Deck 1: Thinking Anthropologically Doing Fieldwork

Question 1

When Lee presented his Ju/'hoansi informants with the black ox, what was their response?

A) They reciprocated with gifts of their own.
B) They insulted the ox, saying that it was far too thin.
C) They refused to accept the gift.
D) They traded the ox for a fatter, younger cow.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

According to the text, when Ju/'hoansi seek out meat, what quality is most prized?

A) Tenderness, usually found in young animals.
B) Large bones for making soup.
C) High fat content.
D) Large horns for making soup.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What reason do the hunters give for insulting one another after a kill?

A) It is bad luck to congratulate another hunter.
B) Giving and receiving insults help to diminish arrogance.
C) Often the animals killed are sick, underweight, or old.
D) The insult game is considered to be an important skill.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Why is it that Tomazo never told Lee about the insult tradition before Christmas?

A) Because Lee lacked understanding of !Kung culture.
B) Tomazo was known as a joker within the group.
C) Because Lee never asked.
D) Because Tomazo was bothered by the thinness of the Oz.

Question 5

What did Lee understand as the ultimate lesson being taught to him by the Ju/'hoansi in this case?

A) There are no totally generous acts, since all gifts involve calculation.
B) It is best to nip arrogance in the bud before it can spread.
C) It is better to give gifts quietly, or in secret.
D) Meat-based gifts should always have a high fat content.

Question 6

The author's initial attitude toward female genital mutilation (FGM) can be described as:

A) Acceptance of local traditions and values.
B) Rejection based on universal human rights.
C) Neutrality based on cultural relativism.
D) Rejection based on basic human dignity.

Question 7

Regarding FGM, Muslim scholars and African Muslims:

A) Agree that it is usually wrong.
B) Believe that FGM should be compulsory.
C) Do not agree that is mandated by religion.
D) Do not think that FGM is desirable.

Question 8

The author's relativist view of FGM was changed by:

A) Many years spent in the Sudan with women.
B) International, cross-cultural, interdisciplinary dialog.
C) Deep study of Muslim ethics.
D) New international laws and regulations.

Question 9

Under what condition is it considered acceptable for anthropologists to suspend cultural relativism?

A) When cultural relativism conflicts with elements of another culture.
B) When laws and regulations explicitly forbid an activity.
C) When it is necessary for the avoidance of harm.
D) When cultural relativism doesn't produce adequate research results.

Question 10

FGM remains a common practice in the Sudan because:

A) Women who have not undergone FGM are considered socially unacceptable.
B) FGM remains legal in the Sudan.
C) There is a lack of international pressure on the government of the Sudan.
D) Anthropologists have worked hard to draw attention to FGM as an issue.

Question 11

As the "War on Terrorism" unfolded, anthropologist Lila Abu-Loghod was bothered because :

A) She wanted to better understand the cultural background of suffering Muslim women.
B) Americans lacked an understanding of what Muslim women believe.
C) Political and historical problems were being described in religious and cultural terms.
D) Political figures in the US did not have sufficient cultural understandings of Muslim communities.

Question 12

For many women in Afghanistan, the burqa represents:

A) Alienation from modernity.
B) A form of male-dominated repression.
C) Nothing more than an inconvenience.
D) A liberating form of "portable seclusion."

Question 13

Among Muslim women, veiling in general:

A) Has many meanings, but always reflects a lack of agency.
B) Is mostly a symbol of religious piety.
C) Has many meanings, but should not be interpreted as a lack of agency.
D) Is a practice that is disappearing with the advance of globalism.

Question 14

For women in Afghanistan, problems of malnutrition, poverty, and ill health were:

A) Caused largely by Taliban exclusion of women.
B) Caused by many factors other than the Taliban.
C) A result of the Taliban rejecting globalization.
D) More prevalent in women wearing the burqa.

Question 15

Practices that reinforce colonialism while using the language of women's liberation are known as:

A) Colonial feminism.
B) Economic liberation.
C) Female-centered nation-building.
D) Feminist colonialism.

Question 16

What were Tsuda's initial expectations regarding research among Japanese Americans?

A) Japanese Americans would be uninteresting, since they were not "exotic."
B) Older Japanese Americans would be less "ordinary."
C) A comparative approach would be unnecessary in conducting research.
D) Japanese Americans would be an extremely diverse population.

Question 17

According to Tsuda, what is wrong with the simple dichotomy of native vs. non-native anthropologists?

A) Non-native anthropologists can and do take on an insider perspective.
B) Even native anthropologists will encounter many differences with the groups they study.
C) Native anthropologists do not have the same rites of passage as non-native anthropologists.
D) Native anthropologists enjoy a privileged status within their communities.

Question 18

As a shin-nisei conducting research with Japanese Americans, how might Tsuda have benefited from his insider status?

A) He had similar life experiences to older Japanese Americans.
B) His language skills made research with Japanese Americans possible.
C) His ethnicity likely facilitated both access and openness.
D) He was often mistaken as Japanese rather than American.

Question 19

How did Tsuda's status as a shin-nisei make him feel like an outsider?

A) He was not accepted as a Japanese American within the community.
B) He had little in common with the most recent immigrants from Japan.
C) He found that he had less in common with nisei and sansei whose families had arrived in the US before World War II.
D) Other shin-nisei were hesitant to speak to him during the research.

Question 20

In what way does Tsuda see cultural differences as productive in ethnographic research?

A) Conflicts within the community provide "events" for analysis.
B) As outsiders, anthropologists can serve as key advocates for their informants.
C) Cultural differences between researchers and researched highlight the emic/etic binary.
D) Tsuda gained more new knowledge from Japanese Americans who were from other generations.

Question 21

This president of the World Bank, trained in both anthropology and medicine, was former president of Dartmouth College.

A) Dr. Jim Yong Kim
B) Dr. Paul Farmer
C) Dr. Janet McIntosh
D) Dr. Ashfra Ghani

Question 22

Co-founder of Partners in Health, this physician-anthropologist is Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

A) Dr. Jim Yong Kim
B) Dr. Claire Sterk
C) Dr. Paul Farmer
D) Dr. Ashfra Ghani

Question 23

Many anthropologists focus on human rights. Do anthropologists who focus specifically on women's rights face any special challenges? State your position and support it with evidence from your reading.

Question 24

The anthropologist Ruth Benedict is quoted as saying: "the purpose of anthropology is to make the world safe for human differences." How are the anthropologists in this section working toward this goal? Provide at least three examples, and discuss any counter-points.

Question 25

Anthropologists recognize that culture is rarely simple or uniform. How do the anthropologists in this section attempt to address cultural complexity in their work? Discuss at least two cases.

Question 26

The anthropologists in this section all discuss their fieldwork. Based on their writing, how is anthropological fieldwork different from journalism? Use examples from the text to support your argument.

Question 27

Tsuda discusses his work as a "native anthropologist," focusing explicitly on his own position. For the other authors in this section, how does their personal position as an insider or outsider influence their work and their results?