Deck 9: Kinship, Family, and Marriage

Question 1

One way in which humans construct kinship groups is by tracking genealogical

A) ascent.
B) kinship.
C) family.
D) descent.

Answer 1

descent.

Question 2

The most effective strategy humans have developed to form stable,reliable,separate,and deeply connected groups that can last over time and through generations is kinship,creating a system of both

A) stability and meaning.
B) meaning and power.
C) lineage and stability.
D) power and lineage.

Answer 2

meaning and power.

Question 3

Anthropologists in the early twentieth century believed that kinship structures would yield crucial data and patterns that facilitated the ________ cultures.

A) comparison of different
B) differentiation of different
C) analysis of their own home
D) creation of universal kinship specifications for all

Answer 3

comparison of different

Question 4

Worldwide,the most prevalent strategy in use today to track kin group membership is through

A) blood ties.
B) ancestral connection.
C) genealogy.
D) patrilineality.

Question 5

Early anthropologists assumed descent groups would be key to understanding each culture's economic,political,and religious dynamics in large part because

A) their own experience in fieldwork had already established this as true.
B) the narratives of travelers from other parts of the world reflected this idea.
C) their own experience as Europeans was the opposite and that this must therefore be true.
D) their inability to speak local languages resulted in confusion about relationships.

Question 6

Families and kinship networks have the power to provide support and to nurture,as well as to

A) encourage marriage.
B) facilitate sharing of economic resources.
C) ensure reproduction of the next generation.
D) ensure stability in the political system.

Question 7

The two types of descent groups distinguished by anthropologists are clans and

A) lineages.
B) descents.
C) heredities.
D) cognatics.

Question 8

Both matrilineal and patrilineal patterns of descent build kinship groups through either one genealogical line (the mother's side)or the other (the father's side),which reflects

A) ambilineality.
B) unilineality.
C) consanguinity.
D) patrilineality.

Question 9

A type of descent group that is based on a claim to a founding ancestor but lacks genealogical documentation is a

A) relation.
B) marriage.
C) clan.
D) lineage.

Question 10

A patrilineal descent group traces kinships through which side of the family?

A) mother's
B) sibling's
C) grandparent's
D) father's

Question 11

Individuals in descent groups whose primary relationships are determined in the United States as consanguineal are based on

A) size.
B) blood.
C) paternity.
D) maternity.

Question 12

Which of the following types of descent groups traces kinship through both the mother and the father?

A) ambilineal
B) unilineal
C) polylineal
D) bilineal

Question 13

The text features a photograph of a prominent U.S.family,the Kennedys.We often refer to a family group here as a clan,for example,the "Kennedy clan," and not a lineage,for example,the "Kennedy lineage." This is consistent with an anthropological definition of clan because a clan has ________ deep genealogical documentation.

A) no founding ancestor but does have
B) both a founding ancestor and
C) a founding ancestor but does not have
D) no founding ancestor and does not have

Question 14

Enculturation that takes place within a family shapes individuals' lives

A) outside of the household,including ways they think about gender roles,the division of labor,religious practices,warfare,politics,migration,and nationalism.
B) outside of the household,including ways they think about gender roles,the division of labor,and religious practices,but not warfare,politics,migration,and nationalism.
C) outside of the household,including ways they think about warfare,politics,migration,and nationalism,but not gender roles,the division of labor,and religious practices.
D) until they reach adulthood and start their own families,at which point the enculturation of their youth ceases to shape the way they think about gender roles,the division of labor,religious practices,warfare,politics,migration,and nationalism.

Question 15

Within a family structure,we learn how to treat our kin,how to behave in larger groups,and how to accept differences in age.This enculturation process also gives us tools to understand

A) gender and sexuality.
B) lineage and descent.
C) politics and family relations.
D) birth and death.

Question 16

Which of the following terms is defined as the system of meaning and power that cultures create to determine who is related to whom and to define their mutual expectations,rights,and responsibilities?

A) family
B) heredity
C) descent
D) kinship

Question 17

One of the characteristics of kinship that makes it so enduring for humans is the deep connection it brings,something that endures

A) forever.
B) over generations.
C) as long as the parents are married.
D) as long as the social and political settings remain unchanged.

Question 18

In a matrilineal descent group,continued membership in the same family group across generations passes through the

A) father.
B) mother.
C) uncle.
D) aunt.

Question 19

Ambilineal descent groups such as Samoans,Maori,and Hawaiians are sometimes referred to as ________ descent groups.

A) unilineal
B) polylineal
C) cognatic
D) monolineal

Question 20

The concept of kinship groups based chiefly on biological assumptions and the nuclear family consisting of solely a mother,a father,and their children is

A) a nearly universal,cross-cultural understanding of kinship.
B) a Euro-American ideal.
C) a stable model that matches the lived experience of most Americans.
D) proven to be the best structure for society.

Question 21

Globalization is currently placing stress on kinship systems worldwide,and one of the major reasons this is happening is the result of increasing economic stress,which in turn leads to

A) democratization.
B) stratification.
C) migration.
D) poverty.

Question 22

The incest taboo universally prohibits sexual relations between

A) cousins,regardless of cross- or parallel-cousin relationships.
B) first and second cousins.
C) parents and children and siblings.
D) half siblings and parallel cousins.

Question 23

All cultures have a form of rule that forbids sexual relations with close relatives,ostensibly to

A) prevent birth defects.
B) reduce the prevalence of genetic defects.
C) force property redistribution through close inheritance.
D) prevent incest.

Question 24

Marriage is often seen as a way to build an alliance and create both relationships and obligations between different groups.Sometimes this is simply the result of a marriage,but in many cases,worldwide,this is accomplished through ________ marriage.

A) arranged
B) exogamous
C) companionate
D) endogamous

Question 25

In some parts of the world,one individual marries a single other individual and upon dissolution of the marriage is free to remarry.This is considered a form of

A) polyandry.
B) monogamy.
C) arranged marriage.
D) polygyny.

Question 26

Which of the following types of marriage specifically involves the marital union of one woman to two or more men?

A) polyandry
B) monogamy
C) polyamory
D) polygyny

Question 27

Many different kinship structures send a son away (or search outside their immediate kin groups)for a marriage partner.This reflects the rule of

A) endogamy.
B) monogamy.
C) polygamy.
D) exogamy.

Question 28

Which of the following types of marriage specifically involves the marital union of one man to two or more women?

A) polyandry
B) monogamy
C) polyamory
D) polygyny

Question 29

The incest taboo-rules that forbid sexual relations with close relatives such as siblings and parents-is

A) universal across all cultures in the world.
B) very rare in world cultures.
C) a direct response to concerns about biological degeneration and abnormality.
D) not regulated by law in Western countries.

Question 30

By collecting kinship data from cultures worldwide,early anthropologists found that there ________ of organizing relatives.

A) were more than seventeen different ways
B) were only six different ways
C) is only one way
D) is no consistent way

Question 31

The process by which an individual,whose marriage has ended due to divorce or death,remarries another individual is commonly called

A) bigamy.
B) lineal polygamy.
C) serial monogamy.
D) serial monotony.

Question 32

Something similar to marriage exists in every known culture,which has led anthropologists to conclude that there ________ of marriage.

A) are clear universal characteristics
B) are no universal characteristics
C) are a fixed number of different types
D) is no need to change the definition

Question 33

A marriage accomplished through alliance,arranged by relatives,is often very successful as a relationship between two people despite there seeming to be an absence of

A) dowry.
B) affection.
C) enmity.
D) love.

Question 34

New kinship groups created through affinal relationships are

A) linked through affinity and alliance,not through shared biology or common descent.
B) traced through consanguine or blood relatives.
C) distinguished by relation to a founding ancestor.
D) distinguished by extensive ancestral documentation.

Question 35

Building kinship ties between two people who are NOT typically immediate biological kin is defined by

A) blood.
B) marriage.
C) lineage.
D) descent.

Question 36

Early anthropologists identified ________ primary systems used to classify relatives in the parental generation,including the bifurcate merging system.

A) two
B) five
C) nine
D) four

Question 37

The common result of human bonding such as marriage results in the continuation of the preexisting kinship group.This can continue for a long time and result in a descent group.However,humans also create new descent groups through the creation of ________ relationships.

A) marital
B) extramarital
C) exogamous
D) affinal

Question 38

The U.S.practice of marriage to an individual outside of a particular group of people,either by force of law or by power of tradition,is known as

A) kindred exogamy.
B) kindred paternity.
C) kindred endogamy.
D) plural marriage.

Question 39

Members of the upper class in the United States may,quite inadvertently,be practicing ________ because how they manage the lives of their children in schooling practices results in a kind of arranged marriage.

A) white privilege
B) exogamy
C) endogamy
D) polygamy

Question 40

Legally recognized marriage may confer physical and emotional intimacy,sexual pleasure,reproduction and raising of children,mutual support and companionship,and

A) the ability to visit relations in a hospital.
B) shared legal rights to property and inheritance.
C) a means to decide how to divide an inheritance among children.
D) a legal way to establish descent that cannot be changed.

Question 41

Nation-states draw heavily on ideas of ________ in order to create a sense of connection among very different people found within their national borders.

A) nationalism and kinship
B) kinship and family
C) hegemony and kinship
D) nationalism and hegemony

Question 42

You attend a friend's wedding.At one point,the father of the groom hands a set of new car keys to the bride.This is a form of

A) gift exchange.
B) bridewealth.
C) reciprocity.
D) dowry.

Question 43

Susan Kahn found that Jewish women in Israel are deeply compelled to reproduce both the family and the nation.With the advent of reproductive technologies,this is made quite easy,and one might conclude that it is a matter of giving birth and raising the child.But this raises many very difficult questions.Many of the difficult questions hinge upon the kin system there,which is

A) bilateral.
B) patrilineal.
C) ambilineal.
D) matrilineal.

Question 44

The statement issued in 2004 by the American Anthropological Association noted that a "vast array of family types" all contributed to "stable and humane societies." The statement was issued to offer support for

A) heterosexual marriage.
B) same-sex marriage.
C) expanded research into the nature of families.
D) increased economic support for families in poverty.

Question 45

Cousins who are children of a father's brother or a mother's sister are considered which type of cousin?

A) second cousins
B) affinal cousins
C) cross-cousins
D) parallel cousins

Question 46

Opponents of same-sex marriage argue that allowing it will mean a(n)

A) overall increase in taxes.
B) breakdown of family and social order.
C) breakdown of legal codes protecting heterosexual couples.
D) dramatic increase in orphaned children.

Question 47

According to the text,there has been a decline overall in the number of marriages in the United States since 1970 (see Figure 9.2,U.S.Households by Type,1970-2010).

This has resulted in

A) changes to household structure and kinship networks.
B) the way in which weddings are marketed and paid.
C) an increase in the numbers of nuclear family types.
D) a dramatic decline in the number of adoptions.

Question 48

Many of us make a regular pilgrimage home for the Thanksgiving dinner and are surrounded by members of our immediate families.Our families exist not as a result of the meal,but by marriage.On the Malaysian island of Langkawi,the same act of gathering together to share a meal cooked at home actually helps create the family.This is a type of

A) marital alliance formation.
B) kinship.
C) gift exchange.
D) biological inventiveness.

Question 49

The Chinese have a strong preference for a male child,and one consequence of DNA testing for the sex of the fetus is the complication of decisions around pregnancy.This is due to the development of

A) reproductive technologies.
B) the "one child" policy.
C) government monitoring policies.
D) widespread access to online information.

Question 50

Bridewealth is still prevalent in many African societies and frequently means that the groom's family gives cattle (and sometimes other goods)to the family of the bride-to-be.Part of the desired effect in such an act is to help

A) stabilize the marriage through establishment of mutual,vested interest.
B) create a sense of obligation on the part of the groom's family.
C) ensure the newlyweds' financial success.
D) force the bride to be a good homemaker.

Question 51

One of the major shifts in marriage patterns,both in the United States and in many other countries,is the ability of same-sex partners to marry.Those who do so and also choose to have children will undoubtedly gain from

A) better legal protections.
B) improved health care.
C) reproductive technologies.
D) expansion of the white-wedding industry.

Question 52

Which type of assisted reproductive technology involves the implantation of a woman's egg that has been fertilized in a laboratory?

A) surrogate fertilization
B) in vitro fertilization
C) artificial insemination
D) reproductive fertilization

Question 53

First-cousin marriages (between the children of two siblings)are legally prohibited

A) in all fifty states in the United States of America.
B) in some states in the United States of America.
C) in no state in the United States of America.
D) universally.

Question 54

While many of us are born into a family,others are marginalized or stigmatized in ways that create deep,lasting alienation between birth family members.One result of this is that we seek out others to become

A) our chosen family.
B) members of our economic support network.
C) best friends.
D) surrogates for our place in a birth family.

Question 55

Similar to membership in a family,birth,as well as biology,is a key part of

A) being a citizen in a nation-state.
B) being recognized as a member of your family.
C) being able to obtain immigrant status.
D) sufficient opportunities for marriage in a foreign country.

Question 56

The same white-wedding industry considered in the text has helped perpetuate a tradition in the United States that says the bride's family picks up the entire tab for the big wedding.This can be understood in anthropological terms as a form of

A) bridewealth.
B) gift exchange.
C) reciprocity.
D) dowry.

Question 57

The Defense of Marriage Act passed by the U.S.Congress in 2004 forbids the federal government from recognizing which of the following?

A) marriages between immigrants and natural citizens
B) marriages of divorced adults
C) same-sex marriages
D) marriages of persons under age twenty-one

Question 58

Which of the following is the practice of formalizing and legalizing a marriage through the exchange of gifts from the bride's family to the groom's family?

A) gift exchange
B) bridewealth
C) reciprocity
D) dowry

Question 59

The origins of the incest taboo are unclear,even after decades of careful study.One theory holds that the taboo exists as a result of the fear of biological degeneration and the possible effects of inbreeding.One of the arguments against this theory is that

A) data from careful population sampling clearly shows this does not happen.
B) the human genome project has shown that reproduction in affinal groups does not result in genetic damage.
C) both genetics and population science emerged long after the incest taboo.
D) early researchers of the incest taboo did not fully investigate the phenomenon in fieldwork.

Question 60

Changing patterns over time clearly demonstrate that marriage,family,and kinship are

A) similar now to those of long ago.
B) cultural constructs.
C) the result of cultural biases.
D) in need of increased study.

Question 61

Families in the United States are supplementing biological connections and affinal marriage connections with alternative family forms based on friendship,respect,and mutual support.One alternative family form is that of chosen families.What are chosen families,and what are some of the reasons that they exist and are becoming more common? Give three examples of chosen families in the United States.Do you think that chosen families existed in the distant past? Why or why not? What do you think will happen to the prevalence of chosen families in the future and why?

Question 62

Anthropologists have clearly demonstrated that kinship is not solely given at birth via biological connections or through marriage alliances but can be acquired through other means.What are three other ways in which kinship can be acquired? What are the benefits of being able to acquire kinship outside of biological relations and marriage? Are these other forms of acquiring kinship present in the United States? Are they present in your own home community? Provide at least two examples of alternate forms of acquiring kinship in the United States and in your own home community.

Question 63

Comparing and contrasting marriage rates of the past with those of the present,anthropologists found that earlier marriages did not last any longer than marriages today.What are some of the reasons for this? If past and present marriage rates do not differ significantly,do the proportion of children raised in single-parent households differ between past and present? Why or why not? How might shorter marriages and single-parent households affect kinship within a society? What other elements may contribute to shorter marriages and single-parent households today,and how do they differ from elements that likely contributed to shorter marriages and single-parent households in the past? Why would anthropologists be interested in researching topics such as shorter marriages and single-parent households?

Question 64

Anthropologists argue that kinship is one of several ways in which individuals form groups.Name three other ways in which humans form groups and provide some concrete examples of each.Does kinship influence how these other groups are formed? Why or why not?

Question 65

Through kinship studies across cultures,anthropologists have determined that the ways in which genealogies are constructed can be messy and far from exact.Gaps,interruptions,disruptions,uncertainties,and assumed connections are all found among genealogies.This fact is further underscored by Kathleen Gough's reexamination of anthropologist E.E.Evans-Pritchard's kinship work with Nuer people in Sudan.Describe one example of a genealogical disruption that Gough found among Nuer kinship data collected in the 1930s,and discuss why the disruption likely occurred.What sorts of gaps and disruptions are present in your own genealogy,and why do you think they have occurred? Do you think that genealogies will undergo even greater gaps and disruptions in the future? Why or why not?

Question 66

In 2004,the American Anthropological Association (AAA)-the largest association of anthropologists in the United States-issued a statement regarding same-sex marriages and the Defense of Marriage Act passed by the U.S.Congress in 2004.What position did the AAA take on same-sex marriages and the act? What sort of research or evidence did the AAA use to substantiate its stance? In your opinion,why did the AAA take the position that it did,and what are the benefits and drawbacks of it taking this stance? Do you think that professional associations such as the AAA should make formal position statements regarding congressional acts? Why or why not?

Question 67

Arranged marriages that are orchestrated by the families of the bride and groom are common in many cultural groups in Asia,the Pacific,the Middle East,and Africa.Although arranged marriage is not the primary form of marriage in the United States,it does exist.In fact,anthropologists contend that arranged marriages actually do occur more frequently when marriages that are arranged in subtle and implicit ways are considered.What are three examples of subtle,arranged marriages that occur in the United States that may not necessarily be overtly called "arranged marriages"? Who benefits from these so-called arranged marriages? Why do you think these types of marriages occur? How do these types of marriage compare to companionate marriages? Which type of marriage do you think is more beneficial to the spouses and to their communities,and why?

Question 68

How families are conceptualized and formed varies across cultural groups.Define and describe the ways in which a family of orientation and a family of procreation differ.How does the concept of a nuclear family fit into these two concepts of family? Why is the concept of a nuclear family more common in the United States and other Western industrialized cultures and societies? What are some examples of other concepts of family found in other cultures throughout the world? What may be some underlying factors that contribute to the diverse ways in which family is conceptualized and formed? How do you think the concept of family may change in the future,and why?

Question 69

Marriage in various forms occurs all over the world.In the United States,we typically practice kindred exogamy.What is kindred exogamy and what are two examples of marriages that would violate its rules? How does exogamy generally differ from endogamy? Is endogamy officially or unofficially practiced in the United States? What are two examples of unofficial or implicit endogamy that may occur in a group of people? What are some benefits and drawbacks of exogamy and endogamy?

Question 70

Anthropologist E.E.Evans-Pritchard conducted ethnographic research with Nuer people of southern Sudan in the 1930s and argued that this group of people constituted a patrilineal descent group.What does it mean to be a patrilineal descent group and how does this differ from a matrilineal descent group? How were cattle used to reflect the patrilineal nature of Nuer descent? Provide at least two examples.

Question 71

The author of your textbook describes a situation in a Chinese village in which family and ancestral records had been destroyed as part of the national Cultural Revolution in the 1960s.The author uses this case to underscore the fact that political factors can shape efforts to construct and maintain kinship.What are two examples of ways in which political factors may have shaped kinship in the United States? Do you think that political factors continue to influence kinship in any way today? Why or why not? What future implications may current political factors have on future forms of kinship?

Question 72

Susan Kahn's research in Israel examined the deep interconnectedness of reproduction kinship,Jewishness,religion,and the state itself.Israel strongly promotes the birth of new children and even subsidizes reproductive technologies in an effort to increase the birth rate.What are some of the challenges in the use of reproductive technologies in this instance? How is the state's so-called stake in the child changed with the use of reproductive technologies? The idea of citizenship can be a valued prize because of the benefits that can flow from such membership.Jewishness is a matrilineal characteristic.What are the consequences of a non-Jewish individual assisting in the reproduction of a child who may be conferred Israeli citizenship at birth? Are these consequences different for the mother or father? Why is the idea of the state and state identity so closely tied to this problem?