Question 1

The opinion that one's own way of life is natural or correct and the only true way of being fully human is called

Accepted Answer

Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own culture or way of life is superior to others. This perspective often leads individuals to judge other cultures by the standards and values of their own, considering their own way of life as the most natural or correct.

Question 2

Understanding another culture sympathetically enough so that it appears to be a coherent and meaningful design for living is called

Accepted Answer

Relativism is the concept that points to understanding a culture within its own context, which aligns with the description given. It emphasizes the importance of viewing cultural practices and beliefs from the perspective of those within the culture, rather than judging them by the standards of another culture.

Question 3

Genocide is

Accepted Answer

Genocide refers to the deliberate and systematic attempt to exterminate an entire people, often based on their ethnicity, religion, or nationality.

Question 4

Cultural relativism

Accepted Answer

Cultural relativism encourages understanding and evaluating other cultures based on their own values and norms rather than judging them by the standards of one's own culture. This approach requires considering various factors and perspectives before forming opinions about cultural practices different from one's own.

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of ritual cutting associated with initiating girls and boys into adulthood?

Accepted Answer

All of the choices listed are forms of ritual cutting associated with the initiation of girls and boys into adulthood in various cultures. Clitoridectomy and infibulation are practices often associated with female genital mutilation (FGM), while circumcision is commonly practiced on boys in many cultures around the world.

Question 6

Women who are trying to eliminate female genital cutting from their own African societies are often not happy when American outsiders like Mary Daly and Alice Walker denounce the practice as a human rights abuse. Why?

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is D because all the provided reasons contribute to the dissatisfaction among women in African societies towards the denunciation of female genital cutting by American outsiders. These reasons include the potential harm caused by public condemnation of traditional rituals, the ethnocentric and reductionist nature of such condemnations, and the effectiveness of listening to the perspectives of African women directly affected by the practice.

Question 7

When immigrants and refugees from Africa bring traditions of female genital cutting to places like the United States and the European Union, what has been the consequence?

Accepted Answer

The consequences of immigrants and refugees from Africa bringing traditions of female genital cutting to places like the United States and the European Union include growing awareness and public condemnation of the practice, the passing of laws that criminalize the practice in several African states and industrialized nations, including the United States, and the stigmatization of immigrant or refugee mothers who seek to have their daughters undergo the procedure, often being labeled as "mutilators" or "child abusers" in the media.

Question 8

When the anthropologist Janice Boddy carried out fieldwork in northern Sudan, what did she learn about genital cutting?

Accepted Answer

The answer of When the anthropologist Janice Boddy carried out...

Question 9

Janice Boddy learned that to infibulate a female body in Hofriyat meant

Accepted Answer

Janice Boddy's research in Hofriyat revealed that infibulation of the female body is understood as a multifaceted cultural practice. It is seen as a way to renew and protect a woman's fertility, especially after childbirth, to purify the body by making it clean, smooth, and pure, and to transform women into "mothers of men" by de-emphasizing their sexuality. These aspects collectively reflect the cultural meanings and significance attributed to the practice within that context.

Question 10

Which of the following objects in the village of Hofriyat were associated with the infibulated female body?

Accepted Answer

In the village of Hofriyat, all the mentioned objects - waterbirds, ostrich eggshells, and tinned foods - were symbolically associated with the infibulated female body, reflecting cultural practices and beliefs surrounding femininity, fertility, and purity.

Question 11

In Hofriyat, the ability of an object to retain moisture is likened to its ability to retain fertility, likening a woman's infibulated body to

Accepted Answer

In Hofriyat, the analogy extends to multiple objects and concepts, each symbolizing containment, protection, and the nurturing of life within a defined boundary, thus encompassing all the given options.

Question 12

What did Boddy's field research teach her about the meanings associated with infibulation in Hofriyat?

Accepted Answer

Boddy's research indicated that the meanings associated with infibulation are deeply embedded in the culture and everyday life of Hofriyat, leading girls to view the procedure as necessary and justifiable.

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT an assumption of cultural determinism regarding human nature and human society?

Accepted Answer

Cultural determinism generally does not assume that every set of cultural practices contains fundamental contradictions. Instead, it often posits that culture shapes individuals' beliefs, behaviors, and perceptions in a more deterministic and cohesive manner.

Question 14

The text explains that to argue that "their culture made them do it" is to take a position that is

Accepted Answer

The phrase "their culture made them do it" simplifies complex human behaviors to just cultural influences, ignoring other factors like personal choice, economic conditions, and social pressures. This reductionist view is overly simplistic.

Question 15

The anthropological definition of cultural relativism requires that we make an effort to ____ the practices of other cultures.

Accepted Answer

Cultural relativism involves understanding and interpreting cultural practices within their own context, rather than judging them by the standards of another culture.

Question 16

When human beings exercise at least some control over their own behavior, they are said to be

Accepted Answer

When human beings exercise at least some control over their own behavior, they are said to be agents. This term reflects the capacity for self-directed action and decision-making.

Question 17

When anthropologists distinguished between Culture and cultures, they were distinguishing between ________ and ________.

Accepted Answer

Culture (with a capital C) refers to the defining attribute of human beings that encompasses the ability to learn and create sets of behaviors and ideas, which sets humans apart from other animals. In contrast, cultures (with a lowercase c) refer to the specific ways of life of different groups of people, including their traditions, languages, and social practices.

Question 18

The text quotes Michel-Rolph Trouillot, who claims that as the social sciences were becoming established at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century, anthropology was assigned the "savage slot." What does he mean by that?

Accepted Answer

Michel-Rolph Trouillot's concept of the "savage slot" refers to the role anthropology was given within the social sciences to study and become the authority on non-Western, colonized societies, as well as indicating the broader categorization of peoples and topics within the social sciences during that era.

Question 19

According to the anthropologist Eric Luke Lassiter, does the fact that Kiowas are Christians today show that federal officials and missionaries succeeded in their policies of Western cultural imperialism?

Accepted Answer

Eric Luke Lassiter argues that the Kiowas' adoption of Christianity does not simply represent a case of Western cultural imperialism succeeding in erasing and replacing indigenous beliefs. Instead, he suggests that the Kiowas have integrated Christian practices into their existing spiritual and cultural framework, creating a syncretic form of religious expression. This perspective challenges the notion that the Christianization of the Kiowa represents a straightforward victory of Western cultural imperialism.

Question 20

According to the anthropologist Eric Luke Lassiter, which of the following statements accurately describes how the Kiowa people dealt with Christianity?

Accepted Answer

Eric Luke Lassiter's research on the Kiowa people indicates that they adapted Christianity to their own cultural context, creating a unique form of the religion that is deeply intertwined with Kiowa identity and traditions. This includes the "kiowanization" of Christianity, the creation of Kiowa Christian hymns that are deeply rooted in Kiowa culture, and the assertion by some Kiowa Christians that their practice of Christianity is distinct from mainstream (white) Christian practices.

Quiz 2: Why Is the Concept of Culture Important