Deck 3: Ancestors and Neighbors: Social Constructions of Gender at Other Times, in Other Places

Question 1

With regard to the archaeological record, which of the following is NOT true about the problems that archaeologists confront in reconstructing history?

A) For some periods, a fossil gap exists.
B) Archaeological finds are relatively sparse and fragmentary.
C) Bone and stone eventually occur.
D) The fossil record available does not provide an adequate picture of populations that once inhabited the earth.

Answer 1

Bone and stone eventually occur.

Question 2

According to the traditional reconstruction of prehistory, which of the following was a result of bipedalism?

A) Men hunted buffalo.
B) Our ape ancestors were able to spend much time in trees.
C) Men walked on four feet.
D) Anatomical changes occurred, including the narrowing of the pelvis.

Answer 2

Anatomical changes occurred, including the narrowing of the pelvis.

Question 3

The Man the Hunter theory is criticized for its

A) biological reductionism.
B) ethnocentrism.
C) simplification.
D) indoctrinism.

Answer 3

ethnocentrism.

Question 4

The authors of your textbook criticize the traditional "Man the Hunter" theory for being androcentric. By this they mean that it

A) judges other cultures by Western standards.
B) overlooks female contributions to evolutionary history.
C) places too much emphasis on the role of bipedalism in human evolution.
D) relies solely on the fossil record for evidence of how humans have evolved.

Question 5

The traditional reconstruction of prehistory maintains that the division of labor by sex developed as a result of

A) women's unique capacity to bear children.
B) men's and women's erotic attraction to one another.
C) men's unique capacity to hunt animals.
D) all of the above

Question 6

According to the feminist reconstruction of prehistory, the first human technology was probably

A) slings for carrying offspring.
B) tools for improving communication.
C) weapons for warfare.
D) weapons for slaying animals.

Question 7

The difficulty in linking archeological data with a specific sex is that gender attribution

A) emphasizes household production to the neglect of public activities.
B) over-emphasizes the question of whether a sexual division of labor has always existed.
C) de-emphasizes public economic activities while focusing primarily on household activities.
D) is based on culture- and time-bound assumptions about what males and females do.

Question 8

Both the traditional (Man the Hunter) theory and the feminist theory of prehistory agree that

A) bipedalism led to significant changes in the relationship of an early mother to her offspring.
B) meat comprised of significant portion of the early human diet.
C) humans descended from the "killer apes" who moved into savanna regions as tropical rainforests receded.
D) the sexual division of labor was adaptive.

Question 9

A problem with primatology is that

A) humans and various species of monkeys and apes are not at all similar.
B) women and men who have contributed to primate studies carry their own culture with them.
C) there is no variability among primate species.
D) None of the above; primatology has no limitations.

Question 10

Regarding the sociological research on chimpanzees, which of the following is FALSE?

A) Females often initiate sexual activity and may choose more than one mate.
B) The largest male is usually dominant and has advantages over others.
C) Chimpanzees live in flexibly organized communities.
D) A rigid hierarchical structure does not exist within the group.

Question 11

Studies of chimpanzees show that

A) chimpanzees are pure vegetarians.
B) chimpanzees do not share their food.
C) females acquire their own food and food for their offspring.
D) only males participate in food acquisition and preparation.

Question 12

Recent bonobo research has reveled which of the following?

A) There is significant deadly warfare among bonobos.
B) Bonobos are male-dominated.
C) Female bonobos have sex with other females as well as male bonobos.
D) all of the above

Question 13

With regard to the sexual division of labor, it appears that

A) the work women do is devalued in nearly every known society.
B) there are almost no tasks universally assigned to men or women exclusively.
C) there is rarely overlap in the activities performed by males and females.
D) both A and B above

Question 14

Anthropologist Margaret Mead researched societies in New Guinea and found

A) support for the "Man the Hunter" theory of prehistory.
B) that the role of women in prehistory has been traditionally ignored.
C) that women have never participated in hunting and fishing.
D) that some cultures exist that contradict the Western construction of gender.

Question 15

There are very few societies in which women participate in

A) fishing.
B) metalworking.
C) house-building.
D) boat-building.

Question 16

Among foraging societies, which type is the least egalitarian?

A) men hunt, women gather
B) men and women communally hunt and gather
C) men and women independently hunt and gather
D) men hunt, women process the catch

Question 17

Research on the Ju/hoansi bush-living people indicates that

A) men spend most of their time in the bush.
B) men only are respected for their knowledge of the bush.
C) women and men share responsibility for raising children.
D) there is no division of labor by sex.

Question 18

Among the Aka,

A) most tasks are assigned exclusively to one sex.
B) men are primarily responsible for infant care.
C) men and women hunt cooperatively.
D) men have the responsibility of killing animals caught in nets.

Question 19

Cross-cultural research on foraging societies indicates that

A) contemporary Western constructions of gender are not universal.
B) the Man the Hunter theory is a valid explanation of gender evolution.
C) a gendered division of labor does not always produce gender inequality.
D) both A and C

Question 20

Cross-cultural research on multiple genders

A) demonstrates the dichotomous nature of gender in all societies.
B) illustrates how gender is a social creation.
C) shows that while cross-gendered behavior is tolerated in some societies, it is never regarded positively.
D) proves that cross-dressing among males is universally regarded as deviant.

Question 21

A Mohave female who wished to pursue a masculine lifestyle became a

A) berdache.
B) lhamana.
C) hwame.
D) alyha.

Question 22

Studies of the Hua of Papua New Guinea show that

A) gender is dichotomous and permanent.
B) women are seen as socially acceptable only after giving birth to five children.
C) gender can be fluid and changing rather than stable.
D) masculine people are regarded as invulnerable, but polluted.

Question 23

In developing their perspective of the evolution of gender, feminists have examined

A) primatology.
B) the archaeological record.
C) studies of contemporary foraging societies.
D) all of the above

Question 24

The Man the Hunter theory maintains that bipedalism led to the role of women as breadwinners.

Question 25

Feminist anthropologists do not regard bipedalism as an important historical adaptation.

Question 26

The pattern most frequently observed in hunting-gathering societies is one in which women take primary responsibility for gathering.

Question 27

Sociologists have found that not every society has a division of labor by sex.

Question 28

Egalitarian gender relations are found today only in hunting and gathering societies.

Question 29

Among the Hua of Papua New Guinea, men gradually lose their masculinity by passing it on to young boys during growth rituals.

Question 30

Berdaches were viewed as deviant because of their cross-dressing behavior.

Question 31

Female chimpanzees have been observed as dominant aggressors and are not perceived as peacekeepers.

Question 32

Bonobo communities are male-focused and revolve around competition and male dominance.

Question 33

There is considerable cross-cultural evidence that women may behave as aggressively as men, especially when competitiveness and verbal abusiveness are included as measures of aggression.

Question 34

Multiple genders illustrate the fluidity of gender.

Question 35

Discuss the Man the Hunter theory of gender evolution and criticisms of the theory.

Question 36

Compare and contrast Man the Hunter theory with the feminist reconstruction of prehistory.
Which do you think is more credible? Why?

Question 37

Explain why gynecentrism is as problematic as androcentrism in developing an understanding of the evolutionary development of contemporary gender relations. What kinds of questions will best add to our attempts to engender the past?

Question 38

What do cross-cultural studies of foraging societies tell us about the gendered division of labor and stereotypical work roles of men and women?

Question 39

Discuss multiple-gendered societies and what they tell us about gender as dichotomous social categories.

Question 40

Using your knowledge of foraging societies, multiple-gendered societies, and chimpanzee studies, explain why "anatomy is not destiny."

Question 41

Explain how contemporary primate research on bonobo communities has supplemented primatology and gaps in our archeological record. Discuss how such information has influenced our perception of gender.

Question 42

Explain the key components of a matrifocal system. Cite an example of a matrifocal group to support your answer.