Deck 3: Doing Cultural Anthropology

Question 1

Which of the following best describes anthropologist Greg Simon's account of fieldwork in Bukittinggi,Indonesia?

A)It was like going home,as he was very accepted and involved in life there.
B)It was a disturbing experience at first,but it ended as extremely positive.
C)It was successful and he looks forward to many more field experiences as he continues to work there.
D)It was a very successful experience and filled with very positive emotions.
E)It was an uncomfortable experience filled with very deep and disturbing emotions.

Answer 1

It was an uncomfortable experience filled with very deep and disturbing emotions.

Question 2

The term "key informant" is used to refer to individuals who are:

A)able to work with the anthropologist as research assistants,indicating whom they should interview and how they should collect their data.
B)gossips who share information that is considered private and known by only a few people.
C)well informed and eager to talk with the anthropologist regarding material the anthropologist is studying.
D)of the highest social status and often in charge of the community politically and socially.
E)in governmental positions in the host country and must approve of the anthropologist's work before he or she leaves the country.

Answer 2

well informed and eager to talk with the anthropologist regarding material the anthropologist is studying.

Question 3

How is Malinowski's approach to the study of cultures different from Boas's?

A)Malinowski was an evolutionist and Boas was a critic of evolutionism.
B)Their approaches are similar,except that Franz Boas did not actually carry out fieldwork.
C)Boas focused on the study of child-rearing,while Malinowski focused on the study of history and body measurements.
D)Malinowski focused on the study of social institutions and function,while Boas focused on the study of history and adaptation.
E)Boas focused on the study of history and adaptation and Malinowski focused on the study of child-rearing.

Answer 3

Malinowski focused on the study of social institutions and function,while Boas focused on the study of history and adaptation.

Question 4

Which of the following individuals worked to create the Human Relations Area Files (HRAF)?

A)Bronislaw Malinowski and Franz Boas
B)Franz Boas and Herbert Spencer
C)Herbert Spencer and Albert Keller
D)Albert Keller and George Murdock
E)George Murdock and Herbert Spencer

Question 5

How would you describe Lewis Henry Morgan's and Edward Tylor's evolutionary theories?

A)They studied how humans have changed from simple to complex communication and transportation systems.
B)They studied how societies have harnessed more energy for production over time.
C)They studied how the human body has changed physically from earlier to later forms,sometimes even changing species.
D)They studied the history of human society from simple to complex technology and social institutions.
E)They studied all of these things.

Question 6

Individuals who serve as guides and teachers for anthropologists in the culture in which they do fieldwork are called by all of the following terms except:

A)consultants.
B)managers.
C)interlocutors.
D)informants.
E)respondents.

Question 7

Current ethnographies tend to be focused on:

A)specific situations,events,or individuals.
B)a single historical period.
C)a thorough understanding of all aspects of culture.
D)technology and social institutions.
E)futuristic trends in anthropology.

Question 8

Which of the following was the core belief of Franz Boas?

A)That cultures are adapted to their own ecosystems
B)That all aspects of culture are symbolic and serve to create meaning
C)That cultures are products of their own histories
D)That cultures are composed of functional,interrelating parts
E)That culture is reflected with the linguistic system (the language spoken)

Question 9

The study for general laws and principles governing human societies is called:

A)ethnography.
B)ethnology.
C)ethnohistory.
D)ethnic universals.
E)ethnoscience.

Question 10

The Human Relations Area Files:

A)do not allow for cross-cultural comparison.
B)represent multiple researchers using a single perspective
C)involve multiple perspectives and indexed data
D)are no longer active today.
E)are not available in computer searchable formats.

Question 11

Lewis Henry Morgan and Edward Tylor were influenced deeply by:

A)Franz Boas.
B)Charles Darwin.
C)Bronislaw Malinowski.
D)Margaret Mead.
E)Carolus Linnaeus.

Question 12

Researchers who view the actions of other people simply in terms of the degree to which they correspond to their own notions of the ways people should behave are:

A)postmodern.
B)ethnocentric.
C)culturally relative.
D)evolutionists.
E)racist.

Question 13

All of the following concepts were either founded or developed by Franz Boas in his fieldwork and analysis of human cultures except:

A)reflexive approach.
B)participant observation.
C)cultural relativism.
D)human rights and justice.
E)search for racial equality.

Question 14

The hallmark of American anthropological fieldwork is:

A)ethnocentrism.
B)participant observation.
C)cultural relativism.
D)ethnography.
E)postmodernism.

Question 15

How is anthropology unique among other disciplines?

A)It involves the study of humans.
B)It requires that scholars work overseas.
C)It is based on first-hand fieldwork.
D)It generates social theories.
E)It was founded in the United States.

Question 16

The Human Relations Area Files (HRAF)is:

A)a database that provides cross-cultural data.
B)a database on all cultures involved in global warfare.
C)an institution that specializes in anthropological fieldwork.
D)a group of anthropologists that works in more than a single culture.
E)a database that provides cross-cultural data on all complex societies.

Question 17

Early anthropologists who relied on travelers and missionaries for their fieldwork data were called:

A)armchair anthropologists.
B)novices.
C)native anthropologists.
D)secondhand anthropologists.
E)early scholars.

Question 18

All of the following are true of Franz Boas,except:

A)he was a critic of evolution.
B)he was the first professor of anthropology at Columbia University.
C)he was a champion of human rights.
D)he did his fieldwork in the Trobriand Islands.
E)he trained a generation of U.S.fieldworkers.

Question 19

Malinowski's and Boas's practices of anthropology were alike in many ways.All of the following are things that they shared except:

A)Both were committed fieldworkers.
B)Both saw other cultures as fully rational.
C)Both valued the study of history as essential to a deeper understand of societies.
D)Both were scholars who opposed racism.
E)Both were innovative in the approach to fieldwork in anthropology.

Question 20

Anthropological interview techniques:

A)are always the same from field project to field project.
B)always involve the same processes and same steps of procedure.
C)are no longer used in contemporary fieldwork.
D)have been adapted from philosophy.
E)are highly varied and are situation-specific.

Question 21

Anthropologists have become more sensitive to issues of voice and of power and have begun to reflect more critically on their role as observer in another culture primarily as a result of:

A)reflectionist ethnology.
B)Franz Boas.
C)feminist anthropology.
D)collaborative ethnography.
E)postmodernism.

Question 22

You Owe Yourself a Drunk (1970)by James Spradley is an example of a(n)__________ ethnography.

A)critical
B)postmodernist
C)collaborative
D)ethnological
E)reflectionist

Question 23

In the mid-1960s the U.S.army and Department of Defense attempted to enlist anthropologists to serve as consultants in the development of American foreign policy goals.This project was named:

A)Mission Culture.
B)Kennedy.
C)Columbia.
D)Camelot.
E)Monroe Doctrine.

Question 24

What is the name of the organization that has issued a statement of ethical guidelines for anthropologists?

A)Association for American Anthropologists
B)American Anthropological Institute
C)American Anthropological Association
D)Anthropological Ethics Institute
E)American Association of Anthropologists

Question 25

It is not uncommon today to find that cultural groups are pleased to be studied by an anthropologist because:

A)the study can serve as a means to preserve their cultural knowledge and identity.
B)they will be paid for their time and stories and not have to work outside the home.
C)their young people will be able to attend institutions of higher learning in the United States.
D)they will become famous and be able to leave their places of birth.
E)multinational corporations are more likely to bring jobs and opportunities to areas that have been studied by an anthropologist.

Question 26

Anthropologists' work as researchers for the U.S.military raises concerns about:

A)the integrity of the discipline itself.
B)obligations to those whom anthropologists study.
C)perils for the broader academic community.
D)issues of secrecy and transparency.
E)all of these choices.

Question 27

It is common for anthropologists to feel confused and disoriented when they first arrive at their field sites.

Question 28

Delmos Jones' study of voluntary organizations among an African-American community in the United States showed him that:

A)no one worked consistently for the organizations unless they were paid for their work.
B)voluntary organizations are highly successful when founded by minority leaders.
C)his work as a native anthropologist was at the center of the success the African-American community experienced in cultural identity.
D)there was considerable dissent between the leadership of the organizations and the members.
E)native anthropology has little or no value in the discipline.

Question 29

In anthropology,the issue of human rights:

A)is not relevant,because anthropologists believe in cultural relativism.
B)can be challenging,as different cultures define rights differently.
C)is at the forefront of doing anthropological research,as researchers are not allowed to work in countries where there is warfare.
D)is not important,because there are no inalienable human rights.
E)prevents anthropologists from doing research overseas.

Question 30

Who was primarily known as a native anthropologist?

A)Barbara Myerhoff
B)Franz Boas
C)Bronislaw Malinowski
D)Edward Said
E)James Spradley

Question 31

In mild cases,ethnocentrism is adaptive for human society.

Question 32

Culture shock occurs exclusively among new anthropologists doing first fieldwork.

Question 33

Why did anthropology pay little attention to women prior to the 1970s?

A)Anthropologists assumed that men represented women's voices.
B)Women and men live quite segregated lives in most societies.
C)The majority of practicing anthropologists was male and had little access to working with women in other societies.
D)Men's roles were much more public and more easily studied.
E)All of these choices are correct.

Question 34

Informed consent involves all of the following except:

A)anthropologists must be involved in a dynamic discussion with participants in order to explain the significance of informed consent.
B)individuals should understand the risks and benefits inherent in the research.
C)participants must sign a contract with the anthropologist indicating that they approve of the research study.
D)participants must understand how the research data is likely to affect them.
E)individuals must be free to decide if they want to participate.

Question 35

All of the following are common challenges that native anthropologists face except:

A)it can be very difficult to understand what an insider in that culture may feel.
B)it involves an emotional aspect,as anthropologists may experience so much of their personal life within the study.
C)one must decide whether to be disinterested in the material or to serve as an advocate.
D)it can be difficult to maintain a neutral stand within the cultural group and study.
E)it can be difficult to maintain a stance of cultural relativism.

Question 36

The deep connections among cultures and the global movement of individuals means that:

A)cultures are constantly changing and must be re-evaluated frequently.
B)the study of other cultures will soon no longer be necessary.
C)cultures today are more and more collaborative with each other.
D)indigenous cultures will not survive into the next generation.
E)a single world culture is now forming.

Question 37

The publication of Orientalism (1978)was a critical moment in opening anthropology to postmodern ideas.Who was the author of this work?

A)Bronislaw Malinowski
B)Edward Said
C)Thomas Belmonte
D)James Spradley
E)Margaret Mead

Question 38

Anthropologists do not do library research until they return from the field in order to minimize their bias.

Question 39

The gathering and interpretation of information based on intensive,firsthand study is called ethnography.

Question 40

Which theoretical approach argues that no knowledge is objective and all knowledge is influenced by the observer's own culture,social position,and gender?

A)native anthropology
B)feminist anthropology
C)postmodernism
D)transcendental ethnography
E)collaborative ethnography

Question 41

What is participant observation?

Question 42

The most important ethical responsibility in anthropological fieldwork is to protect the interests of the people whom you are studying.

Question 43

In recent years,as a result of globalization and culture change,research methods in anthropology have changed.

Question 44

Postmodernism has been accepted in its entirety by all anthropologists.

Question 45

Why are ethical considerations so important to the practice of anthropology? Use examples and discuss each of the ethical responsibilities required of anthropologists.What kinds of ethical dilemmas would you imagine are quite common during fieldwork?

Question 46

What was "Project Camelot?"

Question 47

Compare and contrast the concepts of "ethnocentrism" and "racism" by defining each and giving examples of how they function in U.S.society today.

Question 48

Women were not involved in anthropology prior to 1950.

Question 49

The belief that one's own culture is superior to another is called __________.

Question 50

What are the ethical responsibilities for anthropologists in the field?

Question 51

Name at least 3 challenges associated with collaborative ethnography.

Question 52

Who was Franz Boas and what was his role in the development of the discipline of anthropology? List and discuss at least four major contributions.

Question 53

Cross-cultural comparisons began formally in social science with the publication of Herbert Spencer's Descriptive Sociology.

Question 54

What is an ethnographic interview? Discuss the different types of interviews that anthropologists use and the kinds of data that they collect through interviews.

Question 55

Postmodernism brought many changes to the practice of ethnographic fieldwork.Describe these changes and then discuss whether or not you believe anthropology should be considered a science.