Deck 8: Kinship and Family

Question 1

In the form of fraternal polyandry practiced in Tibetan culture:

A) All brothers have equal roles in the marriage.
B) The wife selects a lead husband, but otherwise all husbands have equal roles.
C) The oldest brother manages the household, but all husbands share the work and participate as sexual partners.
D) The oldest brother is the lead husband, and in exchange does less work and has more of a sexual role.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In Tibetan fraternal polyandry, offspring are most often:

A) Regarded as the child of a particular brother.
B) Not regarded as the child of any particular brother.
C) All counted as the child of the eldest brother.
D) Not counted as the child of the mother.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Both Dorje and his fiancé give similar explanations for their polyandrous marriage:

A) There is a shortage of women in Tibetan culture due to female infanticide.
B) Having additional husbands provides for extra childcare when herders are away from home.
C) Additional husbands are important in case one husband is infertile.
D) Marrying brothers insures that the family's land will be inherited intact.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The most common types of marriage in Tibetan culture are:

A) Fraternal polyandry, open marriage, and monogamy.
B) Polygyny, fraternal polyandry, and homogamy.
C) Monogamy, polygymy, and fraternal polyandry.
D) Monogamy, polyandry, and homogamy.

Question 5

Within Tibetan fraternal polyandry, emic explanations for polyandry:

A) Largely agree with observations by researchers.
B) Closely resemble long-held etic explanations for polyandry.
C) Were first recorded by 18^th century missionaries.
D) Are rooted in local superstition and less reliable than etic explanations.

Question 6

Who owns the land within Mozambique?

A) All land is state-owned, but individuals can gain usage rights.
B) Land is inherited by sons, who own the land outright.
C) Land is owned by local chiefs.
D) Land was redistributed to villages after colonial rule.

Question 7

The historical patterns of land usage in Sussundenga were influenced by:

A) Portuguese colonialism.
B) Anti-colonialism.
C) Customary chiefs.
D) All of the above.

Question 8

In what way are land use rights in Sussundenga gendered?

A) Women who work the land have more usage rights than men.
B) Inheritance of land usage is patrilineal, so women's usage depends on men.
C) More land is under male usage than female usage due to marriage.
D) Land use is strictly male, and women cannot use land.

Question 9

How does chiefly authority remain important within the post-colonial nation-state?

A) Chiefly authority is still used to substantiate older land usage claims.
B) Local chiefs often give usage rights to friends and associates.
C) Villigization depends on chiefly authority.
D) Trade with particular districts is controlled by chiefs.

Question 10

As global capitalism grows in importance in Mozambique, how might we expect land use claims to gain importance?

A) Land use claims will become increasingly expensive.
B) Those with well-established land use claims will be in positions of relative power.
C) An international market in the trade of land use rights should be expected.
D) As land use intensifies, there is likely to be a shortage of land relative to the population.

Question 11

What is meant by the term "demographic transition"?

A) A decrease in both birth rates and death rates.
B) A decrease in the average age of the population.
C) An increase in infant mortality.
D) An increase in birth rates and decrease in death rates.

Question 12

In Brazil, the what has been the role of the Catholic Church in revolutionizing reproductive health?

A) The Church's strong moral stance led to a reduction in infant mortality.
B) New Church policies led to an official embrace of contraception.
C) The Catholic Church has seen a decrease in overall membership and influence.
D) Liberation theology authorized the deaths of angel babies.

Question 13

Which of the following factors did NOT contribute to a decrease in infant mortality in Brazil?

A) More consistent access to clean water.
B) Foodstuffs for vulnerable households.
C) A shift toward democracy.
D) Maternal detachment and lack of grieving.

Question 14

When researching Death Without Weeping, what was the most common request that Scheper-Hughes received from women in the Alto?

A) Help obtaining a clandestine sterilization.
B) Help getting antibiotics for a sick child.
C) Food for children and families.
D) That she tell their stories to authorities.

Question 15

Programs in Brazil including the use of "health agents" and the Zero Hunger campaign show that:

A) Political processes are not useful for achieving actual health outcomes for families.
B) Reproductive health is best achieved through a thriving market system.
C) Political processes can achieve measurable benefits for reproductive health.
D) Infant mortality is best reduced by access to private insurance.

Question 16

According to Dr. Louie, Chinese children who are adopted by white American parents are:

A) Similar culturally to Asian American children with Asian American parents.
B) Culturally similar to their biological, rather than their adopted, parents.
C) Culturally distinct from Asian American children with Asian American parents.
D) Influenced by the balanced economic ties between the US and China.

Question 17

Dr. Louie sees her own work as:

A) Mostly applicable to a lay audience.
B) Mostly important within academia.
C) Important for both academia and a lay audience.
D) An example of visual anthropology.

Question 18

How does Dr. Barnes define a functioning family?

A) As any family that produces children surviving to the next generation.
B) As any family with a strong matri-central focus.
C) As a family with minimal internal conflict.
D) As a family where children are able to succeed economically.

Question 19

One key insight that Dr. Barnes has gained from her studies of Black family formation is:

A) That matrifocal families are maladaptive.
B) That Black families are often mother-centric in many geographic areas.
C) That patri-centric families are less important in the West.
D) That families are less successful when fathers are not included.

Question 20

Readings in this section deal with families including mothers and children. Based on readings in this section, describe three contrasting cultural approaches to the mother-child relationship. Use examples from the text to support your work.

Question 21

Polygamous marriages are not typical in most of the United States and Europe. Write a short essay for a public audience-the equivalent of a "letter to the editor"-arguing for the acceptance of polygamous marriage. Justify your argument with anthropological evidence from the text.

Question 22

Scheper-Hughes discusses the role of democracy in family health in Brazil. How might democratic engagement also be important for Tibetan families in Nepal?

Question 23

Based on the readings in this section, what are three ways that capitalism has influenced family structure? Be sure to give examples from the text.

Question 24

Describe how families both influence and are influenced by patterns of subsistence and land use.