Question 1

A lobola, a substantial marital gift from the husband and his kin to the wife and her kin, such as among the BaThonga of Mozambique, is

Accepted Answer

Lobola is more common in patrilineal societies, where lineage and inheritance are traced through the father's line. It serves as a form of alliance and compensation between families upon marriage.

Question 2

Cultures have different definitions and expectations of relationships that are biologically or genetically equivalent. In other words, kinship is socially constructed.

Accepted Answer

Kinship is defined and understood differently across cultures and is therefore socially constructed rather than solely based on biological or genetic factors.

Question 3

Which of the following statements about same-sex marriage in the United States today is true?

Accepted Answer

The 2015 Supreme Court case of Obergefell v. Hodges ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, effectively legalizing same-sex marriage across all states.

Question 4

Which of the following statements about the role of the Internet in marriage and dating in contemporary societies is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

Traditional "offline" partner shopping has not dramatically faded in significance; it still plays a significant role alongside online dating.

Question 5

Polyandry is common and practiced under a wide range of conditions.

Accepted Answer

Polyandry is relatively rare and typically practiced under specific socio-economic conditions, often in areas where resources are scarce and land inheritance is important.

Question 6

Early anthropologists explained incest as a reflection of "instinctive horror" of mating with close relatives. However, this explanation for societal bans has been rejected because formal incest restrictions would be unnecessary if humans really do have an instinctive aversion to incest.

Accepted Answer

The argument against the "instinctive horror" theory is that if an instinctive aversion to incest were strong enough, formal societal bans and restrictions would not be needed, as people would naturally avoid incestuous relationships without them.

Question 7

What is the name of the custom by which a widower marries the sister of his deceased wife?

Accepted Answer

Sororate marriage is the practice where a widower marries the sister of his deceased wife, often to maintain alliances between families or to ensure care for the deceased wife's children.

Question 8

Which of the following best defines polygyny?

Accepted Answer

Polygyny refers to a form of marriage in which a man is allowed to have more than one wife at the same time. It is distinguished from monogamy, which involves only two spouses, and polyandry, where a woman has multiple husbands.

Question 9

All of the following are forms of polygamy EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Polygamy refers to the practice of having more than one spouse at the same time. Choices A, B, C, and D describe situations where an individual has multiple spouses simultaneously, fitting the definition of polygamy. Choice E describes serial monogamy, not polygamy, as the man is married to only one woman at a time, with each marriage occurring consecutively after a divorce.

Question 10

In the caste system of India, failure to adhere to class endogamy rules traditionally resulted in a ritually impure union.

Accepted Answer

In the caste system of India, inter-caste marriages were considered taboo and a failure to adhere to class endogamy rules resulted in a ritually impure union.

Question 11

A cross-cultural study that systematically compared romantic love in many cultures found

Accepted Answer

The study found evidence that romantic love may be a universal phenomenon, but it also noted that romantic love and marriage do not necessarily coincide in all cultures.

Question 12

Exogamy is the practice of seeking out a mate within one's own social group.

Accepted Answer

Exogamy is the practice of seeking out a mate outside of one's own social group or community.

Question 13

What is the term for the marital exchange in which the bride's family or kin group provides substantial gifts when their daughter marries?

Accepted Answer

Dowry is the term used to describe the transfer of parental property, gifts, or money at the marriage of a daughter. The dowry often serves to help a new household establish itself financially.

Question 14

Divorce tends to be more common

Accepted Answer

Divorce is more common in matrilineal societies because women have more economic independence and social support, making it easier for them to leave unsatisfactory marriages.

Question 15

One theory regarding the universality of the incest ban argues that by forcing people to marry outside their immediate kin group, peaceful alliances between people would extend to include a greater number of individuals.

Accepted Answer

This theory, often associated with the anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, suggests that the incest taboo facilitates exogamy (marrying outside one's group), which in turn fosters broader social alliances and reduces conflict between different groups.

Question 16

Anthropologist Edmund Leach (1955) observed that, depending on the society, several different kinds of rights are allocated by marriage. According to Leach, marriage can-but doesn't always-accomplish each of the following EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Leach discussed how marriage can establish rights to labor, property, sexuality, and relationships of affinity between families, but he did not specifically mention rights over the "latent and manifest functions" of the other, which is more a concept from sociology related to the functions of institutions rather than individuals' rights in marriage.

Question 17

Native American "Two-Spirits" were permitted to marry men.

Accepted Answer

In many Native American cultures, "Two-Spirit" individuals were recognized as occupying a distinct social role that was not confined to binary gender norms. They were often permitted to marry partners of the same biological sex, including men, reflecting the cultural acceptance and integration of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations.

Question 18

Which of the following statements about polyandry is most likely true?

Accepted Answer

Polyandry, a form of marriage in which a woman has more than one husband at the same time, can be a cultural adaptation to mobility associated with male travel for trade, commerce, and warfare. This arrangement can ensure that a woman has male support and protection when one husband is away.

Question 19

Incest is a cultural universal that is defined the same way by all cultures.

Accepted Answer

Definitions of incest vary widely across cultures, with some cultures permitting marriage between close relatives and others prohibiting any sexual contact between them. It is not a universal concept that is defined uniformly across all cultures.

Question 20

Anthropologists have noted a trend away from arranged marriages and toward romantic love.

Accepted Answer

Anthropologists have observed a global trend where people increasingly prefer marriages based on romantic love over traditional arranged marriages, reflecting changes in societal norms and individual preferences.

Quiz 13: Families, Kinship, and Marriage