilineal evolutionism.

 

ANS:

Not Given

 

REF:   83-84             MSC:  Pickup

 

2. Explain the concept of historical particularism. How does this perspective differ from that of nineteenth-century unilineal evolution?

 

ANS:

Not Given

 

REF:   84-87             MSC:  New

 

3. Describe Boas’ approach of historical particularism?  How did it contribute to the field of anthropology and what were its limitations?

 

ANS:

Not Given

 

REF:   85-87             MSC:  Pickup

 

4. Who was Bronislaw Malinowski? What was his theoretical perspective on culture and what contributions did he make to the discipline of anthropology?

 

ANS:

Not Given

 

REF:   87-89             MSC:  Pickup

 

5. Describe the materialist and humanist approaches to the understanding of different cultures. How do they differ and what are the strengths and weakness of each approach?

 

ANS:

Not Given

 

REF:   90-95             MSC:  Pickup

 

6. Discuss the process of anthropological fieldwork. What are the key methods used? What is culture shock and how does it factor into the fieldwork experience?

 

ANS:

Not Given

 

REF:   95-98             MSC:  New