CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY: ANTH 1604
MULTIPLE-CHOICE SAMPLE QUESTIONS
J. Belote
Last updated December 7, 2005
 

For the most part these are questions that have been on previous tests in my cultural anthropology courses. They should give you a good idea of the nature of questions to be asked on tests throughout this semester. Some of these questions may appear on your tests exactly as presented here or in modified form. Questions come from materials presented in the text and from class materials presented in lectures, discussions and videos.

Note that these questions come from the entire course, not just from one test or another. They are in no particular order. And note also that the lectures given and text being used for the course you are now using may be different in some ways from the text and lectures used to make up these questions--thus not all the questions would be answerable from the materials you are responsible for (although the majority are).

There is no available key to the answers to these questions, and I don't generally give the answers to them, either, unless you have made a good effort to figure them out, using ALL the material for which you are responsible.

Note that there may be more than one correct answer for any one question.

Instructions on how to answer multiple-choice questions and information on how they are scored should be viewed at INSTRUCTIONS AND GRADING SCALE

A "periphery" nation (Kottak) is one which          * is an island nation far from other nations * is characterized by little use of mechanization and produces raw materials and agricultural commodites for export * along with other low-population nations is located around the borders of a high population nation * NONE

The specific term for the marriage of one man to more than one woman is called        * polyandry * polygyny * polygamy * polymorphous perversity * exogamy

In Ladakh today (when video was produced)        * local grain is now produced so cheaply, that it is no longer imported into the area * with modern technology people have more time to socialize with others * wealth is more evenly distri-buted among all sectors of the population * education is now more oriented to local issues, knowledge and needs than ever before * NONE

Rosaldo found that the Ilongot headhunters    * killed to calm their grief * cut off the heads of enemies in order to capture their spirits * cut off their heads of people they had killed in order to show how tough the killer was * thought that it was abominable that a society could exist in which one person could order another to risk his or her life * were generally hostile and sullen and difficult to study * NONE

Which of the following features were characteristic of the traditional caste system in India? * one could be "polluted" by contact with a member of a much lower caste * the system was justified by the Hindu religion * people could change caste membership only by marrying a member of another caste * NONE

Peasants who work their own land, but also have enough land so that they need to hire non-family members to be able to work it all are called * middle peasants * gentry * rich peasants * landlords * tenant farmers * hacendados

The daughters of Zelophehad married their father's brother's sons because the law God gave Moses was that * when possible people should marry first cousins * when women inherited land they had to marry within the tribe to keep the land within the tribe * daughters of priests must marry close relatives to maintain the purity of the patrilineal line of the priesthood for generations to come

The difference in average size between males and females of a species is called       *androgynism *bimorphicity *sexual dimorphism *disexuality

According to Weatherford (Blood on the Steppes ...), the "Reebok Mafia" is a       * drug smuggling organization in Afghanistan * group of delinquent teenage males in Mongolia * manufacturing group that exploits third-world cheap labor from Central Asia * new "ethnic" group composed of people of mixed ethnic origins that is engaged in illegal fishing in the Lake Balkash area * NONE

According to the Ferneas, veiling of women in the Middle East * is more common in rural than urban areas * may provide welcome anonymity or security to women in public places * is rapidly disappearing with modernization * NONE

In terms of the local (Saraguro area)craft work involving items commonly used by the Saraguros * all of it is made only by the Saraguros themselves * some of it may be made by non-indigenous people * almost all of it is made only by non-indigenous persons * all of it is made only by non-indigenous people

According to Weatherford (Cocaine ...), which of the following are effects of the cocaine trade on Bolivia? * the creation of a "narco chic" elite living in new suburban areas * increasing poverty in some rural areas that don't pro-duce coca * declining nutritional standards in some areas due to less use of cocal leaves for chewing * national price inflation * disruption of family life

Unlike the Classical Greeks and Romans, the ancient Hebrew family of Old Testament times was * monogamous * polygynous * patrilineal * matrilineal

Among both Hutterites and the Amish * most young people desert the community after experiencing the outside world * young people are held to higher standards of behavior than are older people * married, baptized people must conform strictly to Amish to community values (the "ordnung") * NONE

In the wild, some non-human primates use communication to specifically indicate        *the presence of several kinds of predators *plans for later in the day *a variety of feelings *the presence of lots of different kinds of food

Chimpanzees        *sometimes hunt in organized groups *only eat meat from animals killed by other species *never eat meat *sometimes share meat *NONE

In a culture, the mixing of elements from two or more distinct religions is called * syncretism * paganism * New Age * communsualism * synthesis

According to "Old Testament" law, a woman taken as a captive in war by a man who wanted her as his "woman" * must be given a month to mourn the loss of her parents * could be sold as a slave * had to undergo purification and a marriage ceremony before she could become the man's wife or concubine * could never be let go or divorced since she became like a wife to the man * none

Gmelch (Baseball ...) calls material objects believed to embody supernatural powers that can aid or protect the owner * taboos * fetishes * idols

According to the text * there are several pure human races     * there is little objective scientific basis for the existence of modern human races * there are greater physical/genetic differences human groups called "races" than between them * NONE

The main evidence cited by the Kogi (Video) proving that the earth's environ-ment is not healthy is that    *children are suffering from strange new deases * in their area glaciers are melting and the paramos are drying up * forest animals now fear humans * there is a rise in severe volcanic activity

Unlike the Kayapo of Brazil (Turner), the Chimanes of Bolivia (Williamson)     * live in a tropical forest area * have successfully begun to protect their environment from outside interests * have traditionally raised large numbers of cattle and horses * themselves participate widely in cutting and selling valuable forest trees such as Mahogany * are not threatened by outside forces

According to the video, Saraguros in the 1990s      * still raise cattle in the tropical forest * have given up their distinctive cultural identity * now include educated people who are doctors and teachers * no longer permit their very young children to handle knives * are now mainly Muslims * NONE

Unlike the Amish, the Hutterites      * live and work on communally owned rather than family owned land * are more likely to accept more new elements of modern technology * are not willing for their kids to go to college * were originally a part of the Anabaptist movement * have very high birth-rates * NONE

Both a Nayar household and an Iroquois longhouse would likely include * wives & husbands * fathers & their sons * mothers & their sons * girls and their maternal grandmothers * boys & their father's sisters * a male household head

Among the Tswana of Botswana, according to Burke, * bad luck, accidents, etc., are often explained as a result of witchcraft * Christian church rituals may be used to counter the effects of witchcraft * white people are considered to be very powerful users of witchcraft * NONE

According to the video, the Nyinba of Nepal (video) believe that * romantic love is a danger to family organization *polyandrous marriages help preserve family estates * the most common marriage form is sororal polyandry * women must practice life-long monogamy (i.e. widows and divorcees cannot remarry)

The confrontation between guinea pig eating and the Outlaws motorcycle gang is evidence that               * gang members have lost their consciences * guinea pigs are smarter than people * it is difficult to completely avoid the power of cultural programming * subcultures exist only briefly in complex societies

British colonialism      * at it's peak ruled about a quarter of the earth's population * was justified (by its leaders) as a paternalistic shouldering of the "white man's burden" * began to fall apart right after the American Revolution

In Saraguro in the 1960s     * there was a high infant mortality rate * the deaths of children were not supposed to be mourned * parents did not love their children * the worth of individuals was determined by their ability to work productively * most people were extremely poor * NONE

Which of the following were ineffective marketing appeals by McDonald's in Brazil?     * eating there on the cook's day off * eating (hot) hamburgers at the beach * eating McDonald's for the evening, rather than mid-day meal * NONE

The sacred cattle of India      *are an essential source of traction for plowing and hauling *should no longer be protected so more land could be devoted to grain-crop production *are protected from slaughter by Hindu religious beliefs *are the main cause of India's economic problems *NONE

The situation in which a stratified social order exists in which subordinates comply with domination by internalizing their rulers' values and accepting the naturalness of the situation is called      * hegemony * imperialism * colonialism

Which of the following are characteristic of the anthropological approach to the study of humanity?       * field work with participant observation * use of the culture concept * laboratory experiments to manipulate human behavior
* avoidance of ethnocentrism * use of cultural relativism * holism

Which were associated with the "green revolution" in Java (Indonesia)        * wealthy farmers were more likely to benefit than poor farmers * many poor peasants lost their means of subsistence * agricultural production increased * NONE

Traditionally, the Ladakhis * were fundamentalist Moslems * had a high quality of life * had a low standard of living * practiced polyandry

Which is true of peasants in general? * are likely to be more oriented around subsistence security rather that profit maximization * may or may not own their own land * never own their own land but are forced to work for others
According to a study in Africa of four tribes, pastoralists, compared to agricultural populations were more likely to * be arrogant and self confident * use witchcraft and sorcery * have a more realistic view of the world * NONE

According to the 16th Century French writer, Montaigne     * no moral judgements should ever be made about other societies * French society was superior in all ways to all others * the evils in French society were in some ways greater than those in a "cannibal" society he knew about * no society is any better or worse than any other * NONE

A major point made by Gmelch (Lessons ...) is that in studying another culture, American students * gain new perspectives on American culture * usually are unable to adapt well to another culture * come to realize that American culture is far superior, in almost any way, to the cultures of other peoples

A major reason many Saraguro young women have run away from home for a while in recent years is to     *escape physically abusive parents * gain independent sources of income to buy consumer goods * marry people their parents don't like * avoid the shame of unwed pregnancy * NONE

Among nomadic foragers      * rule is usually by the strongest male * decisions are usually made on the basis of consensus *band membership is usually quite flexible * survival depends on continuous hard labor nearly every day * there is never any conflict or murder within the group * NONE

Sachems of the Iroquois Confederacy were selected (and impeached) by       * women only * men only
* members of both sexes * throws of what we could call "the dice" * democratic election * NONE

When a ruling Inca died       * his oldest son to his main sister-wife became the new ruler * the new ruler did not inherit any of his dead father's property * a panaka (royal corporation) was created which consisted of the brothers and sisters of the new ruler and which received the property of the old ruler * NONE

Among the ancient Hebrews a man who killed another Hebrew       * could be killed by an "avenger of death" at any time except when the killer was in a city of refuge * could be convicted of murder only if there were at least two witnesses to the deed * could never be legitimately killed by the avenger of death if he was not convicted of murder during a trial by the "elders" * NONE

Peasants      * are always very poor and oppressed * are rural people who live in chiefdom or tribal-level societies * always own their own land * never own their own land * are members to state-level societies

Gmelch claims that magic is most likely to be used       * in situations of uncertainty and/or danger * only by people who don't have a religion * mainly by weak people who are unsuccessful in their professions * by people who wish to harm others * by people who do not claim to be Christians * only by shamans

The industrial revolution is generally considered to have begun in      * the US * Japan * France * England

Which are forms of (intensive) agriculture?      * wet rice farming * pastoralism * slash-and-burn cultivation * chinampa cultivation * foraging * farms using plowing and irrigation * NONE

The situation in which a stratified social order exists in which subordinates comply with domination by internalizing their rulers' values and accepting the naturalness of the situation is called    * hegemony * imperialism * colonialism

Which of the following domesticates originated in the New World?    * horses * wheat * corn * chile peppers * tomatoes * potatoes * tobacco * cows * NONE

In the Potlatch of the NW Coast, rivals competed mainly to see who could    * capture the most enemy heads * give away the greatest amount of property * catch the most fish * stay under water the longest *NONE

Archaeological evidence seems to indicate that compared to foragers in particular areas, early agricultural populations in those areas     * were taller * lived longer lives * had better teeth * had more variety in their diets * had generally better health * NONE

The rule that one should marry outside a group to which one belongs is called
* endogamy * exogamy * incest * allogamy * polygamy * exclusivism

In the European Middle Ages, passionate, romantic love * was supposed to occur only within marriage * had sexual intercourse as its main goal * was not necessarily considered likely or desirable within marriage * NONE

Yuan and Mitchell (... Walking Marriage ...) claim that among the Mosuo * a girl around 12 has a coming of age ceremony and after puberty can take lovers * having a visiting lover is preferred to marriage * a lover is responsible for the upbringing of his children * adult men are responsible for the up-bringing of their sisters' children * lovers live together for up to 4 years

Which of the following statements about human language are true?     * there are several primitive languages into which the Bible can't be translated * all languages change through time * all languages are equal in total size of vocabulary at this time * particular languages are genetically programmed

The Oneida Community interpreted the Bible passage, "they neither marry, nor are given in marriage...[in the afterlife]," to imply that * sex was an evil to be avoided * marriage, because it led to possessiveness and jealousy, was an evil to be avoided * virginity and celibacy were the highest Christian values * you must marry in this world because you can't in heaven * NONE

Williamson (Illegal Logging ...) shows that indigenous groups such as the Chimanes * have successfully resisted destruction of their forests * have proven that sustainable forestry in the tropical rain forest is easier to achieve than in temperate forests * may find it economically necessary
to participate in the destruction of their own resources * NONE

According to Leavitt, New Guinea cargo cults may involve * attempts, through ritual, to gain access to wealth thought to be under the control of ancestral spirits * elements of christian beliefs * poor people being thought to be more spiritual than the rich * belief that greed is the result of demonic influence

The men of the early Old Testament * could have legitimate sex only with a regular wife * could have more than one wife * were sometimes required to marry a dead older brother's widow * could never marry first cousins * NONE

Culture     * includes values and behavior * is shared, learned behavior * helps simplify decision making * helps people adapt to their environments * is determined by the genes * NONE

The way the !Kung treated Richard Lee's gift of a Christmas ox reveals the !Kung value on    * individualism * equality * family solidarity * male dominance * pacificism

A sacred, impersonal force, existing in the universe, which may reside in people, animals, plants, or other objects is known to anthropologists as       * collective liminality * Ugric * taboo * god * mana * diety

 
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