Q&A Hero

Q: What is one of the most fundamental key assumptions that anthropologists share? A. There are no universals, so cross-cultural research is bound to fail. B. A degree in philosophy is the best way to produce good ethnography. C. We can draw conclusions about human nature by studying a single society. D. Anthropologists cannot agree on what anthropology is, much less share key assumptions. E. A comparative, cross-cultural approach is essential to study the human condition.

Q: Cultural anthropologists carry out their fieldwork in A. factories. B. the tropics. C. the third world. D. former colonies. E. all kinds of societies.

Q: Which of the following perspectives emphasizes how cultural forces constantly mold human biology? A. cultural genetics perspective B. biocultural perspective C. psychological anthropological perspective D. holistic perspective E. scientifichumanistic perspective

Q: Ethnography is the A. study of biological adaptability. B. preliminary data that sociologists use to develop survey research. C. fieldwork component of cultural anthropology. D. cross-cultural comparative component of cultural anthropology. E. generalizing aspect of cultural anthropology.

Q: Based on his observations that contact between neighboring tribes had existed since humanitys beginnings and covered enormous areas, Franz Boas argued A. against treating cultures as isolated phenomena. B. that even the earliest foragers engaged in warfare. C. that language must have originated among the Neandertals. D. that biology, not culture, was responsible for the vast majority of human diversity. E. that general anthropologists were wrong to focus too much attention on biology.

Q: What component of cultural anthropology is comparative and focused on building upon our understanding of how cultural systems work? A. ethnography B. data collection C. ethnology D. fieldwork E. data entry

Q: Over time, humans have become increasingly dependent on which of the following to cope with the range of environments they have occupied in time and space? A. cultural means of adaptation B. biological means of adaptation, mostly thanks to advanced medical research C. a holistic and comparative approach to problem solving D. social institutions, such as the state that coordinates collective action E. technological means of adaptation, such as the creation of virtual worlds that allow us to escape from day-to-day reality

Q: Todays global economy and communications link all contemporary people, directly or indirectly, in the modern world system. People must now cope with forces generated by progressively larger systemsthe region, the nation, and the world. For anthropologists studying contemporary forms of adaptation, why might this be a challenge? A. Truly isolated indigenous communities, anthropologys traditional and ongoing study focus, are becoming harder to find. B. According to Marcus and Fischer (1986), The cultures of world peoples need to be constantly rediscovered as these people reinvent them in changing historical circumstances. C. A more dynamic world system, with greater and faster movements of people across space, speeds up the process of evolution, making the study of genetic adaptations more difficult. D. Anthropological research tools do not work in this new modern world system, making their contributions less valuable. E. Since cultures are tied to place, people moving around and connecting across space means the end of culture, and thus the end of anthropology.

Q: In general, Americans tend to maintain a greater physical distance from others they interact with on a day-to-day basis, especially when compared to Brazilians or Italians, who need less personal space. However, the story of American students attitudes toward hugging in Give Me a Hug reminds us that A. any nation usually contains diverse and even conflicting cultural values, and these cultural values are not static. B. the key reason for the poor track-record of U.S. diplomacy begins with failures in the American school system. C. some aspects of culture are more biologically determined than others. D. cultural values regarding bodily touch and personal space are very difficult to change from one generation to another. E. homosexuality is becoming more prevalent, and more accepted, among teenagers.

Q: What are the four subfields of anthropology? A. medical anthropology, ethnography, ethnology, and cultural anthropology B. archaeology, biological anthropology, applied linguistics, and applied anthropology C. biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, cultural anthropology, and archaeology D. genetic anthropology, physical anthropology, psychological anthropology, and anthropology and linguistics E. primatology, ethnology, cultural anthropology, and paleoscatology

Q: Anthropologists early interest in Native North Americans A. is unique to European anthropology. B. was more important than an interest in the relation between biology and culture in the development of U.S. four-field anthropology. C. proved early on that culture is a function of race. D. is an important historical reason for the development of four-field anthropology in the U.S. E. was replaced in the 1930s by the two-field approach.

Q: How are the four subfields of U.S. anthropology unified? A. Each subfield studies human variation through time and space. B. Each subfield studies the human capacity for language. C. Each subfield studies human biological variability. D. Each subfield studies human genetic variation through time and space. E. The subfields really are not unified; their grouping into one discipline is a historical accident.

Q: What is anthropology? A. the art of ethnography B. the study of long-term physiological adaptation C. the study of the stages of social evolution D. the humanistic investigation of myths in nonindustrial societies E. the exploration of human diversity in time and space

Q: A holistic and comparative perspective A. makes general anthropology superior to sociocultural anthropology. B. refers only to the cultural aspects of human diversity that anthropologists study. C. makes anthropology an interesting field of study, but too broad of one for any application to real problems people face today. D. most characterizes anthropology, compared to other disciplines that study humans. E. is the hallmark of all social sciences, not just anthropology.

Q: As humans organize their lives and adapt to different environments, our abilities to learn, think symbolically, use language, and employ tools and other products A. rest on certain features of human biology that make culture itself a biological phenomenon. B. have made some human groups more cultured than others. C. prove that only fully developed adults have the capacity for culture; children lack the capacity for culture until they mature. D. rest on certain features of human biology that make culture, which is not itself biological, possible. E. are shared with other animals capable of organized group life such as baboons, wolves, and even ants.

Q: Which of the following is NOT true about culture? A. Culture is a key aspect of human adaptability and success. B. Culture is passed on genetically to future generations. C. Cultural forces consistently mold and shape human biology and behavior. D. Culture guides the beliefs and behavior of the people exposed to it. E. Culture is passed on from generation to generation.

Q: What is the process by which children learn a particular cultural tradition? A. acculturation B. ethnology C. enculturation D. ethnography E. biological adaptation

Q: This chapters description of how humans cope with low oxygen pressure in high altitudes illustrates A. human capacities for cultural and biological adaptation, the latter involving both genetic and physiological adaptations. B. how biological adaptations are effective only when they are genetic. C. how human plasticity has decreased ever since we embraced a sedentary lifestyle some 10,000 years ago. D. how in matters of life or death, biology is ultimately more important than culture. E. the need for anthropologists to pay more attention to human adaptation in extreme environments.

Q: The presence of more efficient respiratory systems to extract oxygen from the air among human populations living at high elevations is an example of which form of adaptation? A. short-term physiological adaptation B. cultural adaptation C. symbolic adaptation D. genetic adaptation E. long-term physiological adaptation

Q: The indigenous rights movement has brought about full equality in all Latin American countries.

Q: The residents of Newtok, Alaska, believe that it will cost much more than the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimate to relocate their village.

Q: Local communities can use television to preserve, revive, and intensify the scale of traditional ceremonies.

Q: The Earth's climate has always remained constant, so any changes must be human-driven.

Q: Conservation projects have traditionally been sensitive to the ethnoecologies of indigenous people.

Q: Deforestation is more likely to occur in a food-producing society than a foraging culture.

Q: Discuss the evidence for climate change and the specific evidence that climate change is at least partially human-driven. List the human factors that influence climate change.

Q: List the causes and effects of deforestation. Identify how deforestation ties into climate change, and discuss the traditional approach to combating deforestation. Identify strategies that are more likely to be effective.

Q: Acculturation refers to changes that occur when groups come into direct and continuous contact.

Q: Most migrants live independently, severing all ties to their home communities and identities.

Q: As capitalism has spread globally, the gap between rich and poor has decreased both within and between nations.

Q: Mass media can play an important role in constructing and maintaining national and ethnic identities.

Q: Modern technology plays an important role in both facilitating cultural imperialism and resisting it.

Q: The globalization of risk describes the commercial value of generating new ideas and converting them into products and services that consumers want.

Q: Discuss strategies that can help ensure that economic development and environmentalism benefit, rather than endanger, local communities.

Q: The __________ has worked within the United Nations to support indigenous rights. A. Working Group on Indigenous Populations B. International Union for Indigenous Rights C. Supporters of Indigenous Peoples of Post-soviet Countries D. Intergovernmental Panel on Indigenous Rights E. United States Corps of Engineers

Q: Autochthony most likely plays a role in A. urban planning B. mass media C. finance D. health care reform E. immigration policies

Q: The statement, __________, does not describe indigenous identities. A. "they emerge through a specific process" B. "they are thriving" C. "they are ways of being someone or something in particular times and places" D. "they are potentially plural" E. "they can be fluid or competing"

Q: The village of Newtok in Alaska need to be moved because A. the village is mobile because the residents are mobile foragers. B. United States corporations want to develop the land. C. it is sinking, flooding, and eroding due to climate change. D. it has become a tourist location and the residents are tired of strangers in their village. E. the residents have destroyed the land through intensive agriculture techniques.

Q: __________ are causing problems in Newtok, Alaska. A. Global warming and deforestation B. Extinction of local animal and plant species C. Deforestation and intensive agriculture D. Climate change and reconciling local culture with outside world expectations E. Oil exploitation and local culture

Q: Many Arembepeiros began to resent their own local Saint Francis festival because A. the festival does not receive the regional support that Carnival draws. B. the festival has become an outsider's event, drawing thousands of tourists. C. the festival does not get national television time. D. other Brazilians look down on it as a backward festival. E. the festival celebrates the Portuguese discovery of Brazil.

Q: When __________, people are living multilocally. A. migrants maintain ties with their native lands through phoning, e-mailing, visiting, sending money, and watching ethnic TV B. individuals from warm climates move north to work during the summer, but move home in the winter C. the indigenous people of a colonized country maintain their own customs while assimilating to the dominant culture D. families split and live in two different countries to gain the benefits of both E. offspring live in multiple countries

Q: __________ keeps the Earth's surface warm. A. The atmosphere B. Global warming C. Ocean currents D. The hothouse effect E. The greenhouse effect

Q: Discuss why the term indigenous people has great political weight. Identify what indigenous movements in Latin America have emphasized in their drive for self-determination.

Q: Differentiate postmodernity and postmodernism. Discuss how postmodernity affected the focus of anthropological study.

Q: Define globalization two ways. Identify when each type began, and give examples of both definitions.

Q: __________ is most likely to convince an indigenous people to help prevent deforestation. A. Saving global biodiversity B. Slowing global warming C. It is good for the globe D. Preventing erosion in farmland E. Helping the government secure a place in the European Union

Q: The average American consumes about ___________ times more energy than the average forager or tribesperson. A. 25 B. 35 C. 45 D. 55 E. 65

Q: The statement, __________, is true. A. "studies show that people accept television's messages at face value, without much reinterpretation" B. "television coverage can increase an area's participation in an activity" C. "American programming is much more popular than local television shows around the world" D. "television is more popular in urban than in rural areas" E. "television has little effect on culture"

Q: __________ refers to the blurring and breakdown of established canons (rules, standards), categories, distinctions, and boundaries. A. Chaos B. Entropy C. Postmodern D. Agoraphobia E. Diaspora

Q: __________ refers to the rapid spread or advance of one culture at the expense of others, or its imposition on other cultures. A. Diasporation B. Symbolic domination C. Cultural imperialism D. Conquest E. Colonialism

Q: Globalization as fact A. is based on the theory of neoliberalism B. began after the fall of the Soviet Union C. is the spread and connectedness of production, communication, and technologies across the world. D. includes efforts to create a global free market for goods and services. E. refers to a society's set of environment practices and perceptions.

Q: Knowledge has commercial value as A. companies seek to decrease of ecological and technical risks. B. it acknowledges it is more than increasing temperatures. C. the process of multinational companies increasingly influence national policies. D. new ideas are converted into products and services that consumers want. E. it retains the notion of being native to a place.

Q: Many scientists prefer __________ instead of global warming to describe changes in the environment. A. deforestation B. climate change C. diaspora D. arctic melting E. global temperature change

Q: The greatest obstacle to slowing climate change is A. curbing population growth. B. providing enough food. C. ensuring that each culture is considered in any plan to halt climate change. D. stopping deforestation. E. meeting energy demands.

Q: __________ focuses on how cultural beliefs and practices helped human populations adapt to their environments. A. Ethnobotanical anthropology B. Applied anthropology C. Conservation anthropology D. Ecological anthropology E. Paleoecology

Q: __________ is a priority issue to the Malagasy, the people of Madagascar. A. Human poverty B. Lemur extinction C. Deforestation D. Getting local television programming that reflects their culture E. Lemur interference at airports

Q: To receive international loans, governments of developing countries have been required to accept neoliberal principles.

Q: __________ refers to changes that result when groups come into continuous firsthand contact. A. Acculturation B. Hegemony C. Enculturation D. Diaspora E. Colonialism

Q: The deliberate physical extinction of a group is A. ethnocide. B. genocide. C. indigenocide. D. cultural imperialism. E. acculturation.

Q: Westernization often is described as a form of A. exodus B. postmodernism C. acculturation D. enculturation E. migration

Q: Postmodernism A. originally described a style and movement in architecture. B. rejects rules, geometric order, and austerity. C. has a clear and functional design or structure. D. draws on a diversity of styles from different times and places. E. extends "value" well beyond classic, elite, and Western cultural forms.

Q: __________ defines the contemporary world in flux, with people on the move, in which established canons, categories, distinctions, and boundaries are breaking down. A. Postmodernity B. Indigenization C. Diaspora D. Hegemony E. Globalization

Q: Given the mobility of people today, anthropologists increasingly are shifting their attention from local communities to A. texts. B. hegemonies. C. postsocialist societies. D. public transcripts. E. diasporas.

Q: Industrialization and mass production have given rise to a culture of consumption.

Q: With the spread of industrialization, indigenous economies, ecologies, and populations have become threatened all over the world.

Q: When indigenous peoples are incorporated into modern nation-states, they usually become ethnic minorities.

Q: Settler postcolonies are characterized by large native populations displaced by the former European colonists, and they are forced to migrate to their country of origin.

Q: Unlike other authoritarian regimes, multiparty political systems characterized Communist societies.

Q: Central to most intervention philosophies is the idea that modernization, Westernization, and industrialization will bring long-term benefits to local groups.

Q: Marx argued that socioeconomic stratification was based on the sharp, simple division between successful Protestant industrialists and poor Catholic peasants.

Q: According to Marx, the bourgeoisie includes people who must sell their labor to survive.

Q: The transatlantic slave trade expanded to meet European demands for iron ore.

Q: Higher wages and improved benefits for workers in core nations is possible because added surplus from the periphery enables companies to maintain high profit margins.

Q: Today, many American companies are "outsourcing" jobs in order to take advantage of cheap labor in noncore nations.

Q: Imperialism is a relatively recent phenomenon that began with the British Empire.

Q: The British notion of "the white man's burden" was similar to the French concept of mission civilisatrice in that both were ethnocentric ideologies used to justify colonialism.

Q: Many of the political, linguistic, and economic distinctions separating the countries of West Africa today are inventions of colonialism.

Q: Continual expansion is one of the characteristic features of industrial economic systems.

Q: Describe some lasting effects of colonialism in the world today. Include a discussion of how ethnic, political, and religious identities were altered by colonialism.

Q: Sugar and cotton helped fuel the development of a capitalist world economy.