Deck 2: Culture

Question 1

Franz Boas (1858-1942) rejected unilineal cultural evolution, advocating for which of the following approaches instead?

A) structural functionalism
B) cultural interpretivism
C) historical particularism
D) cultural meaning
E) evolutionary enculturation

Answer 1

historical particularism

Question 2

Which of the following is defined as the process of learning culture?

A) particularism
B) hegemony
C) relativism
D) enculturation
E) stratification

Answer 2

enculturation

Question 3

Which of the following individuals was among the earliest anthropologists who sought to organize vast quantities of data about the diversity of world cultures that were being accumulated via colonial and missionary enterprises?

A) Henry Morgan
B) Franz Boas
C) Margaret Mead
D) Clifford Geertz
E) Bronislaw Malinowski

Answer 3

Henry Morgan

Question 4

Ideas or rules about how people should behave in particular situations or toward certain other people are considered:

A) symbols.
B) meanings.
C) norms.
D) values.
E) beliefs.

Question 5

Spatial comfort zones, such as standing too close to a member of another culture, are examples of which of the following?

A) symbolic actions
B) value actions
C) covert actions
D) spatial actions
E) normative actions

Question 6

________is both a definition and a key theoretical framework for anthropologists attempting to understand humans and their interactions.

A) Culture
B) Ethnography
C) Ethnocentrism
D) Cultural relativism
E) Common sense

Question 7

Humans learn culture from people and cultural institutions that surround them:

A) in early childhood only.
B) over their entire lives.
C) only in specialized institutions such as schools and museums.
D) from late childhood to early adolescence.
E) from infancy through early adulthood.

Question 8

Early anthropologists suggested that all cultures would naturally evolve through the same sequence of stages, a concept known as:

A) American historical particularism.
B) British structural functionalism.
C) American cultural meaning.
D) American cultural interpretivism.
E) unilineal cultural evolution.

Question 9

Anthropologists seek to counter ethnocentrism by:

A) objectively, accurately, and sensitively representing the diversity of human life and culture.
B) seeking to explain cultural difference as scientifically or biologically natural.
C) advocating against globalization.
D) spreading American norms and values to the populations they study.
E) critiquing the norms and values of other cultures against the standards of their home cultures.

Question 10

Edward Burnett Tylor (1832-1917) is credited with crafting the first definition of which of the following concepts utilized in anthropology?

A) hegemony
B) cultural relativism
C) ethnocentrism
D) culture
E) enculturation

Question 11

Which of the following is defined as fundamental ideas about what is important, what makes a good life, and what is true, right, and beautiful?

A) beliefs
B) norms
C) symbols
D) values
E) meanings

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Humans genetically inherit culture via natural biological processes.
B) The process of learning culture is unique to humans.
C) Culture can only be learned through the teaching of cultural institutions.
D) Humans learn culture throughout their lives.
E) Humans only learn culture during the period from late infancy through adolescence.

Question 13

An anthropologist's suspension of judgment while attempting to understand a group's beliefs and practices within their own cultural context is termed:

A) relative altruism.
B) cultural relativism.
C) relative culturalism.
D) contextual relativism.
E) altruistic culturalism.

Question 14

The concept of culture has been central to anthropology only since the 1870s, when ________crafted its first formal definition.

A) Franz Boas
B) Edward Burnett Tylor
C) Bronislaw Malinowski
D) Margaret Mead
E) Charles Darwin

Question 15

In order to engage in cultural relativism as a research strategy, anthropologists must:

A) ignore their own sense of right and wrong, and disregard international standards of human rights.
B) attempt to understand a group's beliefs and practices within their own cultural context.
C) reject their own culture entirely.
D) evaluate the norms, values, beliefs, and practices of other cultures against their own culture.
E) memorize the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.

Question 16

Which of the following is one of the four elements that an anthropologist considers in attempting to understand the complex workings of a culture?

A) genetics
B) politics
C) economics
D) discourses
E) symbols

Question 17

Culture is a shared experience that is:

A) static in that it remains identical, consistent, and uncontested over time.
B) constantly contested, negotiated, and changing.
C) genetically inherited.
D) completely unique to humans.
E) universally shared by humankind.

Question 18

Culture is a system of knowledge, beliefs, patterns of behavior, artifacts, and:

A) institutions.
B) ideas.
C) politics.
D) religions.
E) languages.

Question 19

Which of the following is defined as the belief that one's own culture or way of life is normal, natural, or even superior to other cultures?

A) altruism
B) unilateralism
C) relativism
D) egocentrism
E) ethnocentrism

Question 20

Which of the following statements about mental maps of reality is false?

A) Mental maps of reality consist of ideas or rules about how people should behave in particular situations or toward certain other people.
B) They help us navigate our experiences by organizing sensory data.
C) Mental maps of reality can be challenged and redrawn.
D) An example of a mental map of reality is the concept of time.
E) Mental maps classify reality and assign meaning to what has been classified.

Question 21

Which of the following is defined as the ability or potential to bring about change through action or influence-either one's own or that of a group or institution?

A) influence
B) force
C) coercion
D) power
E) hegemony

Question 22

The uneven distribution of resources and privileges, often along lines of gender, racial or ethnic group, class, age, family, religion, sexuality, or legal status, is termed:

A) racism.
B) stratification.
C) coercion.
D) hegemony.
E) cosmopolitanism.

Question 23

Which of the following is defined as the ability to create consent and agreement within a population by unconsciously shaping what people think is normal, natural, and possible?

A) consumerism
B) materialism
C) coercion
D) cosmopolitanism
E) hegemony

Question 24

Commonplace norms, values, beliefs, practices, and institutions that cultivate the desire to acquire consumer goods to enhance one's lifestyle constitute a culture of:

A) cosmopolitanism.
B) materialism.
C) hegemony.
D) power.
E) consumerism.

Question 25

Clifford Geertz (1926-2006), who urged anthropologists to explore culture primarily as a symbolic system, is a key figure in which of the following anthropological approaches?

A) interpretivist
B) functionalist
C) structural
D) particularist
E) historical

Question 26

According to Max Weber (1864-1920), thrift, modesty, moderation, frugality, and self-denial constitute which of the following?

A) Western globalization
B) Protestant ethic
C) industrial materialism
D) cultural consumerism
E) hegemonic ideology

Question 27

________argued that every cultural action is more than the action itself in that it is also a symbol of deeper meaning, which is considered an interpretivist approach in anthropology.

A) Ruth Benedict (1887-1948)
B) Clifford Geertz (1926-2006)
C) Bronislaw Malinowski (1884-1924)
D) Margaret Mead (1901-1979)
E) Franz Boas (1858-1942)

Question 28

Culture is more than a set of ideas or patterns of behavior shared by a group of people because it also includes which of the following general mechanisms created by people to promote and maintain their core values?

A) religious preferences
B) powerful influences
C) platonic ideas
D) coercive powers
E) powerful institutions

Question 29

Individuals and groups have the power to contest cultural norms, values, mental maps of reality, symbols, institutions, and structures of power, which is a potential known as:

A) individualism.
B) power.
C) coercion.
D) agency.
E) hegemony.

Question 30

Which group of scholars generally contends that who we are, how we think and behave, and how we organize our societies are a product of evolution and thus are hardwired in our DNA?

A) chemical engineers
B) cultural anthropologists
C) evolutionary psychologists
D) psychological sociologists
E) public epidemiologists

Question 31

Anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901-1979) is best known for her research regarding the seeming sexual freedom and experimentation of young women in:

A) Tonga.
B) Fiji.
C) Cambodia.
D) Papua New Guinea.
E) Samoa.

Question 32

Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) described two aspects of power that included material power and:

A) hegemony.
B) coercion.
C) influence.
D) prestige.
E) wealth.

Question 33

Which of the following anthropologists argued that power must be viewed as an aspect of all human relationships?

A) Margaret Mead
B) Henry Morgan
C) Eric Wolf
D) Clifford Geertz
E) Franz Boas

Question 34

Which of the following is defined as the anthropological approach that views society as consisting of various parts that fit together with each part having its unique function within the larger structure?

A) functional culturalism
B) cultural structuralism
C) structural functionalism
D) functional structuralism
E) cultural functionalism

Question 35

________ influences what people consider unthinkable or undoable thoughts, which leads to the establishment of "natural truths" among a group of people.

A) The hegemony of ideas
B) Biological need
C) Cultural relativism
D) Unilineal cultural evolution
E) Structural functionalism

Question 36

Margaret Mead (1901-1979) was a student of Franz Boas, and her research suggested the powerful role of ________ in shaping behavior, especially behavior that has powerful biological origins.

A) biology
B) enculturation
C) unilineal cultural evolution
D) structural functionalism
E) immigration

Question 37

Bronislaw Malinowski (1884-1942) employed an early form of ________in his anthropological research conducted in the Trobriand Islands.

A) structural functionalism
B) evolutionism
C) interpretivism
D) particularism
E) historicism

Question 38

The borrowing of cultural traits and patterns from other cultures is a concept in anthropology known as:

A) stratification.
B) unilinealism.
C) evolution.
D) innovation.
E) diffusion.

Question 39

Which of the following statements is false?

A) Culture is changed, contested, and negotiated.
B) Culture commonly emerges out of the blue and remains fixed over time.
C) Consumer culture was created as part of twentieth-century global capitalism.
D) There are deep interconnections between culture and power.
E) Culture is both learned and taught.

Question 40

Which of the following individuals was a student of Boas and explored the ways in which cultural traits and entire cultures are uniquely patterned and integrated?

A) Henry Morgan
B) Bronislaw Malinowski
C) E.E. Evans-Pritchard
D) Ruth Benedict
E) Clifford Geertz

Question 41

Three key interrelated effects of globalization on local cultures include a two-way transference of culture through migration, increased cosmopolitanism, and:

A) structuralism.
B) relativism.
C) consumerism.
D) hegemony.
E) homogenization.

Question 42

Mental maps of reality constitute one of the four elements that anthropologists often consider when conducting cross-cultural research. Define mental maps of reality and discuss the two important functions that mental maps of reality play regarding culture. Provide a concrete example for each of the two functions. Conclude by discussing why anthropologists should consider a group of people's mental maps of reality when trying to understand their culture.

Question 43

Which of the following industries is key in arousing our desires for goods and services?

A) banking
B) economics
C) advertising
D) manufacturing
E) service

Question 44

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Cultures have always been influenced by the flow of people, ideas, and goods, whether through migration, trade, or invasion.
B) The flow of people, ideas, and goods through migration, trade, or invasion is a relatively new cultural phenomenon.
C) Cultures are only influenced by the flow of people through invasion.
D) The flow of people, ideas, and goods by any means is not known to influence culture.
E) Cultures are only influenced by the flow of goods through trade.

Question 45

Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) described hegemony as one of two primary aspects of power. Define hegemony and provide a minimum of two concrete examples of how it serves as a form of power. What is the second aspect of power that Gramsci described and how does it differ from hegemony? Which of the two aspects of power do you believe is likely to be more effective and why?

Question 46

A key group that the credit card industry in the United States explicitly targets is:

A) high school teenagers.
B) service industry employees.
C) blue-collar workers.
D) retired teachers.
E) college students.

Question 47

Focusing on early anthropology, define the approaches of historical particularism and structural functionalism. Who developed these approaches and what do these approaches examine when working to learn about other cultures? How did these two approaches differ from the preceding approach of unilineal cultural evolution?

Question 48

Former Harvard University president and economist Lawrence Summers commented in a 2005 speech that his school and others similar to it likely had more men in science and math faculties than women because men's brains were better suited for success in these areas. Does Summers's statement reflect a nature or nurture perspective of human experience? Based on what you have read in Chapter 2 of your textbook, is Summers correct in his statement? What may be some of the reasons why there is a gender discrepancy in science and math faculties in U.S. colleges and universities? What role does culture play in such gender discrepancies?

Question 49

A global outlook that is emerging in response to increasing globalization and that involves linking cultural practices, norms, and values across great distances to even the most remote areas of the world is termed:

A) capitalism.
B) cosmopolitanism.
C) relativism.
D) structuralism.
E) functionalism.

Question 50

Evolutionary psychologists generally argue that our genetic makeup determines who we are and how we behave, while anthropologists argue otherwise. What do anthropologists argue regarding the nature versus nurture debate surrounding who we are and how we behave? What evidence do anthropologists have to substantiate their argument? Which argument do you find more convincing, that of evolutionary psychologists or anthropologists, and why?

Question 51

Which of the following is a powerful enculturation tool that teaches us how to be "successful" in consumer culture?

A) advertising
B) lending
C) relativism
D) cosmopolitism
E) agency

Question 52

The export of television shows worldwide and the knowledge of other cultures that is subsequently disseminated to even remote areas of the world are an example of which of the following concepts?

A) functionalism
B) relativism
C) cosmopolitanism
D) capitalism
E) nationalism

Question 53

Early anthropologists suggested that all cultures would naturally evolve through the same sequence of stages regardless of location or historical experience. What was this concept called and who were three of its early proponents? What were the three primary stages that all cultures pass through according to this anthropological approach? In your opinion, what are some implications that an approach such as this could have on how societies are perceived around the world?

Question 54

The process of diminishing the diversity of the world's cultures as a result of foreign influences inundating local practices, products, and ways of thinking is considered:

A) colonization.
B) missionization.
C) homogenization.
D) industrialization.
E) democratization.

Question 55

In your own words, define the term ethnocentrism and provide a concrete example that illustrates the concept. Then discuss how ethnocentrism is related to cultural relativism and why anthropologists must concern themselves with ethnocentrism when conducting cross-cultural research. Conclude by offering some suggestions for concrete ways in which anthropologists can counter ethnocentrism in mainstream society today.

Question 56

Chapter 2 begins with a brief vignette regarding the cultural misunderstanding surrounding a kiss. Describe an example of a cultural misunderstanding that you have experienced in your own life and discuss the ways in which differing cultural norms, values, symbols, and mental maps of reality likely contributed to the misunderstanding that occurred. Conclude by discussing whether you took action to address the misunderstanding and what knowledge may have helped you in determining the appropriate response.

Question 57

Using an interpretivist approach, anthropologist Clifford Geertz (1926-2006) argues that seemingly straightforward actions such as winking have deep cultural meanings. Describe what constitutes an interpretivist approach. Next, provide your own example of a cultural action that you think conveys deep cultural meaning. What do you believe the action symbolizes culturally? How do you know that the action conveys deep cultural meaning and how did you learn its meaning? Would an individual need to be a member of the particular society in order to understand the deep cultural meaning of the action, or would anyone be able to interpret it correctly? Discuss why or why not.

Question 58

Which of the following processes is intensifying the exchange and diffusion of people, ideas, and goods worldwide, creating more interaction and engagement among cultures?

A) industrialization
B) neoliberalization
C) relativism
D) globalization
E) hegemony

Question 59

What is human agency and how does it relate to culture and power? Define human agency and provide examples of how individuals engage in it. Next, discuss how human agency may be used to challenge various aspects of culture and power, providing a minimum of two examples for each. What do you believe are some of the implications of human agency on culture and society in general?

Question 60

The advent of computers and deregulation of banking in the 1970s caused which of the following financial tools to burst on the scene in the United States, transforming the financial environment?

A) online banking
B) home equity loans
C) traveler's checks
D) credit cards
E) student loans

Question 61

The notion of a culture of consumerism is distinct from the concept of culture more generally. Do you think that the culture of consumerism affects culture more generally in some way, and if so, how? What are some benefits and drawbacks of the culture of consumerism in society today? Do you think it will affect the future of societies, and if so, in what explicit ways?

Question 62

Homogenization is just one of the effects of globalization on cultures around the world. Define homogenization and give at least three examples of it. Are there aspects from other cultures that you now incorporate into your own culture? If so, please provide at least two examples. Do you think that globalization will indeed cause the homogenization of world cultures in the future? Why or why not?

Question 63

The advertising industry is key in arousing human desires for goods and services, which engenders the culture of consumerism. How does the power of advertising compare to the power of hegemony in influencing what people consider to be the "norm" in their cultural experiences? Are there any interconnections between the culture of consumerism and political organization in society today? Is there any evidence that suggests that advertising is also used as a tool in politics to support and to institute hegemonic ideologies of certain groups who hold power within societies? Please provide concrete examples with each of your answers.

Question 64

Migration in the world is now occurring at unprecedented levels. How does migration relate to globalization? What is meant by a two-way transference of culture and how does migration figure into it? What are three examples of two-way transference of culture? What effect do you think migration will have on cultures in the future?

Question 65

The culture of consumerism in the United States and globally has intensified, especially during the last fifty years. What constitutes a culture of consumerism and how does it relate to the concept of culture more generally? What are three examples of how the culture of consumerism affects culture in general in the United States? Does it affect cultures worldwide, and if so, how?