Question 1

During your lifetime you will probably be a member of two families, the family of orientation (the family into which you were born and enculturated) and the family of __________ (the family in which you will have or adopt children).

Accepted Answer

The family of procreation refers to the family that one creates through having or adopting children, while acculturation refers to the process of adapting to a new culture, deculturation refers to the loss of culture, life is too general, and socialization refers to the process of learning and internalizing cultural norms and values.

Question 2

A major goal of most anthropological studies of religion is to determine the "truth" or "falsity" of particular religious beliefs so that the truth about the supernatural can be discovered.

Accepted Answer

Anthropologists approach the study of religion from a cultural and social perspective, seeking to understand the beliefs, practices, and symbols that are meaningful to a particular group. They do not typically seek to determine the objective truth or falsity of religious beliefs, as this is outside the scope of their methodology.

Question 3

Studies of hunter-gatherer groups often include an investigation of the maximum population that a specific environment can support, or what is called the , in order to understand population change and distribution.

Accepted Answer

Carrying capacity refers to the maximum population that a specific environment can support, and is often studied in relation to hunter-gatherer groups in order to understand population change and distribution. Fecundity refers to the potential reproductive capacity of an individual or species, while life expectancy refers to the average age that individuals in a population are expected to live. Niche load and population burden are not commonly used terms in this context.

Question 4

Marriage within the same social group or category is , while is marriage between people from different social categories or groups.

Accepted Answer

Endogamy refers to marriage within the same social group or category, while exogamy refers to marriage between people from different social categories or groups. The other options are either incorrect or not directly related to social group/category marriage.

Question 5

The process in which an organism adjusts successfully to a specific environment is called:

Accepted Answer

The process described in the question is specifically referring to adaptation, which is the process by which an organism adjusts to a specific environment in order to survive and reproduce. Choice A (chance) is not applicable as it does not describe the active process of an organism adjusting to an environment. Choice B (a correlation) is not applicable as it describes a relationship between two variables and not a process of an organism adjusting to an environment. Choice D (environmental shock) is not applicable as it suggests a negative event rather than a successful adjustment. Choice E (carrying capacity) is not applicable as it describes the maximum population size that can be sustained by an environment rather than the process by which an organism adjusts to it.

Question 6

Shamans are full-time religious practitioners who serve in an official capacity as the custodians of sacred knowledge.

Accepted Answer

Shamans are typically part-time practitioners who enter altered states of consciousness to interact with the spirit world, rather than serving in an official capacity or as full-time custodians of sacred knowledge.

Question 7

The relationship between age and status is an anthropologically interesting subject. Which of the following statements concerning age and status is correct?

Accepted Answer

Anthropologists have found that age stratification, or the way in which societies categorize and value individuals based on their age, varies depending on the level of technological development. In many preindustrial societies, the elderly may hold relatively high levels of status and respect due to their accumulated knowledge and experience. However, in most industrial societies, the elderly may experience a loss of status as youth and productivity are often more highly valued. Therefore, the relationship between age and status is not static and varies across cultures and historical contexts.

Question 8

Which of the following is not a function of the family?

Accepted Answer

While families do play a role in regulating statuses, roles, and gender within their specific context, it is not considered a primary function of the family in the same way that the other options listed are.

Question 9

In order to understand population change and distribution, demographic anthropologists usually focus on what three major variables in a population?

Accepted Answer

Demographic anthropologists usually focus on fertility (birth rates), mortality (death rates), and migration (movement of people in and out of a population) to better understand population change and distribution. These variables can provide insights into social, economic, and environmental factors that affect a population's growth or decline.

Question 10

Most religious beliefs, whether they are derived from inductive or deductive logic, are always based on strict scientific criteria.

Accepted Answer

Most religious beliefs are based on faith and cannot be proven by strict scientific criteria. While some religious beliefs may align with scientific evidence, this is not always the case and not the basis for the belief itself.

Question 11

Religion appears to be a cultural universal, although specific practices and beliefs vary significantly from culture to culture.

Accepted Answer

While practices and beliefs may vary, religion is present in some form in all known human societies, making it a cultural universal.

Question 12

The substantivist approach in economics differs from the formalist view by:

Accepted Answer

The substantivist approach in economics asserts that the ways of allocating goods and services in small-scale societies differ fundamentally from those of large-scale Western economic systems. This approach contrasts with the formalist view, which assumes that formal mathematical theories and models of economics can be applied to every economy in the world. The substantivist approach also argues that economics is not solely guided by the logic of money and market exchange but can be determined by social and cultural factors. Therefore, the best choice is C, maintaining that the ways of allocating goods and services in small-scale societies differ fundamentally from those of large-scale Western economic systems.

Question 13

The __________ of a society consists of the social relationships that organize the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

Accepted Answer

The definition given in the question corresponds directly to the concept of economy, which refers to the system of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services in a society. Ecology refers to the study of the relationships between organisms and their environment, carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals that a given environment can support, enculturation refers to the process by which individuals learn the cultural norms and values of their society, and technological loop is not a commonly recognized term in anthropology.

Question 14

An important component of social structure is status, or the recognized position that a person occupies within society. Societies recognize two kinds of status, one attached to a person from birth called status and the other based on a person's specific actions called status.

Accepted Answer

Ascribed status is the one attributed to a person from birth, such as social class or race, while achieved status is based on a person's actions or accomplishments, such as education or occupation. Therefore, A) ascribed/achieved is the best choice. None of the other choices accurately reflect the two types of status recognized in society.

Question 15

From a female perspective, you will be a daughter and possibly a mother and wife. As such, you assume what are called roles that correspond to these different status positions.

Accepted Answer

Gender roles are the societal norms and expectations regarding the behavior, attitudes, and activities of women and men.

Question 16

Ethnographic research can be very demanding, and often ethnologists experience psychological stress that results from adjusting to the realities of a society radically different from their own. This reaction is called:

Accepted Answer

Culture shock is the psychological stress that results from adjusting to the realities of a society radically different from one's own. Cultural relativism is a concept that a person's beliefs, values, and practices should be understood within the context of their own culture. Cultural psychosis and psycho-cultural trauma are not recognized terms in anthropology. Xenophobia refers to a fear or hatred of people from different cultures or countries.

Question 17

Conducting unstructured and structured interviews, talking with key informants, making naturalistic observations, engaging in participant observation, and collecting quantitative and qualitative data are all parts of a research design __________.

Accepted Answer

Conducting unstructured and structured interviews, talking with key informants, making naturalistic observations, engaging in participant observation, and collecting quantitative and qualitative data are all commonly used methods in ethnographic fieldwork, which is a core method of anthropology.

Question 18

A typical consists of two parents and their immediate biological offspring or adopted children.

Accepted Answer

A nuclear family consists of a married couple and their biological or adopted children, making it the best choice from the options given. The term "nuclear" refers to the idea that the family is a basic, fundamental unit of society, much like the nucleus is a basic unit of an atom. The other options either include extended family members or refer to more primitive forms of social organization.

Question 19

Within any society, an individual occupies a status and plays a .

Accepted Answer

Within a society, individuals are assigned roles that dictate their behavior and expectations in different situations. While some roles are ascribed (such as gender or family position), others are achieved through personal accomplishment or chosen career paths. These roles shape how an individual interacts with the world and others around them.

Question 20

Anthropologists have found that all societies have inequality in statuses which are arranged in a hierarchy. This hierarchy is known as:

Accepted Answer

Social stratification refers to the division of society into hierarchical layers, with some individuals or groups having greater status, power, and access to resources than others. This pattern of inequality is universal and found in all societies, whether they are small-scale or complex industrial societies. Therefore, option A is the correct answer. Option B, C, D, and E are incorrect because they do not accurately describe the concept of social stratification.

Quiz 7: Analyzing Sociocultural Systems

During your lifetime you will probably be a member of two families, the family of orientation (the family into which you were born and enculturated) and the family of __________ (the family in which you will have or adopt children) .