Deck 13: Political Life: Social Order and Disorder

Question 1

The Karimojong of northeast Uganda use what type of system as the basis of their political organization?

A) age-set association
B) ethnic association
C) regional organization
D) unisex organization

Answer 1

age-set association

Question 2

In the modern world, __________.

A) every society has been incorporated into some larger, centralized political system
B) many societies remain informally organized and are under no higher political authority
C) most societies have developed their own centralized political system
D) foraging bands are becoming more organized but remain politically autonomous

Answer 2

every society has been incorporated into some larger, centralized political system

Question 3

How many societies in the ethnographic record were only informally organized at the time they were first described by anthropologists?

A) 50%
B) 25%
C) 10%
D) 80%

Answer 3

50%

Question 4

In the United States, what factor was considered to make a political candidate look more competent, after controlling for age and attractiveness?

A) a bigger chin
B) a dark-colored suit
C) a traditional hairstyle
D) a flag lapel pin

Question 5

In states with more collective action, rulers __________.

A) finance public works projects
B) are chosen by election
C) live very luxuriously
D) rally their citizens for war

Question 6

Which of these features is characteristic of a band?

A) low population density
B) intensive agriculture
C) social stratification
D) strict territoriality

Question 7

Complementary opposition is typical of which kind of group?

A) segmentary lineages
B) age-sets
C) clans
D) secret societies

Question 8

__________ suggest that when the state relies more heavily on resources from taxpayers, the rulers must give the public more in return or else face noncompliance and rebellion.

A) Collection action theorists
B) Physical anthropologists
C) Political scientists
D) Economists

Question 9

The Nupe king of what is now __________ had ultimate authority over his people by __________ them.

A) Nigeria; taxing
B) Ghana; adjudicating
C) Nigeria; adjudicating
D) Ghana; taxing

Question 10

Level of political integration refers to the __________.

A) largest territorial group on whose behalf political activities are organized
B) degree of political knowledge possessed by the average individual
C) balance of political representation between men and women
D) proportion of the population who are actively involved in politics

Question 11

The segmentary lineage system proved to be a great military advantage in the conflict between which two culturally similar groups?

A) the Nuer and the Dinka
B) the Maasai and the Turkana
C) the !Kung and the Himba
D) the Tutsi and the Hutu

Question 12

How many separate political units exist in the world today?

A) fewer than 200
B) around 1,000
C) at least 10,000
D) about 50

Question 13

Into what principal types of political organization did Elman Service suggest most societies could be classified?

A) bands, tribes, chiefdoms, states
B) savages, barbarians, civilizations
C) egalitarian, ranked, stratified
D) archaic, traditional, modern, postmodern

Question 14

In addition to government and politics, political life includes __________.

A) the resolution of disputes
B) childrearing practices
C) the organization of kin groups
D) distribution of wealth

Question 15

Which of these specific features allows for the emergence of cities in state-level organizations?

A) intensive agriculture
B) high rates of social stratification
C) variety of associations
D) redistribution of wealth

Question 16

Among the Tiv of Northern Nigeria, political organization is based on __________.

A) kinship
B) agriculture
C) religion
D) wealth

Question 17

Societies with tribal political organization are similar to band societies in their tendency to be __________.

A) egalitarian
B) caste-based
C) ranked
D) open caste-based

Question 18

In contrast to band societies, groups with tribal organizations tend to be __________.

A) food producers
B) egalitarian
C) nomadic
D) stratified

Question 19

The different types of political organization are often strongly linked to variation in __________.

A) food-getting, economy, and social stratification
B) kinship, childrearing, and household structure
C) household structure, economy, and kinship
D) social stratification, associations, and marriage patterns

Question 20

The Mekranoti have a generally egalitarian society. Despite this, __________ are more likely to become leaders.

A) sons of leaders
B) wealthy men
C) daughters of leaders
D) women with many sons

Question 21

Which of the following situations is an example of a community action against a transgressor?

A) expulsion for failing to heed a taboo
B) paying a fine for breaking a law
C) retribution for a single act of murder
D) being rejected by a friend after stealing his/her money

Question 22

Which type of society is particularly likely to make use of avoidance as a conflict resolution technique?

A) foragers
B) city dwellers
C) ranked societies
D) nomadic pastoralists

Question 23

Some anthropologists suggest that __________, rather than increasing production and population size, is the driving factor behind political integration.

A) competition between groups
B) changing gender roles
C) dietary changes
D) economic hardship

Question 24

Which of the following is an example of a multistate society that has maintained its unity despite cultural or ethnic variation?

A) Switzerland
B) Germany
C) the Soviet Union
D) Yugoslavia

Question 25

Which of these is an example of a codified law?

A) paying according to your tax bracket
B) saying the pledge of allegiance
C) testifying in front of a jury
D) giving gifts for birthdays

Question 26

Large-scale warfare is usually practiced by societies with __________.

A) intensive agriculture or industrialization
B) foraging or horticulture
C) small-scale or intensive agriculture
D) horticulture or pastoralism

Question 27

Oaths and ordeals are associated with __________.

A) complex societies where political leaders lack the power to enforce judicial decisions
B) smaller and simpler societies with little formal legal authority
C) theocratic societies
D) complex societies with strong centralized authority

Question 28

In what type of society would you most often find ritual apology ceremonies?

A) chiefdoms
B) states
C) tribes
D) bands

Question 29

Cross-cultural evidence shows that frequent warfare is __________.

A) correlated with many other types of aggression
B) unrelated to other forms of aggression
C) found primarily in societies with rigid legal systems
D) found primarily in societies with informal laws

Question 30

Which of these subsistence patterns would you expect to find in a chiefdom?

A) intensive agriculture
B) shifting agriculture
C) food collecting
D) horticulture

Question 31

What do anthropologists mean when they speak of the universality of law?

A) All societies have some means of social control, whether formal or informal.
B) In all societies, there is a leader or group that has the right to enforce the rules.
C) All societies have formal, codified laws.
D) In all societies, there are some people who break the law.

Question 32

Which family structure would likely predispose a person to a high degree of political participation?

A) extended family
B) polyandrous
C) polygynous
D) single parent

Question 33

Which of these societies is an exception to the pattern that foraging societies are organized at the band level?

A) Northwest Pacific Native Americans
B) Aché in South America
C) !Kung in southern Africa
D) Inuit in Canada and the United States

Question 34

In the United States, leaders are generally __________.

A) wealthier than other citizens
B) from an impoverished background
C) from a minority ethnic group
D) former military commanders

Question 35

Warfare in preindustrial societies is most likely to be found __________.

A) where people fear unpredictable natural disasters that will destroy their food supply
B) in societies smaller than 21,000 people
C) between nations that are militarily more unequal
D) in societies suffering from chronic, predictable food shortages

Question 36

In rank societies and some state societies such as monarchies, rulers gain their authority through __________.

A) inheritance
B) election
C) persuasion
D) military strength

Question 37

What factor aided the state-level U.S. society in the defeat and incorporation of Native American societies?

A) depopulation of native groups
B) use of horses and firearms
C) prophecies and religious beliefs
D) knowledge of local landscape

Question 38

On what area has anthropological theory and research on political organization focused?

A) the origins of the first state societies
B) the governance abilities of chiefdoms
C) conflict management in bands
D) kinship ties in tribal societies

Question 39

A number of researchers predict that the world will eventually __________.

A) come to be politically integrated
B) find a peaceful solution for territorial disputes
C) return to small, ethnically distinct units
D) settle into two or three primary superpowers

Question 40

When no regular, effective means of resolving a conflict are available, __________.

A) violence is commonly used to settle a dispute
B) ordeals are arranged for the opposing parties
C) wars are the common result
D) men must pick sides and battle until the dispute is resolved

Question 41

Societies with higher levels of political integration are also likely to exhibit __________.

A) class distinctions
B) high literacy rates
C) collective action
D) territorial disputes

Question 42

Degree of political participation seems to be __________.

A) high in small-scale societies and in modern nation-states, but low in between
B) higher in state-level societies than in small-scale societies
C) higher in small-scale societies than in state-level societies
D) low in small-scale societies and in modern nation-states, but high in between

Question 43

What explanation has been put forth to explain the legitimacy of power in a state organization?

A) States must provide people with real or rational advantages.
B) Humans have a natural tendency to follow a dominant leader.
C) Force and the threat of force are enough pressure to keep people in line.
D) States are the most efficient system and provide the most benefit to the individual.

Question 44

Cross-cultural research shows that the likelihood of state-level organization is closely associated with __________.

A) the intensity of agriculture
B) the type of foods used as primary resources
C) participation in a market economy
D) availability of strong leaders

Question 45

The prominence of women in the politics of Vanatinai is most likely linked to __________.

A) the absence of war
B) importance of women's foraging
C) low fertility and child-care responsibilities
D) matrilocal residence

Question 46

What is the key distinction between tribes and chiefdoms?

A) A chiefdom has some formal structure that integrates communities into a political unit.
B) A chiefdom has more nomadic communities.
C) A tribe has greater reliance on agriculture and greater economic output.
D) A tribe places a great deal of emphasis on kinship connections.

Question 47

What factors are associated with a culture's degree of individual political participation?

Question 48

Pre-colonial American societies had examples of both chiefdoms and states. Explain how you would distinguish between the levels of political organization, and give an example of each from the Americas.

Question 49

Which of the following statements is true of state organization?

A) A state may include more than one society, and a society may contain more than one state.
B) A state may contain more than one society, but not vice versa.
C) A society may contain more than one state, but not vice versa.
D) States and societies are unrelated terms.

Question 50

List and explain the major forms of conflict resolution known to anthropologists. For each, state in which type of society such resolution is most likely to occur.

Question 51

Most recent foragers had band organizations. What does this fact tell us about the political organization of our ancestors?

A) It does not tell us much, because modern foragers live in marginal environments and, therefore, may not represent the ancestral pattern.
B) It is evidence that all societies had band organizations before the origin of agriculture.
C) It suggests that band organizations quickly transform into state-level organizations.
D) It indicates that modern foraging societies maintain their traditional lifeways despite being incorporated into larger political entities.

Question 52

How does the degree of political participation relate to warfare?

A) Democratically governed nations rarely go to war with one another.
B) Low political participation tends to spark internal warfare.
C) Low political participation reduces a society's involvement in war.
D) Democratically governed nations rarely participate in war.

Question 53

What distinguishes tribal from band political organization?

A) the presence of some multilocal, but not usually societywide, integration
B) permanent multilocal integration
C) formal multilocal integration
D) smaller local groups

Question 54

What is the consequence of the spread of state societies for the number of politically autonomous cultures found around the world?

Question 55

Compare and contrast the political life of bands and tribal organizations.