Deck 11: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality: the Fluidity of Maleness and Femaleness

Question 1

The reproductive forms and functions of the body are referred to as our

A) sex.
B) gender.
C) hormones.
D) sexuality.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The cultural expectations of how males and females should behave is

A) sex.
B) gender.
C) hormones.
D) sexuality.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The early anthropologist who wrote the book Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies and was the first to distinguish between biological sex and gender roles was

A) Ruth Benedict.
B) Franz Boas.
C) Margaret Mead.
D) Judith Butler.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Individuals who diverge from the male-female norm and exhibit sexual organs and functions somewhere between, including both male and female, are called

A) transsexual.
B) transgender.
C) intersexed.
D) cisgendered.

Question 5

Hormones are

A) sex-specific.
B) linked to a specific behaviour.
C) important only for sexual functioning.
D) responsible for many biological functions.

Question 6

A misconception about hormones in society is that

A) certain hormones are linked to both sexes.
B) they are not important for sexual functioning.
C) sex-specific hormones cause particular behaviors.
D) they are irrelevant.

Question 7

A number of societies have the notion that men are __________ and women are _________.

A) healthy; sick
B) good; bad
C) created; born
D) born; created

Question 8

Which term refers to expressions of sex and gender that diverge from the male and female norms which dominate in most societies?

A) Sexuality
B) Intersexed
C) Transgender
D) Gender variance

Question 9

People everywhere establish their gender/sex identities, including normative categories like "man" or "woman," through

A) birth.
B) sexual preferences.
C) sexual practices.
D) social performances.

Question 10

Nádleehé are individuals who mediate conflicts in which society?

A) Cherokee
B) Cree
C) Navajo
D) Blackfoot

Question 11

A term referring to someone to whom society assigns one gender who does not perform as that gender but has taken either permanent or temporary steps to identify as another gender is

A) machismo.
B) transgender.
C) gender/sex systems.
D) intersexed.

Question 12

Indiana University biologist Dr. Alfred Kinsey conducted a series of sexuality studies during the 1940s and found that

A) sexuality is either straight or queer.
B) most people are homosexual.
C) most people are heterosexual.
D) sexuality exists on a continuum.

Question 13

Anthropologist Don Kulick did ethnographic research among the travestis and believes he was accepted into their group because he identified as

A) female.
B) fluent in Portuguese.
C) a gay man.
D) an anthropologist.

Question 14

As children get older, cultural influences on behavior become much stronger; and as a result, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to isolate biological influences on what it means to be male or female.

Question 15

Sex is a simple product of nature and biology.

Question 16

All feminist anthropologists agree that women's subordination is a human universal.

Question 17

In many societies, some people live their lives as neither male nor female.

Question 18

Cisgender refers to someone whose gender identity aligns with their biological sex at birth as male or female.

Question 19

Sex-assignment surgery is important because it

A) improves the biological functions of intersexed people.
B) shows that "sex" is a biological phenomenon.
C) shows that "sex" is constructed upon cultural assumptions.
D) is performed only on girls.

Question 20

When anthropologists observe that the roots of female subordination lay in the distinction all societies make between nature and culture, they are taking which theoretical approach?

A) Structural
B) Functional
C) Interpretivist
D) Marxist

Question 21

According to some, a critical limitation of "second-wave" feminism is that it

A) ignores differences among women in different cultural groups.
B) failed to acknowledge gender inequalities in a historical perspective.
C) assumes the fight for gender equality was not a global priority.
D) acknowledged the expansive experiences of women around the globe.

Question 22

Anthropologists understand that in order to understand gender/sex inequalities one must study

A) women.
B) men.
C) both men and women.
D) gender roles.

Question 23

In what group can women be headmen?

A) The Batek in Malaysia
B) The Nuer in Southern Sudan
C) The !Kung in Southern Africa
D) The Laymi in Bolivia

Question 24

Which of the following is a dilemma facing an ethnographer of transgender people in the United States?

A) To do good research, one should identify as transgender.
B) One's research or advocacy can reinforce social inequalities and suffering.
C) It is difficult to work with people who cross-dress as a reflection of their sexual fantasies.
D) Transgender people are often too welcoming of ethnographers, encouraging them to become transgender themselves.

Question 25

To understand aggression in society, we have to understand which of the following factor(s)?

A) The availability of weapons and cultural attitudes toward violence
B) Fixed and innate notions of violence behavior
C) The absence of the state in promoting or preventing conflicts
D) The biological basis of violence

Question 26

A key finding of anthropologist Matthew Gutmann's fieldwork on masculinity in Mexico is that

A) women cause their own subordination by being submissive.
B) women support machismo by supporting domineering men.
C) women challenge men's domination over them by arguing and issuing ultimatums.
D) women prefer macho men.

Question 27

Anthropologists reject the idea that same-sex sexuality is a fixed and exclusive condition because

A) gender is biologically determined.
B) of the research of Dr. Bronislaw Malinowski.
C) of cross-cultural research that shows sexual practices and sexuality is variable throughout a lifetime.
D) sexuality is established at birth and remains the same throughout the lifespan.

Question 28

One of the reasons it is important to develop culturally sensitive campaigns to address a health crisis like HIV/AIDS is that

A) gay sex causes the disease.
B) what some people think is gay sex is not considered to be the case by others.
C) gay sex is about passivity and activity.
D) gay sex is a reflection of a permanent condition.

Question 29

One of the reasons intersex individuals interest anthropologists is how unusual and strange it is in a sexually dimorphic species.

Question 30

The notion of "ritualized homosexuality" developed by Gilbert Herdt was problematic because Western notions of homosexuality do not easily apply cross-culturally.

Question 31

In nearly all societies with any degree of social stratification, more men are in leadership roles than women, not only in political roles but also in economic and social roles involving trade, exchange, kinship relations, ritual participation, and dispute resolution.

Question 32

The debate over male and female inequality was never adequately resolved because there was not enough evidence to prove either side.

Question 33

A biocultural perspective on gender variance emphasizes all of the following except the

A) unique social role occupied by people who are neither male nor female.
B) relative allocation of sex-specific hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen, that influence whether a person is male or female.
C) role of genetic mutations in producing intersex individuals.
D) distinction many societies make between gender variance and sexuality.

Question 34

If an anthropologist studies how teenage boys perform their gender in high school sports team membership, the anthropologist is exploring

A) sexuality.
B) masculinity.
C) discrimination.
D) prejudice.

Question 35

An anthropologist who studies how societies control sexuality would likely be most interested in the following situations:

A) Obstacles in access to birth control
B) The activities in a club or bar whose clientele is gay or lesbian
C) How the research of Dr. Alfred Kinsey was immoral
D) The political activities of transgender activists

Question 36

One of Margaret Mead's major insights is that there are important cultural influences on male-female difference. Give three examples from your own life where you can see these cultural influences.

Question 37

What are the primary strengths of viewing male-female differences through a biocultural lens?

Question 38

How would you apply the insights about human sexuality in this chapter to a study of the LGBTQ community on your campus?

Question 39

If you were working on a campaign for sexual equality, what role do you think anthropological insights about relations between women and men should play in your work?

Question 40

If you were asked to study the sexuality of US college students, what anthropologically informed concerns and perspectives would you bring to the issue?

Question 41

How is gender different from sex?

Question 42

Why does American culture construct gender differences in the way that it does?

Question 43

Gender/sex inequalities are reproduced and performed in everyday life. How? Discuss using examples.