Question 1

As a vehicle of change, religious proselytizing is a culturally neutral factor.

Accepted Answer

Religious proselytizing is not culturally neutral, as it often involves the imposition of one culture's beliefs onto another. It can also involve the suppression of traditional cultural practices and beliefs.

Question 2

Although acculturation can be applied to any case of cultural contact and change, the term most often has described Westernization, the positive influence of Western expansion that has spread democratic and capitalistic values to those less fortunate.

Accepted Answer

Acculturation refers to the process of cultural change and psychological change that results following meeting between cultures. The term does not inherently describe Westernization or imply a positive influence of Western expansion spreading democratic and capitalistic values. It is a neutral process that can involve various cultures coming into contact and influencing each other in multiple ways, not just Western influence on other cultures.

Question 3

The spread of environmentalism may expose radically different notions about the rights and values of plants and animals versus humans. Fortunately, it is clear to everyone that certain animal rights trump other rights.

Accepted Answer

The spread of environmentalism indeed exposes different notions about the rights and values of plants, animals, and humans. However, it is not clear to everyone that certain animal rights trump other rights, as opinions on this matter vary greatly among individuals, cultures, and legal systems.

Question 4

Contemporary, applied ecological anthropologists work to plan and implement policies aimed at environmental preservation. They also advocate for people who are at risk, actually or potentially. One of the roles for today's environmental anthropologist is to assess the extent and nature of risk perception and to harness that awareness to combat environmental degradation.

Accepted Answer

This statement accurately describes the role of contemporary, applied ecological anthropologists in advocating for environmental preservation and assessing risk perception to combat environmental degradation.

Question 5

Although anthropologists may be interested in contemporary global issues such as climate change, their perspective is necessarily limited to the local scale of their fieldwork.

Accepted Answer

While anthropologists do focus on local fieldwork, they often use this research to draw global conclusions and address global issues. Anthropology as a discipline is concerned with understanding human societies and cultures across space and time, and as such, it has been instrumental in addressing many contemporary global issues such as globalization, environmental sustainability, and human rights.

Question 6

The last 30 years have seen a dramatic shift in the conditions of indigenous peoples in Latin America, where the drive by indigenous peoples for self-identification has emphasized all of the following EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

The drive for self-identification by indigenous peoples in Latin America has not emphasized excluding strangers from their communities, which is implied by the term "autochthony." Instead, it has focused on political reforms, cultural distinctiveness, territorial rights, and reforms of military and police powers.

Question 7

________ refers to the blurring and breakdown of established canons-rules, standards, categories, distinctions, and boundaries.

Accepted Answer

The term "postmodern" is often used to refer to the blurring and breakdown of established canons, rules, standards, categories, distinctions, and boundaries. This could include the blending of different genres, the rejection of traditional narratives, and the questioning of established authority and power structures.

Question 8

Unlike "indigenous peoples," what term, which highlights the prominence that the exclusion of strangers has assumed in day-to-day politics worldwide, has been claimed by majority groups in Europe?

Accepted Answer

The term "autochthon," which means "indigenous" or "native to the land," has been claimed by majority groups in Europe as a way to assert their supremacy and to exclude immigrants and other minorities. The term highlights the idea of belonging to the place since ancient times, and it is often used to deny the legitimacy of newcomers and their claims for rights and recognition. Therefore, it is a controversial and contested term that can foster discrimination and ethnic nationalism.

Question 9

Radiative forcings work to warm and cool the earth. If these didn't exist, there would be no global warming.

Accepted Answer

Radiative forcings are the drivers of climate change, including global warming from greenhouse gases. Without radiative forcings, the earth's temperature would remain constant.

Question 10

Identities are

Accepted Answer

Identities are not fixed, but rather are fluid and multifaceted. They can change and evolve over time, and are influenced by a variety of factors such as culture, environment, and personal experiences.

Question 11

Which of the following statements about the globalization of risk is correct?

Accepted Answer

Rebroadcasting risk in the media can lead to amplification of risk perception and make the risk appear more global than it actually is.

Answer: B 
 Groups that are less endangered by certain risks may have less developed concerns about those risks, leading to a lack of awareness or preparedness.

Answer: None of the remaining choices are correct. 
 The statement in option C is incorrect as Brazil is known for having many unregulated ecological hazards. Option D is also incorrect, as awareness and concern about environmental risks vary across different regions and demographics within Brazil. Option E is incorrect as many risks, such as climate change or pandemics, are global in nature.

Question 12

Scientists prefer the term climate change to global warming. The former term points out that, beyond rising temperatures, there have been changes in sea levels, precipitation, storms, and ecosystem effects.

Accepted Answer

The statement is correct. Scientists use the term climate change to encompass not only rising temperatures but also changes in other climatic factors such as sea levels, precipitation, storms, and ecosystem impacts. The term global warming, on the other hand, solely refers to the increase in Earth's average surface temperature.

Question 13

When people are asked to give up the basis of their livelihood, they usually comply, especially if they are paid money.

Accepted Answer

People often resist giving up the basis of their livelihood, especially if it is a significant part of their identity or culture, even when offered money. The attachment to their livelihood goes beyond financial aspects, encompassing social, cultural, and personal values.

Question 14

Social movements worldwide have adopted which term as a self-identifying and political label based on past oppression but now legitimizing a search for social, cultural, and political rights?

Accepted Answer

The term "indigenous people" has been adopted by social movements worldwide as a self-identifying and political label based on past oppression and legitimizing a search for social, cultural, and political rights. The term encompasses diverse groups of people who are native to a particular region and have a historical and cultural connection to the land.

Question 15

Ethnoecology is any society's set of environmental practices and perceptions-that is, its cultural model of the environment and its relation to people and society.

Accepted Answer

Ethnoecology is indeed a society's cultural model of the environment and its relation to people and society.

Question 16

One of the challenges that environmental anthropologists face is that risk perception is rarely related to actions that can reduce threat to the environment.

Accepted Answer

The answer of One of the challenges that environmental anthropologists...

Question 17

Worldwide, concern about environmental and technological risks is more developed in groups that are less endangered by those risks.

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as the "white male effect." Research has shown that white males in developed countries, who are relatively secure and comfortable, are more likely to prioritize and express concern about environmental and technological risks, while marginalized groups who are more directly impacted by these risks may be less likely to have the resources or platform to do so.

Question 18

In Spanish-speaking Latin America, social scientists and politicians favor which term over indio (Indian), the colonial term that the Spanish and Portuguese conquerors used to refer to the native inhabitants of the Americas?

Accepted Answer

Social scientists and politicians in Spanish-speaking Latin America prefer the term indígena, which means "indigenous person," over the colonial term indio that was used by the Spanish and Portuguese conquerors to refer to the native inhabitants of the Americas.

Question 19

Development projects usually fail when they try to replace indigenous institutions with culturally alien concepts.

Accepted Answer

Development projects that introduce foreign ideas and concepts without consideration for the existing culture and institutions often face resistance and fail to achieve their intended goals. It is essential to work with indigenous institutions and build on existing structures, rather than replace or undermine them with incompatible ideas.

Question 20

________ describes the process of viewing an identity as established, real, and frozen, so as to hide the historical processes and politics within which that identity developed.

Accepted Answer

Essentialism is the process of viewing an identity as established, real, and frozen, ignoring the complex historical processes and politics that contributed to the formation of that identity.

Quiz 15: Anthropologys Role in a Globalizing World