Deck 24: The Arts

Question 1

Which of the following is not a common depiction of Bushmen rock art?

A)Hunting scenes
B)Women
C)Drums
D)Trance dancers
E)Fly whisks

Answer 1

Drums

Question 2

Anthropologists prefer to use the term 'verbal arts' rather than the term folklore because the term:

A)folklore is used only by linguists;the term verbal arts is used only by anthropologists.
B)'verbal arts' sounds more sophisticated.
C)'verbal arts' is more scientific.
D)folklore implies lack of sophistication,and is a condescending term to use.
E)folklore refers only to fairy tales.

Answer 2

folklore implies lack of sophistication,and is a condescending term to use.

Question 3

The observation that all cultures include activities that provide aesthetic pleasure suggests all of the following except:

A)humans may have an innate or acquired need to produce art.
B)the human mind requires the stimulation of imaginative play,and art is a basic expression.
C)all societies,from food-foraging bands to industrial states,include art in their culture.
D)art is a necessary activity in which all normal,active members of society participate.
E)art is a very specialized activity that likely led to the creation of distinct classes in society.

Answer 3

art is a very specialized activity that likely led to the creation of distinct classes in society.

Question 4

The interpretive approach to rock art among the Bushmen and all over southern Africa indicates a significant influence of:

A)hierarchical classes.
B)egalitarianism.
C)shamanism.
D)hunting and gathering.
E)spiritual lineage.

Question 5

Tattoos communicate through all of the following except:

A)manner of execution.
B)verbal words.
C)style.
D)sign-to-meaning correspondence.
E)color.

Question 6

Whether beneficial or unbeneficial,all art is an expression of:

A)the innate need to be playful and engage in manual arts.
B)a fundamental human capacity for symbolic and religious expression.
C)state-level societies that can afford specialists.
D)political domination of minorities by elites.
E)the symbolic representation of form and the expression of creative imagination.

Question 7

During the first stage of trance:

A)the shamans dance and invite others to participate.
B)individuals experience iconic images and feel as if they are one with the deity.
C)the individual does not initially experience an altered state.
D)the nervous system generates patterns of dots,zigzags,curves,and lines.
E)the individual begins to make sense of abstract forms based on cultural knowledge.

Question 8

Legends,rhymes,jokes,chants,and dramas are all examples of which kind of art?

A)Narrative
B)Dramatic
C)Visual
D)Performative
E)Verbal

Question 9

All peoples engage in artistic behavior as they use their imagination creatively to interpret,understand,and even enjoy life.The archaeological record suggests that humans have produced art for how many years?

A)250,000
B)150,000
C)80,000
D)40,000
E)10,000

Question 10

Peyote buttons contain a psychotropic substance identified as a(n):

A)acid base inhibitor.
B)acid.
C)alkaloid.
D)barbiturate.
E)phosphate.

Question 11

All of the following statements about tattoos are correct except:

A)tattoos are transformed into fine art through redefinition and framing based on formal and ideological qualities.
B)tattoos were first brought to the U.S.by British Captain John Smith from the Pacific.
C)tattoos can function as a mark of affiliation and identity for the bearer.
D)there are class distinctions in tattoos and tattoo art.
E)tattoos have long been one of the simplest ways of identifying the human as a social being.

Question 12

All of the following are approaches that anthropologists bring to the study of art except:

A)narrative approach.
B)interpretive approach.
C)aesthetic approach.
D)cataloguing and description of art.
E)assessing the economic value.

Question 13

If the animal figures on a Haida totem are highly stylized and represent only the most basic forms of animals,then the totem would be considered as:

A)representational.
B)abstract.
C)narrative.
D)symbolic.
E)performative.

Question 14

Tattoos are universal forms of body art that may initially date as far back as how many years ago?

A)10,000-40,000
B)40,000-75,000
C)5,000-10,000
D)60,000-70,000
E)10,000-12,000

Question 15

When ideas are promoted by artful means and dramatically staged to challenge opinions,it is called:

A)staged art.
B)culinary art.
C)domestic art.
D)performance art.
E)narrative art.

Question 16

What interesting cultural substitution is in the Marcos Zapata painting of The Last Supper (ca.1710-1773)?

A)Instead of wine,the disciples are drinking beer.
B)The men are dressed in ponchos and wearing Andean hats.
C)Instead of sitting at a table,they are eating on the floor.
D)Instead of eating sheep,they are eating guinea pig.
E)Jesus is an Andean woman instead of a Jewish man.

Question 17

Weavings,etchings,rock carvings,and tattoos are all classified as which kind of art?

A)Visual
B)Verbal
C)Musical
D)Performative
E)Transformative

Question 18

The narratives that make up the verbal arts include all of the following except:

A)paintings.
B)legends.
C)myths.
D)tales.
E)epics.

Question 19

The Bushmen use many natural minerals and materials for their rock art.Which of the following is not a commonly used material?

A)Bicarbonate
B)Gypsum
C)Ferric oxide
D)Blood
E)Silica

Question 20

Peyote art is a traditional form among the:

A)Cheyenne.
B)Hurok.
C)Huichol.
D)Chumash.
E)Comanche.

Question 21

In the myth of Tabaldak and Odziozo,Tabaldak first created the Abenakis from stone,and then from living wood.What does this tell us about the functions of myths?

A)Myths function to tell actual history;the Abenakis believe that they were originally made of wood.
B)Myths bring humor into the lives of the Abenakis because they are so ridiculous.
C)Myths function primarily to provide entertainment;the Abenakis know they were not made from wood,but like to tell this story to visiting anthropologists who are so gullible.
D)Myths function to express a culture's worldview;the Abenakis see themselves as belonging to the world of living things rather than to the nonliving world of stone.
E)Myths provide knowledge of woodworking and stonemasonry to the Abenakis.

Question 22

In Western music,the distance between the basic tone and the first overtone is called a(n):

A)tone.
B)pentatone.
C)octave.
D)scale.
E)pentatonic scale.

Question 23

Which of the following is typically found in preliterate societies with a form of state political organization,serving to transmit and preserve a culture's legal and political precedents and practices?

A)Epics
B)Legends
C)Myths
D)Tales
E)Sagas

Question 24

Jennifer Neptune was asked by a Native American elder to make a reproduction of a clothes item from the late 18th century seen in a photograph of material artifacts from his tribe.This work allowed the current tribal members to appreciate the rich cultural past of their own tribe.What was this item that she reproduced?

A)Pants (leggings)
B)Hat
C)Skirt
D)Collar
E)Waistcoat

Question 25

Among Australian aborigines,the ancestors' tracks on the earth are known in song as:

A)dreamlines.
B)songlines.
C)little songs.
D)journey songs.
E)echoes.

Question 26

Which musical system divides the octave into five nearly equidistant tones?

A)Octave
B)Pentatonic
C)Natural
D)Tonal
E)Formless

Question 27

The study of music in its cultural setting is called:

A)ethnohistory.
B)ethnomusicology.
C)ethnography.
D)folklore.
E)verbal arts.

Question 28

Art is universal to human societies.

Question 29

Semi-historical narratives that account for the deeds of heroes,the movements of peoples,and the establishment of local customs are called:

A)myths.
B)legends.
C)epics.
D)tales.
E)dramas.

Question 30

All of the following are functions of art except:

A)art is a tremendous asset for the few societies that have it.
B)art can be used to change people's perceptions.
C)art is employed to express political themes.
D)art displays social status and spiritual identity.
E)art offers insights into a culture's worldview.

Question 31

Americans are familiar with the story of Cinderella.Similar stories may be found throughout the world: a poor, beautiful girl,downtrodden by her stepmother,receives supernatural aid to win the hand of a noble prince who is searching for a bride.Although the circumstances differ (the girl may be a rural peasant or a servant in a great house,the supernatural helper may be a fairy godmother or a goldfish,the prince may belong to European feudalism or the Aztec empire),all the stories exhibit the same basic:

A)motif.
B)tonality.
C)legend.
D)mythological structure.
E)epic.

Question 32

Two people playing different patterns of beats at the same time is called:

A)syncopation.
B)irregular repetition.
C)polyrhythm.
D)pentatonality.
E)tone color.

Question 33

Which Native American group did Jennifer Neptune study and assist?

A)Navajo
B)Gros Ventre
C)Assiniboine
D)Penobscot
E)Cherokee

Question 34

Your text describes a type of narrative found in many cultures in which a peasant father and his son,while traveling with their beast of burden,meet a number of people who criticize them.What is the motif?

A)The "motif" refers to the psychological motives of the characters in a story,in this case,the desire of the son to do better than his father.
B)The "motif" is meant to be the historical background to the story,in this case,the history of exploitation of the peasantry.
C)The "motif" refers to the story situation,in this case,a father and son trying to please everyone.
D)The "motif" is meant to be the physical environment in which the story occurs,in this case,the yam gardens of Ghana.
E)The "motif" refers to the economic background,in this case,feudalism.

Question 35

Art has little connection to other aspects of a group's culture.

Question 36

Most of the situation comedies,soap operas,and adventure series shown on television are non-religious,non-historical,and appreciated primarily as a source of entertainment.Thus they may be classified as what kind of verbal arts?

A)Dramas
B)Legends
C)Myths
D)Epics
E)Tales

Question 37

Rarely has a culture been reported to lack any kind of music.Bone flutes and whistles have been found by archaeologists that date back approximately how many years ago?

A)10,000
B)33,000
C)42,000
D)57,000
E)100,000

Question 38

Master Ghanaian carpenter Paa Joe is most known for:

A)temple altars.
B)coffins.
C)statues.
D)wooden utensils.
E)axes and other tools.

Question 39

The "little songs" of the Bedouin are an outlet for taboo thoughts because they:

A)are heroic poems.
B)are elaborately structured and used on ceremonial occasions.
C)are sung by men only.
D)express ideas and feelings that go against the moral system.
E)are sung by older women only.

Question 40

In a literate society,the function of legends has been largely taken over by:

A)psychology.
B)anthropology.
C)sociology.
D)history.
E)political science.

Question 41

Ethnomusicology began in the early 20th century.

Question 42

Zale Seck is a West African artist from Senegal whose paintings express political and social themes significant in our contemporary global world.

Question 43

The interpretative approach can be used to better understand the meaning of rock paintings in southern Africa.

Question 44

Huichol Indians use the roots of the Chama cactus for their trances.

Question 45

Art often plays a role in indigenous rights efforts.

Question 46

The word "myth," as used by anthropologists,means something that is widely believed to be true but probably is not.

Question 47

In the process of construal,the brain tries to make sense of entopic images.

Question 48

What is art?

Question 49

What different approaches do anthropologists use in order to study art?

Question 50

Some form of visual art is a part of every historically known human culture.

Question 51

In all cultures,the words of songs constitute a type of poetry.

Question 52

Jennifer Neptune worked with the Penobscot Indians to recover an earlier type of hunting tool tradition.

Question 53

To some extent,in literate societies,the function of legends has been taken over by history.

Question 54

The interpretive approach indicates that shamanism has played a significant historical role in the rock art throughout eastern and northern Africa.

Question 55

The word "folklore" is used today to distinguish between folk art and fine art.

Question 56

An art form that has developed recently is tattooing.It involves the puncturing and coloring of human skin with symbolic designs.

Question 57

The "coffin plane" now in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington,D.C. ,made only one independent flight before being stored as an art form.

Question 58

Music plays an important role in cultural preservation.

Question 59

Art,Globalization,and Cultural Survival

Question 60

The significance of tales to anthropologists is partly in their distribution across cultures.

Question 61

As one organizing factor in music,whether regular of irregular,rhythm may be more important than tonality.Explain why this is so.

Question 62

Distinguish between the entoptic phenomena and the iconic images of trance.

Question 63

What does it mean to say that "tattoos are read" for meaning?

Question 64

What is ethnomusicology?

Question 65

Art and religion are often intertwined,sometimes identical.Give some examples of how spiritual and artistic enterprises are related,and discuss the issues involved in understanding and explaining them.

Question 66

Give an illustration of the social function of music.

Question 67

Distinguish the anthropological use of the term "myth" from its popular meaning.

Question 68

What is a motif? Explain this by giving an example.

Question 69

What are the major types of verbal arts studied by anthropologists?

Question 70

Why are anthropologists interested in the distribution of tales? What does this reveal?

Question 71

What is peyote art,and where is it found?

Question 72

Many famous biographies or novels about artists in the West stress the individual creativity of the artist (for example,James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man).Artists are portrayed as people who have the vision to rise above and beyond the social and cultural conditions into which they were born,sometimes even crossing the boundaries of normality as typically defined by society.How is this vision different from the concept of the artist held by many non-Western societies?

Question 73

Why have the basic working-class American tattoo designs (such as "Mother" or "Donna" inscribed alongside a heart),been relegated to the bottom rung of today's tattoo hierarchy?

Question 74

What types of symbolic expression are used in visual art? Name and discuss two types,and give examples of each.

Question 75

Laura Bohannan,in a classic essay called "Shakespeare in the Bush," describes the problems she had in conveying an appreciation of Hamlet to the Tiv of Nigeria.She eventually realized that,far from being universalistic and transcendent,even great art is to some extent culture-bound.Is there any possibility of coming up with aesthetic standards that are applicable cross-culturally? Would some works of art be recognizable as better than others to people outside of their cultures of origin?

Question 76

What effects has shamanism had on rock art throughout southern Africa?

Question 77

What are the three stages of trance? Explain each.

Question 78

Why is art important to human society?

Question 79

How have the Australian aborigines used art to preserve their culture?

Question 80

Why is art important to human society? Name and discuss at least four functions of art.