Question 1

In anthropological terms, a civilization refers to:

Accepted Answer

A civilization is characterized by its complex structure, including urban development, cultural achievements, specialized crafts, food or labor surplus, and a hierarchical social organization. Choices B, C, and D describe other forms of social organization but do not encompass the full definition of a civilization.

Question 2

A(n) perspective demonstrates that the first plants to be domesticated and eventually turned into today's agricultural staples began as wild plants with low return rates, plants that were used when other, better resources were depleted.

Accepted Answer

The optimal foraging perspective explains that early domestication of plants started with those having low return rates, chosen when better resources were scarce, aligning with theories on how humans made subsistence decisions based on maximizing energy efficiency and resource returns.

Question 3

Plant and animal domestication occurred independently in several centers across the globe. Which of the following is not a major independent hearth of plant domestication?

Accepted Answer

Australia is not known as a major independent center of plant domestication. The other regions listed have histories of early agriculture and domestication of various plants.

Question 4

The theory proposed by Robert Braidwood, arguing that agriculture arose in areas where the wild ancestors of domesticated wheat and barley grew, and resulted from human efforts to increase the productivity and stability of their food base, is the:

Accepted Answer

The hilly flanks theory, proposed by Robert Braidwood, suggests that agriculture began in the hilly flanks of the Fertile Crescent, where the wild ancestors of domesticated wheat and barley were naturally found. This theory emphasizes the role of human efforts to improve the reliability and yield of their food sources.

Question 5

The process through which some individuals survive and reproduce at higher rates than others because of their genetic heritage is known as:

Accepted Answer

Natural selection is the process by which individuals with characteristics that are advantageous for survival and reproduction in their environment pass those traits on to their offspring, leading to evolutionary changes in the population over time.

Question 6

Nineteenth century social Darwinism provided justification for:

Accepted Answer

Social Darwinism in the nineteenth century was used to justify unfettered economic competition and warfare, as it applied the concept of "survival of the fittest" from Darwin's theory of natural selection to human societies and economies, suggesting that competition and conflict were natural and beneficial for human progress.

Question 7

Egalitarian societies are associated with , while chiefdoms and states are associated with .

Accepted Answer

Egalitarian societies are often associated with subsistence strategies like foraging and horticulture, which typically require less hierarchical social structures. In contrast, chiefdoms and states, with their more complex social hierarchies, are commonly associated with intensive agriculture, which supports larger populations and requires more organized control over resources and labor.

Question 8

In the 19th century's most influential archaeology textbook, Pre-historic Times, as Illustrated by Ancient Remains, and the Manners and Customs of Modern Savages (1865), John Lubbock argued that:

Accepted Answer

John Lubbock's argument in "Pre-historic Times" reflects a Eurocentric view of human development, suggesting that contemporary "primitive" societies were living examples of earlier stages of European development, implying a lack of evolution or progress compared to European societies.

Question 9

The "density-equilibrium theory," which explains the origins of agriculture as a product of population growth that eventually causes the human population to exceed the hunting and gathering carrying capacity of an environment, was proposed by:

Accepted Answer

The "density-equilibrium theory" was proposed by Lewis Binford, who suggested that agriculture arose as a response to population pressures that exceeded the carrying capacity of environments for hunting and gathering.

Question 10

The period during which people began using ground stone tools, manufacturing ceramics, and relying on domesticated plants and animals is known in the Near East as the:

Accepted Answer

The Neolithic period is characterized by the development of agriculture, the domestication of plants and animals, the use of ground stone tools, and the manufacture of ceramics. This period marks a significant shift in human lifestyle from nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled farming communities.

Question 11

If you live in a city with a high population density, with different types of specialized subsistence strategies and non- food producing specialists, where elites control access to strategic resources and where social organization is based on class membership (elite or commoner), you live in a:

Accepted Answer

This description fits the characteristics of a state, which is defined by its high population density, specialized subsistence strategies, presence of non-food producing specialists, control of strategic resources by elites, and a social organization based on class membership.

Question 12

In the early 20th century, Franz Boas and his students:

Accepted Answer

Franz Boas and his students were instrumental in rejecting unilineal evolution, emphasizing the uniqueness of each culture, and advocating for the detailed collection of ethnographic and historical data before making generalizations about human cultures. This marked a significant shift in the approach to anthropology and the study of cultures.

Question 13

The difference between modern cultural evolutionary paradigms and 19th century unilineal evolutionism is:

Accepted Answer

Modern cultural evolutionary paradigms differ from 19th century unilineal evolutionism in several key ways: they emphasize the importance of ecological, demographic, and technological factors; they avoid the racist implications of earlier theories; and they recognize the complexity of human cultures and the non-deterministic role of biology in cultural evolution.

Question 14

One effect of the 19th century comparative method was:

Accepted Answer

The 19th century comparative method often justified the domination of "primitive" peoples by Europeans by framing it as the natural progression of human evolution, thereby legitimizing colonialism and imperialism under the guise of a scientific hierarchy of cultures.

Question 15

The paradigm known as unilineal cultural evolution:

Accepted Answer

Unilineal cultural evolution posits that societies progress through a series of stages in a single, linear path, often placing Western civilization at the pinnacle. This perspective has been largely discredited and is not widely accepted among contemporary anthropologists.

Question 16

The theory made popular by V. Gordon Childe in the 1940s, explaining the origin of animal domestication as a response by animals and people to arid conditions following the end of the Pleistocene, which caused them to congregate around water sources is the:

Accepted Answer

The oasis theory, proposed by V. Gordon Childe, suggests that animal domestication was a response to arid conditions at the end of the Pleistocene, leading animals and humans to gather around water sources.

Question 17

While today the comparative method refers to the testing of hypotheses against a range of human societies, in the 19th century the comparative method:

Accepted Answer

In the 19th century, the comparative method was used to organize cultural diversity into an evolutionary framework, where different societies were seen as representing various stages of human progress. This approach was based on the assumption that all societies progress through the same stages, but at different rates.

Question 18

Unilineal cultural evolution and the comparative method were rooted in:

Accepted Answer

Unilineal cultural evolution and the comparative method were rooted in Enlightenment philosophy, which emphasized reason, science, and progress, influencing early anthropologists to classify societies in a linear progression from "primitive" to "civilized."

Question 19

The position held by Franz Boas, which maintained that each culture is the product of its own unique sequence of developments and in which chance plays a major role in bringing about change is called:

Accepted Answer

Historical particularism, a concept developed by Franz Boas, emphasizes that each culture is unique, shaped by its own particular history and specific set of circumstances, including random events. This approach contrasts with theories like unilineal evolution and Social Darwinism, which suggest that cultures progress through the same stages in a specific order. Cultural relativism, while related in its emphasis on understanding cultures within their own contexts, is more focused on suspending judgment based on one's own cultural standards.

Question 20

If you live in an egalitarian foraging society with a low population density that occupies temporary camps, where everyone has equal access to resources through sharing and reciprocity, where there are no permanent positions of authority, and where membership is flexible, you live in a:

Accepted Answer

Band societies are characterized by their small, egalitarian structure, with a low population density, temporary camps, equal access to resources, lack of permanent authority, and flexible membership. These features distinguish bands from tribes, chiefdoms, and states, which have more complex social, political, and economic structures.

Quiz 13: Understanding Key Transitions In World Prehistory