Deck 9: Political Organization

Question 1

Among the Maasai of Kenya,boys are initiated into the warrior stage following childhood.This is an example of an:

A)age level.
B)age sodality.
C)age set.
D)age stage.
E)age grade.

Answer 1

age grade.

Question 2

In foraging societies,leadership can be a function of all of the following except:

A)authority.
B)economic roles in the distribution of goods.
C)kinship.
D)supernatural connections.
E)social rank.

Answer 2

social rank.

Question 3

All of the following are mechanisms of social control in tribes except:

A)prisons.
B)compensation.
C)mediation.
D)moot courts.
E)warfare.

Answer 3

prisons.

Question 4

In which kind of society do we most commonly find elites?

A)rank societies
B)stratified societies
C)egalitarian societies
D)foraging societies
E)rank societies and egalitarian societies

Question 5

The attempt of one group to reallocate power and resources within a political structure is a:

A)riot.
B)revolution.
C)renaissance.
D)rebellion.
E)regeneration.

Question 6

The most important basis for conformity in most societies,especially those that are kinship-based and organized face-to-face is:

A)internalization of social norms and values.
B)adherence to formal law.
C)fear of military actions.
D)respect of court system.
E)obedience to police.

Question 7

What is the relationship between power and authority?

A)Power and authority do not always come together,but where there is authority there is always power.
B)Power and authority do not always come together,but where there is power,there is authority.
C)Power and authority do not necessarily come together;each can exist without the other.
D)Power and authority always come together in human society;it is essential for the survival of the human species.
E)Power and authority never come together in any society;they co-exist and balance the social order.

Question 8

Which of the following statements is correct?

A)Law is associated with hierarchical societies,because in those societies there is little face-to-face interaction and kinship is not as strong a bond.
B)Law is found in egalitarian societies only,because law is meant to maintain order and equality among all people.
C)Law is universal,because in every society there are offenses considered gravely disruptive.
D)Law is a mechanism used for social control in societies that have experienced rebellion;in other societies,it is very rare.
E)Law varies from society to society and is not found in rank societies.

Question 9

In which form of social differentiation would you find no formal recognition of differences between individuals and groups?

A)rank societies
B)egalitarian societies
C)state societies
D)stratified societies
E)horticultural societies

Question 10

How groups and individuals use power and authority to achieve various public goals in a society is part of the:

A)political ideology.
B)political norm.
C)political process.
D)stratified society.
E)secret society.

Question 11

Chiefdoms are classified as:

A)stratified societies.
B)balanced societies.
C)egalitarian societies.
D)rank societies.
E)potlatch societies.

Question 12

Which form of political organization has no formal leadership?

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

Question 13

Political organization is all about:

A)power.
B)authenticity.
C)legitimacy.
D)knowledge.
E)wealth.

Question 14

Why does the Armenian experience in Turkey continue to exert a force in current politics?

A)There are no Armenians who survived the genocide.
B)Turkey wishes to join to European Union and has not officially recognized this part of its history.
C)Turkey is applying for membership in NATO and the Armenians have voted against this membership.
D)Armenians wish to take over the government of Turkey.
E)Armenia is applying to secede from Turkey and form its own independent and autonomous nation.

Question 15

Approximately how many Armenians were killed as a result of the genocide in Turkey?

A)250,000-300,000
B)350,000-800,000
C)800,000-1.5 million
D)1-2 million
E)2-3 million

Question 16

The relative access individuals and groups have to basic material resources,wealth,power,and prestige is known as:

A)social differentiation.
B)stratification.
C)social complexity.
D)egalitarianism.
E)political organization.

Question 17

Which of the following statements best illustrates the experience of Armenians under the Turkish state in the early 1900s?

A)The Armenians controlled all areas of power within the Turkish state and ruled brutally.
B)Because of their Christian background,the Armenians worked to broker the peace in Turkey following World War I.
C)The Armenians suffered genocide in Turkey,but they overcame this oppression and were able to return to a peaceful society in Turkey after WWI.
D)The Armenians suffered genocide and were deported en masse from Turkey.
E)Turkey has always valued the contributions,politically and economically,of the Armenians.

Question 18

Tribes are usually organized into what kind of kin groupings?

A)unilineal
B)ambilineal
C)bilateral
D)agnatic
E)cognatic

Question 19

When one group attempts to replace one political structure with another,it is called:

A)revolution
B)rebellion.
C)revitalization.
D)oppression.
E)terrorism.

Question 20

What kind of problem is "built into" being a bigman?

A)The bigman must negotiate with other bigmen and must travel long distances.While he (or she)is away,the tribe often rebels.
B)The bigman gives large amounts of goods to his competitors in order to shame them and reduce their prestige.This leaves little for his (or her)followers.
C)The bigman must marry many wives and have many children in order to increase his (or her)support.The bigman cannot afford this.
D)The bigman must be an elder and does not have a long life span.This makes leadership ever changing.
E)There are no inherent problems in being a bigman.

Question 21

Robert Carneiro argues that the Inca Empire emerged primarily in response to __________ factors.

A)ecological
B)historical
C)cultural
D)linguistic
E)political

Question 22

What is the characteristic mode of exchange associated with ranked societies?

A)generalized reciprocity
B)balanced reciprocity
C)negative reciprocity
D)market exchange
E)redistribution

Question 23

Political organization,social differentiation,and social complexity sometimes intertwine within a society.

Question 24

Secret societies are found primarily in which type of society?

A)chiefdom
B)state
C)band
D)tribe
E)stratified society

Question 25

Which of the following statements about social control mechanisms in the state is correct?

A)In state societies,all social control mechanisms are formalized and direct.There are no informal mechanisms.
B)Social control is the most important variable in state societies and law is not used frequently.
C)There are few deviants in state societies and little need for social control.
D)The government is not involved in the administration of justice.
E)The government has a monopoly on the use of force.

Question 26

The border fence separating the U.S.from Mexico is facing opposition from which Native American Indian group?

A)Apache
B)Tohono O'odham
C)Nez Perce
D)Assiniboine
E)Zuni

Question 27

Napoleon Chagnon argues that much of Yanomamo warfare serves to preserve village autonomy.But William Divale and Marvin Harris disagree.They argue that Yanomamo violence and warfare regulate population by:

A)increasing the number of young boys killed prior to reproduction.
B)increasing the number of adult males killed.
C)increasing the number of women abducted and lost to raiders.
D)increasing female infanticide rates.
E)decreasing the number of gardens planted,causing famine.

Question 28

Anthropologists agree that warfare stems from all of the following except __________ conditions.

A)cultural
B)social
C)geographical
D)biological
E)historical

Question 29

Political organization within a society is the result of cultural values.

Question 30

What is mana?

A)spiritual power in Polynesia
B)bread in Israel
C)a social rank in Polynesia
D)compensation payment in Tahiti
E)a form of mediation among the Trobriands

Question 31

Brian Ferguson argues that European contact caused increased levels of Yanomamo violence because of all of the following except:

A)severe depopulation due to disease.
B)increased number of firearms available.
C)increased travel due to trade.
D)decreased status of women.
E)high rates of malnutrition and famine.

Question 32

How is hegemony achieved in many state societies?

A)through military force and warfare
B)through kinship relationships
C)through internalization of elite values
D)through cultural diversity
E)through economic centralization

Question 33

Sources of power in a single society may be both consensual and coercive.

Question 34

Power is always accompanied by authority.

Question 35

Which of the following forms of political organization is the "first step in integrating villages" as units in the political order?

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

Question 36

The nation-state is an "imagined community" because there are numerous ____________ that make up states,each one differentiating themselves from other groups or the larger society.

A)ethnic groups
B)linguistic communities
C)racial categories
D)religious congregations
E)political parties

Question 37

Anthropologists have identified three ideal types of social differentiation.

Question 38

Unlike chiefdoms,in state societies __________ most commonly regulates social relations between different social strata and defines an individual's rights and duties.

A)kinship
B)citizenship
C)gender
D)age
E)education

Question 39

What does it mean to say that tribes are "acephalous"?

A)They have structured political organization.
B)They have no centralized government.
C)They do not have informal social control mechanisms.
D)They have paramount chiefs.
E)They practice warfare.

Question 40

Anthropological theories tend to emphasize __________ as the dominant factor(s)in the emergence of the state.

A)conflict
B)integration
C)language
D)both conflict and integration
E)both conflict and language

Question 41

Define political organization.

Question 42

An attempt to overthrow the existing political structure and replace it is called a(n)__________.

Question 43

__________ is the backbone of state government.It is characterized by specialization of function and fixed rules.

Question 44

A(n)_________ is a culturally distinct population whose members think of themselves as descended from the same ancestor.

Question 45

Shifting political units in tribal societies are the most effective.

Question 46

The characteristic mode of exchange in chiefdom societies is balanced reciprocity.

Question 47

Nation-states are often described as "imagined communities." What does this mean? How is this adaptive to the survival of the nation-state itself?

Question 48

Anthropologists argue that patrilineal tribes may be more prone to warfare than matrilineal ones.

Question 49

There is no violence in band societies.

Question 50

What is the role of indigenous peoples subsumed within nation-states? How do policies such as national assimilation affect these groups?

Question 51

Compare and contrast the political organization of the four types of society.What is common to all societies? What changes as population changes?

Question 52

How does hegemony contribute to the status quo in state societies? Use examples from your own society and your own experiences.

Question 53

Why is it beneficial to study the political process in human societies? Give examples for each of your arguments.

Question 54

In state societies all surplus is redistributed back to the population.

Question 55

Name three informal mechanisms of social control.