Question 1

Lewis Henry Morgan was a lawyer and banker of the late nineteenth century whose principal scholarship in anthropology was concerned with:

Accepted Answer

A)  human physical variation 
B)  systems of human kinship 
C)  language acquisition 
D)  archaeology of the American Indians

Question 2

According to Malinowski, magic __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  has a basis in the existence of supernatural powers in all cultures 
B)  functions to relieve the anxieties of individuals 
C)  only works when it has the full participation of a given society 
D)  has no useful purpose for thinking people

Question 3

The principal theoretical objective of modern anthropology is:

Accepted Answer

A)  to document differences between ethnic groups 
B)  to study the close relationship between genetics and culture 
C)  to provide useful explanations of human society and behavior 
D)  to formulate laws for predicting human behavior and thought

Question 4

The principal criticism of nineteenth-century theories of "unilineal evolution" is:

Accepted Answer

A)  They were ethnocentric, holding that Western society was superior to all others. 
B)  They relied too heavily upon biblical teachings. 
C)  They were based on inadequate knowledge of the fossil record. 
D)  They neglected the civilizations of ancient China and India.

Question 5

Anthropologist Franz Boas was a powerful advocate for unilineal diffusion.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Explain the major tenets of Feminist anthropology. How does the feminist orientation developed in the 1960s and 1970s differ from earlier work by female anthropologists?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain the major tenets of Feminist anthropology....

Question 7

One of Boas' principal criticisms of nineteenth century anthropologists was that:

Accepted Answer

A)  They failed to make use of archaeological evidence for pre-literate societies. 
B)  Their theories were based on "armchair anthropology" and not their own fieldwork. 
C)  There was too much cultural relativism in their interpretations. 
D)  They failed to assign adequate importance to biological effects on culture.

Question 8

The view that society consists of institutions that serve vital purposes for its people is known as:

Accepted Answer

A)  functionalism 
B)  structuralism 
C)  servitude 
D)  utilitarianism 
E)  beneficientism

Question 9

Explain how postmodernism has affected anthropological explanation. What is the postmodern critique of ethnography?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain how postmodernism has affected anthropological explanation....

Question 10

It has been said that cultural ecology reduces human behavior to simple adaptations to the external environment, and that it does not take into consideration such things as history, political structure, and religious ideologies.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Discuss the principal differences between nineteenth-century models for unilineal evolution and twentieth-century neoevolutionary theories. Who were the principal proponents of each?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the principal differences between nineteenth-century models...

Question 12

Discuss the principal effects that the writings of Karl Marx have had on anthropological theory. Do you think that Marxist anthropology is the same as Communist anthropology? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the principal effects that the writings...

Question 13

The body of anthropological theory concerned with the spread of technology, religion, economic systems, art forms, and other expressions of culture is known as:

Accepted Answer

A)  idealism 
B)  particularism 
C)  functionalism 
D)  diffusionism

Question 14

Cultural relativism is the notion that each society should be viewed in terms of its own unique cultural practices and values.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

According to Julian Steward, the environment and the availability of resources has a definite influence on the form of social organization. This approach to studying cultural evolution, called , was exemplified nicely in his study of the social organization of the Shoshone during different seasons of the year.

Accepted Answer

A)  cultural materialism 
B)  environmental determinism 
C)  environmentally driven evolution 
D)  diffusion-evolution 
E)  cultural ecology

Question 16

Can ethnocentrism be an adaptive strategy for a society to take? Or should ethnocentrism be avoided at all costs?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Can ethnocentrism be an adaptive strategy for...

Question 17

An important premise of current Marxist anthropology is a rejection of the unilineal model of evolution.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 6: Anthropological Explanations

Lewis Henry Morgan was a lawyer and banker of the late nineteenth century whose principal scholarship in anthropology was concerned with:

According to Malinowski, magic __________.

The principal theoretical objective of modern anthropology is:

The principal criticism of nineteenth-century theories of "unilineal evolution" is:

Anthropologist Franz Boas was a powerful advocate for unilineal diffusion.

Explain the major tenets of Feminist anthropology. How does the feminist orientation developed in the 1960s and 1970s differ from earlier work by female anthropologists?

One of Boas' principal criticisms of nineteenth century anthropologists was that:

The view that society consists of institutions that serve vital purposes for its people is known as:

Explain how postmodernism has affected anthropological explanation. What is the postmodern critique of ethnography?

It has been said that cultural ecology reduces human behavior to simple adaptations to the external environment, and that it does not take into consideration such things as history, political structure, and religious ideologies.

Discuss the principal differences between nineteenth-century models for unilineal evolution and twentieth-century neoevolutionary theories. Who were the principal proponents of each?

Discuss the principal effects that the writings of Karl Marx have had on anthropological theory. Do you think that Marxist anthropology is the same as Communist anthropology? Why or why not?

The body of anthropological theory concerned with the spread of technology, religion, economic systems, art forms, and other expressions of culture is known as:

Cultural relativism is the notion that each society should be viewed in terms of its own unique cultural practices and values.

Can ethnocentrism be an adaptive strategy for a society to take? Or should ethnocentrism be avoided at all costs?

An important premise of current Marxist anthropology is a rejection of the unilineal model of evolution.