Deck 6: Anthropological Explanations

Question 1

Franz Boas called for an end to "armchair anthropology," insisting that scholars must do rigorous, scientifically based fieldwork to collect basic ethnographic data.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

An important premise of current Marxist anthropology is a rejection of the unilineal model of evolution.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Edward B. Tylor, who published a major book entitled Primitive Culture in 1871, is recognized as the first:

A) scholar appointed to an academic position in anthropology
B) person to formulate laws of human behavior
C) scientist to suggest a scenario for human evolution
D) anthropologist to live with primitive peoples in order to study them

Answer 3

scholar appointed to an academic position in anthropology

Question 4

Cultural relativism is the notion that each society should be viewed in terms of its own unique cultural practices and values.

Question 5

Malinowski's psychological functionalism focused on how society functions to serve the interests or needs of the individual.

Question 6

Unilineal evolution is the view that all societies evolve in a single direction called "progress" toward complexity and civilization.

Question 7

Symbolic anthropologists argue that culture can be reduced to genetically-inherited linguistic traits that determine the way people classify and view the natural environment.
Multiple Choice Questions

Question 8

Marx suggested that all of the major societal and cultural transformations (that is, cultural evolution) seen since the Industrial Revolution are the result of warfare between communist and capitalist nations vying for power and control over land.

Question 9

Lewis Henry Morgan believed in a hierarchical evolution of society from "savagery" to "civilization," but, unlike
E.B. Tylor, Morgan emphasized the evolution of the family and kinship terms.

Question 10

The idea that societal and cultural change (or evolution) occurs when societies borrow cultural traits from one another is known as the "Cultural Spread Theory."

Question 11

It has been said that cultural ecology reduces human behavior to simple adaptations to the external environment, and that it does not take into consideration such things as history, political structure, and religious ideologies.

Question 12

Anthropologist Franz Boas was a powerful advocate for unilineal diffusion.

Question 13

In the 19th century,
B. Tylor suggested that all societies progressed through three evolutionary stages: savagery, barbarism, and civilization.
E.

Question 14

According to general evolutionists such as Leslie
A. White, since the degree of societal development is measured by the amount of energy harnessed by the sociocultural system, the greater the energy, the more highly evolved the system.

Question 15

As anthropology emerged from the intellectual atmosphere of the Enlightenment, early anthropologists were interested in explaining the similarities and differences among the diverse cultures of the world. E. B. Tylor attempted to answer the question of why societies were at different or similar levels of evolution and development by the explanation of:

A) spontaneous generation
B) unilineal evolution
C) diffusionism
D) historical particularism
E) functionalism

Question 16

According to Karl Marx, society has been divided into classes by the industrial mode of production; those who own the means of production - the capitalists - exploit those who sell their labor to the owners of factories - the proletariat, and this exploitation leads to harsh working conditions and extremely low wages.

Question 17

The cultural ecological perspective of cultural evolution focuses on how specific sociocultural systems adapt to environmental conditions.

Question 18

The principal theoretical objective of modern anthropology is:

A) to document differences between ethnic groups
B) to study the close relationship between genetics and culture
C) to provide useful explanations of human society and behavior
D) to formulate laws for predicting human behavior and thought

Question 19

The British and German schools of cultural diffusion are considered to be obsolete as a means of understanding societal development because of their ethnocentric perspectives.

Question 20

Franz Boas criticized attempts to propose stages of cultural evolution while maintaining that each society must be understood as a product of its own unique history.

Question 21

Lewis Henry Morgan was a lawyer and banker of the late nineteenth century whose principal scholarship in anthropology was concerned with:

A) human physical variation
B) systems of human kinship
C) language acquisition
D) archaeology of the American Indians

Question 22

According to Malinowski, magic __________.

A) has a basis in the existence of supernatural powers in all cultures
B) functions to relieve the anxieties of individuals
C) only works when it has the full participation of a given society
D) has no useful purpose for thinking people

Question 23

E. B. Tylor and other eighteenth-century thinkers asserted that "primitives" around the world would eventually evolve through the stages of barbarism to become civilized like Europeans, but these "primitives" would need assistance from the civilized world to reach this ultimate, ideal stage. This perception that Western society is the center of the civilized world and non-Western societies are inherently inferior is called:

A) logical negativism
B) logical positivism
C) ethnocentrism
D) functionalism
E) devolution

Question 24

The view that society consists of institutions that serve vital purposes for its people is known as:

A) functionalism
B) structuralism
C) servitude
D) utilitarianism
E) beneficientism

Question 25

In order for diffusionism to work as envisioned by the British and German schools, adherents had to assume or maintain all of the following ideas except:

A) Some peoples were not sufficiently innovative to develop their own cultural traits.
B) Inherent inferiority of different non-Western peoples was assumed.
C) Cultural traits that were diffused were part of the technological dimension of the society.
D) Cultural traits in the same geographical region would inevitably spread from one society to another.

Question 26

The methodology Morgan used to investigate foreign cultures included:

A) the distribution of questionnaires by travelers and missionaries
B) participant observation of societies on South Pacific islands
C) training students as ethnographers
D) excavating ancient archaeological sites

Question 27

One of Boas' principal criticisms of nineteenth century anthropologists was that:

A) They failed to make use of archaeological evidence for pre-literate societies.
B) Their theories were based on "armchair anthropology" and not their own fieldwork.
C) There was too much cultural relativism in their interpretations.
D) They failed to assign adequate importance to biological effects on culture.

Question 28

The opposite of cultural relativism is:

A) biological relativism
B) ethnocentrism
C) societal demagoguery
D) biological realism
E) historical particularism

Question 29

The existence of a "joking relationship" (one in which interaction is typified by friendly teasing) between a man and his brothers-in-law would be explained by anthropologist Radcliffe-Brown as:

A) a structured relationship whose function is to reduce potential hostility
B) evidence for cultural influences on individual personality
C) an example of the importance of cultural relativism in kinship roles
D) the basis for materialistic behavior

Question 30

The term "functionalism" in anthropology refers to the notion that:

A) Ethnographers are competent observers of human culture.
B) Some societies are "functional" while others are "dysfunctional."
C) Cultural practices function to fulfill specific needs in a given society.
D) Culture is transmitted through functions like rituals and ceremonies.

Question 31

According to Franz Boas, in order to conduct a historical particularist study of a society, one must adopt the notion of , or the belief that each society should be understood in terms of its own cultural practices and values.

A) particular evolution
B) cultural relativism
C) lagged diffusionism
D) functionalism
E) neo-evolutionism

Question 32

A major division in anthropology is between:

A) sociobiologists and sociolinguists
B) Marxists and capitalists
C) ethnographers and ethnologists
D) materialists and culturalists

Question 33

Grafton Eliot Smith and William Perry, major figures associated with the school of British diffusionism in the early 20th century, proposed that:

A) Each culture has a key personality type.
B) A culture can only be interpreted in the context of its own historical development.
C) Culture's principal function is establishing institutions to guide behavior.
D) All aspects of civilization are derived from the culture of ancient Egypt.

Question 34

The concept of maintains that societal change occurs when societies borrow cultural traits from one another.

A) functionalism
B) structuralism
C) evolutionary dispersal
D) cultural scatter
E) diffusionism

Question 35

The body of anthropological theory concerned with the spread of technology, religion, economic systems, art forms, and other expressions of culture is known as:

A) idealism
B) particularism
C) functionalism
D) diffusionism

Question 36

An important aspect of theories of "unilineal evolution" was that:

A) human societies could be classified on the basis of their relative level of civilization
B) all living primates were related to the human species
C) the oldest accomplishments of civilization were found along the Nile
D) the Great Flood of Noah was an actual historical event

Question 37

The principal criticism of nineteenth-century theories of "unilineal evolution" is:

A) They were ethnocentric, holding that Western society was superior to all others.
B) They relied too heavily upon biblical teachings.
C) They were based on inadequate knowledge of the fossil record.
D) They neglected the civilizations of ancient China and India.

Question 38

L. H. Morgan was primarily interested in the evolution of:

A) the brain
B) language
C) political systems
D) the family

Question 39

Nineteenth century theories of "unilineal evolution" proposed that:

A) modern humans were descended from ape-like creatures
B) human existence is characterized by continuous progress towards civilization
C) Egypt was the source of all civilizations
D) the Bible was the best reference on the human past

Question 40

According to White's theory of the evolution of sociocultural systems, the most highly evolved culture would be one:

A) using nuclear energy to generate electricity
B) dependent upon animals to pull plows
C) with industries powered by coal and steam
D) based on the use of human labor alone

Question 41

Discuss the principal effects that the writings of Karl Marx have had on anthropological theory. Do you think that Marxist anthropology is the same as Communist anthropology? Why or why not?

Question 42

What are some of the weaknesses in the theory that there was only one "hearth" for the development of civilization?

Question 43

Explain how postmodernism has affected anthropological explanation. What is the postmodern critique of ethnography?

Question 44

How would a cultural materialist explain why Muslims don't eat pork?

Question 45

Define historical particularism. Do you think that this approach can be compatible with investigations of cultural evolution? Why or why not?

Question 46

According to Julian Steward, the environment and the availability of resources has a definite influence on the form of social organization. This approach to studying cultural evolution, called , was exemplified nicely in his study of the social organization of the Shoshone during different seasons of the year.

A) cultural materialism
B) environmental determinism
C) environmentally driven evolution
D) diffusion-evolution
E) cultural ecology

Question 47

Symbolic anthropologists argue that human behavior cannot be explained through the use of the scientific method. Do you agree with their standpoint? Why or why not?

Question 48

Discuss the principal differences between nineteenth-century models for unilineal evolution and twentieth-century neoevolutionary theories. Who were the principal proponents of each?

Question 49

Explain the major tenets of Feminist anthropology. How does the feminist orientation developed in the 1960s and 1970s differ from earlier work by female anthropologists?

Question 50

The neo-evolutionists' perspective differed from the nineteenth-century evolutionists' ideas in a number of ways. The neo-evolutionists:

A) assumed a unilineal direction for society from savagery to barbarism to civilization
B) did not assume that sociocultural evolution toward complexity was always equated with progress
C) were ethnocentric and racist in their approach to understanding cultural evolution and complexity
D) assumed that civilization was the pinnacle of sociocultural development

Question 51

Explanations for the differences and similarities among societies have been many and varied throughout the development of anthropology. What are the basic premises, strengths, and weaknesses of the following ideas: unilineal evolution, diffusionism, historical particularism, functionalism, and structural functionalism? What are some of the things that anthropologists have learned by employing these perspectives?

Question 52

Compare and contrast the perspectives of the symbolic anthropologists with the Marxists and the cultural materialists.

Question 53

What are some of the criticisms that have been leveled at the cultural ecological approach? Do you think these criticisms are valid? If so, how would you modify the cultural ecological perspective to take into account the criticism?

Question 54

Can ethnocentrism be an adaptive strategy for a society to take? Or should ethnocentrism be avoided at all costs?

Question 55

The study of culture through interpretation of the meaning of values, beliefs, and symbols of a society is a theoretical orientation called anthropology.

A) symbolic
B) sociobiological
C) sedentary
D) systemic
E) sessile Essay Questions

Question 56

Compare and contrast the perspectives of the neo-evolutionists, cultural ecologists, cultural materialists, and Marxists. Are these theoretical views similar in any manner, or are they mutually exclusive and contradictory in nature?

Question 57

The research strategy that focuses on technology, environment, and economic factors as key determinants in sociocultural evolution while dividing the sociocultural system into "infrastructure," "structure," and "superstructure" is called:

A) economic determinism
B) cultural materialism
C) structuralism
D) techno-evolution
E) cultural ecology