Question 1

According to Harris, "etic" descriptions are those of an outside scientific observer, and are used by the scientific community to generate and strengthen theories of sociocultural life.

Accepted Answer

This is an accurate description of Harris's understanding of the term "etic."

Question 2

According to Julian Steward, a major factor leading post-war anthropologists to a materialist perspective was growing up in the Depression and service in World War II.

Accepted Answer

Julian Steward argued that the experiences of the Great Depression and World War II led anthropologists to adopt a more materialist perspective, focusing on the ways in which human societies interacted with their environments and the material world.

Question 3

According to Harris, the true test of an "etic" analysis of culture is that it is not only scientific, but that it also makes sense and is meaningful to a member of that culture.

Accepted Answer

An "etic" analysis of culture aims for objectivity and universality, focusing on understanding cultural phenomena from an outsider's perspective, which does not necessarily require the analysis to be meaningful or make sense to a member of the culture being studied.

Question 4

While there are differences between Harris and Marx, both use the concept of a "mode of production" in an identical fashion.

Accepted Answer

While both Harris and Marx use the concept of "mode of production," they approach it differently. Marx focuses on the conflict between classes within the production process, emphasizing the relations of production. Harris, from a cultural materialist perspective, emphasizes material conditions and technology's role in shaping society, including its social structures and ideologies.

Question 5

Timothy Earle's archaeological and ethnohistorical research from Hawaii tends to support Wittfogel's idea that irrigation agriculture leads to the development of a society with centralized, managerial power.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Timothy Earle's archaeological and ethnohistorical research from...

Question 6

Harris and Marx differ fundamentally in their attitude toward Malthus, with Marx rejecting the notion that there is a "universal law" of population growth for all societies.

Accepted Answer

Harris and Marx have different views on Malthus, with Marx rejecting the idea of a universal law of population growth.

Question 7

Evidence from most societies bears out the Malthusian idea that human populations grow right up to their environment's carrying capacity, after which they decline due to war, disease, and famine.

Accepted Answer

Thomas Malthus's theory, while influential, has been criticized and often disproven by historical and contemporary evidence. Many societies have developed technologies, agricultural practices, and social structures that allow them to sustainably manage resources and avoid the catastrophic outcomes Malthus predicted.

Question 8

Abortion and other forms of population control are largely unknown outside of industrialized societies.

Accepted Answer

Abortion and other forms of population control have been practiced in various forms throughout history and across different cultures, including non-industrialized societies.

Question 9

The imposition of new taxes by Dutch administrators in colonial Java led to rapid population growth, as peasants sought to increase the amount of labor available to their households.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The imposition of new taxes by Dutch...

Question 10

Political ecology accepts the basic premise of Malthusian thinking that population growth is the ultimate cause of environmental degradation.

Accepted Answer

Political ecology acknowledges that population growth is one factor that can contribute to environmental degradation, but it also recognizes that social, economic, and political factors play important roles in shaping human interactions with the environment.

Quiz 12: Contemporary Materialist and Ecological Approaches