Deck 3: Ethnography: Studying Culture

Question 1

Cultural anthropologists do research by

A) building rapport and relationships with people over a long period of time.
B) gathering data to produce statistical models.
C) focusing on single dimensions of people's lives.
D) studying economic data.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is the defining methodology of the discipline of anthropology?

A) Fieldnotes
B) Fieldwork
C) Observation
D) Interviews

Answer 2

B

Question 3

"Going native" refers to a process whereby the anthropologist

A) buys only local products.
B) loses the ability to be an engaged observer.
C) starts a nongovernmental organization.
D) learns the local language.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The people anthropologists gather data from are called

A) partners.
B) employees.
C) informants.
D) subjects.

Question 5

Which term refers to the knowledge about other people that emerges from relationships?

A) Objective
B) Subjective
C) Intersubjective
D) Ethnographic

Question 6

An anthropologist interested in a cultural insider's perspective on that insider's culture is seeking

A) an emic perspective.
B) tunnel vision.
C) an etic perspective.
D) primary sources.

Question 7

The comparative method

A) compares cognate words in different languages.
B) focuses on one society over a long period of time.
C) uses data from many different societies.
D) emphasizes statistical regressions.

Question 8

Multi-sited ethnography is an example of which method?

A) Action research
B) Geographical method
C) Comparative method
D) Ethnohistory

Question 9

Which method is an extended conversation that can shed light on how social institutions change over time?

A) Ethnohistory
B) Genealogy
C) Participant observation
D) Life histories

Question 10

Research committed to making social change and improving the lives of marginalized people is called

A) rapid appraisal.
B) development anthropology.
C) action anthropology.
D) participant observation.

Question 11

Secondary materials include

A) interview transcripts.
B) fieldnotes.
C) newspaper clippings.
D) voice recordings.

Question 12

An important ethical concern for anthropologists is to

A) protect their informants.
B) protect the ethnographic data.
C) protect the community at large.
D) protect themselves.

Question 13

In order to study culture one must travel to distant, far-off places.

Question 14

Cultural anthropology is one of the most quantitative of the social sciences.

Question 15

Anthropologists do not consider unstructured, casual conversations to be data.

Question 16

Fieldnotes are usually written on the spot, not after the fact.

Question 17

Anthropology is a discipline that relies solely on

A) primary materials.
B) secondary materials.
C) both primary and secondary materials.
D) primary and secondary materials are widely disregarded by anthropologists.

Question 18

The difference between a survey and a structured interview is

A) survey questions are asked orally; in a structured interview they are written.
B) survey questions are closed-ended; structured interviews are not.
C) the goal of using survey questions is typically to produce qualitative data, while for structured interviews it is to produce quantitative data.
D) there is no difference between surveys and structured interviews.

Question 19

This type of interaction may include playing basketball, cooking, dining, or having coffee with informants

A) unstructured interviewing.
B) structured interviewing.
C) open-ended interviewing
D) participant observation.

Question 20

A central technique involved in an informal, open-ended interview is to

A) make sure you ask questions from the printed script exactly as they are written.
B) figure out the main goal of the interview ahead of time.
C) allow questions to emerge in the course of the interview.
D) hang out.

Question 21

Using life history interviews, researchers are able to

A) detect genetic traits linked to disease.
B) what myths society tells its members.
C) what plants are used for.
D) understand how a person's age affects his or her role in the community.

Question 22

An important element required for successful "rapid appraisal" data collection is

A) a parachute.
B) a good translator.
C) good general knowledge of the area/topic being studied.
D) a comfortable armchair.

Question 23

The purpose of fieldnotes is to

A) provide written records of information that an anthropologist collects.
B) avoid collecting personal information about informants.
C) engage in deep analysis of the data.
D) record results from blood samples.

Question 24

When anthropologists go into the field, they

A) go as a completely clean slate, without reading anything about the topic beforehand.
B) never change the focus of their question to fit what they are seeing.
C) seek to interrupt the flow of everyday life.
D) go with a set of questions they want to ask and have answered.

Question 25

An anthropologist might consider doing "anthropology at a distance" because

A) he or she has ample research funding to go into other field sites.
B) statistical evidence suggests that participant observation is unnecessary.
C) there is little data about the field site produced by others.
D) there is conflict or violence in the field site.

Question 26

Anthropologists believe that the "native point of view" is better than their own.

Question 27

Anthropologists use just three methods-interviews, fieldnotes, and participant observation.

Question 28

A critical reason for taking fieldnotes is that there may be a long lag time between fieldwork and writing and publishing about it.

Question 29

Anthropology is different from journalism because journalists' data are protected by law.

Question 30

Ethical issues facing ethnographers include ensuring informant confidentiality, protecting informants' blood samples and other biological information, and being open about their research.

Question 31

Which method would be best when doing a study on the genetic propensity for cancer in a given population?

A) Ethnohistory
B) Ethnoscience
C) Comparative method
D) Genealogical method

Question 32

If you wanted to have consistent responses, what kind of interview would you use?

A) Open-ended, unstructured interview
B) Survey interview
C) Casual interview
D) Structured interview

Question 33

Which project would be best suited for rapid appraisal?

A) A study of landscape change
B) A study of community response to a disaster
C) A study of how people become religious leaders
D) A study of marriage practices

Question 34

If you wanted to study patterns of kin relations in a community, which method would you use?

A) Comparative method
B) Genealogical method
C) Ethnohistory
D) Participant observation

Question 35

If you studied sex workers in your city, you might find that

A) people threaten you when you witness illegal activities.
B) you would get little respect from colleagues.
C) people are comfortable with you except when you take fieldnotes.
D) maintaining confidentiality is an ongoing challenge.

Question 36

An anthropologist who practices participatory-action research would most likely use this method in a study of

A) top managers at General Motors.
B) medical practitioners in a hospital.
C) kinship relations among middle-class families in India.
D) a low-income neighborhood where a toxic waste dump is located.

Question 37

What are the primary benefits of using the comparative method? Give an example of a project in which you might employ it.

Question 38

Of all the research techniques anthropologists have at their disposal, which one(s) might you use to study how politicians make decisions in Washington, DC?

Question 39

If you wanted to conduct ethical research on a vulnerable population, such as undocumented migrant workers, what issues would you be especially concerned about?

Question 40

Why is using different methodologies to collect different types of data important for anthropologists?

Question 41

How do you think a researcher might combine ethnographic research techniques with quantitative research techniques?

Question 42

Are there some projects that are better suited to ethnographic research methods than others? If so, give an example and explain why. If not, why not?

Question 43

What are some of the dilemmas facing anthropologist of their own society, and how do they deal with those dilemmas?

Question 44

How does fieldwork help anthropologists decipher the "informal logic of everyday life"?

Question 45

Discuss the advantages and dilemmas of using the ethnographic method.

Question 46

What are the ethical concerns that anthropologists have to face when doing their research?