Question 1

Anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901-1979) is best known for her research on sexual freedom and experimentation by young women in Samoa. Which aspect of culture among American women did Mead so powerfully contrast?

Accepted Answer

Mead contrasted the sexual freedom and experimentation of young women in Samoa with the repressed sexuality of American women.

Question 2

Early British anthropological researchers believed they could isolate and scientifically study the structure and function of what?

Accepted Answer

Early British anthropological researchers believed they could isolate and scientifically study the structure and function of society. They aimed to understand the organization and dynamics of societies across the world. While culture, gender, and ethnicity are all components of society, they were not studied as isolated structures in the early days of British anthropology.

Question 3

What does anthropologist Eric Wolf believe to be inherent in all relationships?

Accepted Answer

Eric Wolf believed that power dynamics are inherent in all relationships, emphasizing how power influences social structures and interactions.

Question 4

Social scientists are increasingly attempting to understand how, when, and why mass murders occur. Which area of study would allow researchers to understand which environmental factors activate genetic predispositions toward violent behavior?

Accepted Answer

Epigenetics is the study of how environmental factors can activate or deactivate certain genes, which can influence behavior. Understanding this area of study can help researchers understand how genetic predispositions toward violent behavior can be triggered by environmental factors. The Human Genome Project is focused on mapping out the human genome and does not directly address environmental factors. Cultural anthropology focuses on the study of human cultures and does not directly address genetic predispositions toward violent behavior. The interpretivist approach is a broad approach to social research and does not provide a specific method for studying genetic predispositions and environmental factors.

Question 5

Recent research has revealed the existence of a kind of "second body" within all humans, one that may be a crucial part of how we interact with our own bodies and others. What is this called?

Accepted Answer

The "second body" being referred to in the question is the human microbiome, which is made up of trillions of microorganisms that live in and on the human body. Recent research has suggested that the microbiome plays a crucial role in many aspects of human health, including regulating the immune system and influencing mood and behavior.

Question 6

Clifford Geertz (1926-2006), who urged anthropologists to explore culture primarily as a symbolic system, felt that symbols were largely responsible for meaning. This meant that symbols and their meanings required a great deal of ________.

Accepted Answer

Geertz believed that symbols were open to interpretation and required anthropologists to delve deeper into cultural practices and meanings in order to understand their significance.

Question 7

What do anthropologists call the uneven distribution of resources and privileges, often along lines of gender, racial or ethnic group, class, age, family, religion, sexuality, or legal status?

Accepted Answer

Anthropologists call the uneven distribution of resources and privileges stratification, which refers to the hierarchical division of society into layers or strata based on power, wealth, and prestige. This can occur along lines of gender, race, ethnicity, class, age, family, religion, sexuality, or legal status.

Question 8

Many early anthropologists drew from biology to support their work. They believed that society, like the human body, was composed of interconnected parts, with each part having a:

Accepted Answer

Many early anthropologists, such as Emile Durkheim, drew from the biological analogy of society as a system composed of interconnected parts, each with a specific function, like the organs in a body. This led to the development of functionalism, which viewed society as a complex system with interdependent parts working together to maintain stability and order.

Option A is incorrect because while the different parts of a society may have unique characteristics or roles, the focus in the biological analogy is on their interdependence and function, not structural differences. Option B is incorrect because there is no basis for postulating a shared intelligence in biological systems. Option D is incorrect because the analogy focuses on the function of the parts of society, not their biological structure.

Question 9

In his research conducted in the Trobriand Islands, Bronislaw Malinowski (1884-1942) employed an early form of what type of anthropological theory?

Accepted Answer

Malinowski employed a form of structural functionalism in his research in the Trobriand Islands, emphasizing the importance of the different institutions and practices in maintaining the social structure and functioning of the society.

Question 10

Evolutionary psychologists argue that how we think and behave is hardwired in our DNA. This has led to ideas about differences in men and women as fundamental-men as hunters, women as gatherers. What is the central argument that anthropologists have used to critique this idea?

Accepted Answer

Anthropologists argue that cultural and environmental factors play a significant role in shaping human behavior, and the emphasis on genetic inheritance by evolutionary psychologists is often overstated.

Question 11

The development of simple stone tools by early hominids led to the ability to procure meat more efficiently. This led to increased amounts of protein in their diet. Many scholars believe that this shift in diet was a significant part of how our ancient ancestors adapted so quickly to a varied set of environments, and how they were able to begin cultural development. This demonstrates the intimate connection between ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The development of simple stone tools by...

Question 12

Which of the following is defined as the ability or potential to bring about change through action or influence?

Accepted Answer

Power is defined as the ability or potential to bring about change through action or influence. Stratification refers to the unequal distribution of resources in a society, while hegemony refers to the dominance of one group over others through cultural or ideological means. Coercion is the use of force or threats to make someone comply with one's wishes.

Question 13

Rather than studying changes in organisms caused by alterations of the genetic code itself, epigenetics examines changes caused by:

Accepted Answer

Epigenetics focuses on changes in gene expression that are caused by environmental factors that can turn genes on or off, without altering the actual DNA sequence. This includes things like diet, stress, exposure to toxins, and other environmental factors that can have an impact on gene expression.

B, C, and D are not accurate descriptions of epigenetics. While hormones and white blood cell counts may be influenced by epigenetic factors, they are not the primary focus of epigenetics research. Gendered predispositions towards behavior are also not directly related to epigenetics.

Question 14

In her book Liquidated: An Ethnography of Wall Street, Karen Ho uses ethnography to explore the ways in which Wall Street bankers are socialized into the temporal life of the market. An examination of the meaning of time among Wall Street bankers is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Karen Ho's examination of the meaning of time among Wall Street bankers is an example of thick description, which involves providing rich, detailed descriptions of cultural phenomena and social practices in order to develop a deep understanding of how they are experienced and understood by those who participate in them.

Question 15

Clifford Geertz argued that every cultural action is more than the action itself. It is also a symbol of deeper meaning, subject to interpretation. What key idea in anthropology did this important theoretical idea help promote?

Accepted Answer

Geertz's argument helped promote the key idea in anthropology that symbols are a crucial means of understanding other cultures. This idea is based on the belief that cultural actions are not just practical, but also have symbolic and cultural meaning that must be interpreted and understood within its cultural context.

Question 16

Anthropologists have been successful in uncovering evidence of vast trade networks done entirely on foot throughout the entire continent of North America that long preceded the arrival of Europeans. This movement and exchange of material goods and cultural pieces supports which of the following concepts?

Accepted Answer

The evidence of long-distance trade networks suggests the concept of diffusion, which refers to the spread of material goods or cultural practices from one society to another. This happens through trading, migration, and other forms of contact with neighboring societies. The fact that these networks existed before the arrival of Europeans also disproves the notion that all sophisticated trade and commerce only developed after colonialism.

Question 17

Culture is more than a set of ideas or patterns of behavior shared by a group of people because it also includes general mechanisms created by people to promote and maintain their core values. The recent changes in same-sex marriage laws reflect what kind of mechanism?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Culture is more than a set of...

Question 18

Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) described two aspects of power. One included material power. What characterized the other aspect described by Gramsci?

Accepted Answer

Gramsci described the two aspects of power as material power and hegemony. Material power refers to the ability to use force or coercion to control others, while hegemony refers to the ability to create consent and agreement through cultural influence and ideological persuasion. Therefore, option A is the best choice as it characterizes the second aspect of power described by Gramsci.

Question 19

Which of the following is defined as the ability to create consent and agreement within a population, sometimes unconsciously, by shaping what people think is normal, natural, and possible?

Accepted Answer

Hegemony is defined as the ability of those in power to create consent and agreement within a population by shaping what people think is normal, natural, and possible. It is a form of social control that operates through persuasion rather than coercion. Consumerism and materialism are related to the consumption of goods and the acquisition of material possessions, while coercion refers to the use of force or threats to compel someone to do something.

Question 20

We often find ourselves seeing something as a "natural truth" and viewing any alternative as unthinkable. What is this an expression of?

Accepted Answer

This is an expression of the hegemony of ideas, which refers to the dominant ideas and values in a society that become so entrenched and normalized that they are viewed as natural and inevitable, making it difficult to imagine alternatives.

Quiz 2: Culture