Question 1

What are the key structures of language? Why is it important to know and understand these features?

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Question 2

How are socioeconomic, ethnic, and gender differences reflected in language? Give specific examples.

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Question 3

What is BEV? How does it compare to SE?

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Question 4

What do historical linguists study? How is historical linguistics relevant to anthropology?

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Question 5

Because anthropologists who write reflexive ethnography have recognized that not even anthropologists can be completely objective, they have made a call to authors to:

Accepted Answer

Reflexive ethnography involves the anthropologist reflecting on their own biases, perspectives, and role in the research, acknowledging that complete objectivity is not possible. This approach encourages transparency about the researcher's influence on the study.

Question 6

Use of a signed form stating that a member of the community being studied consents to participate in the research follows from the ethical requirement that

Accepted Answer

The ethical requirement that research should not harm the people being studied necessitates obtaining informed consent from participants to ensure they are aware of the research and agree to participate, thus protecting them from potential harm.

Question 7

If a native informant told an ethnographer that his or her community practiced certain rituals in order to prevent illnesses caused by spirits or ancestors, the informant would be providing an etic explanation.

Accepted Answer

An etic explanation is one that is provided by an outside observer, not by a member of the community being studied. The informant is providing an emic explanation, which is an insider's perspective on cultural practices.

Question 8

What are the ethical obligations of anthropologists working in foreign countries?

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Question 9

Describe the different styles of ethnography that have occurred through time.

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Question 10

Discuss how the mass media and globalization affect anthropological research.

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Question 11

What are the differences between questionnaires and interview schedules? What advantage might an ethnographer gain by using an interview schedule instead of a questionnaire?

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Question 12

Explain participant observation, and contrast it with other research techniques.

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Question 13

What is the genealogical method? Why is it important for anthropologists to gather genealogical data?

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Question 14

What is the difference between emic and etic perspectives? Why might an anthropologist want to use both strategies when conducting ethnographic fieldwork?

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Question 15

What kind of diffusion took place when white Americans took Native American children from their families and placed them in boarding schools where they were not allowed to speak their own language or wear local clothing and adornments?

Accepted Answer

Forced diffusion occurs when one culture subjugates another and imposes its customs on the dominated group. The example of Native American children being taken from their families and placed in boarding schools, where they were forced to abandon their language and cultural practices, is a clear instance of forced diffusion.

Question 16

Although whole populations have been discriminated against because other people viewed them as intellectually and culturally inferior, anthropologists recognize that all human populations have equivalent capacities for culture. This equivalence is known by which of these terms?

Accepted Answer

The term "the psychic unity of humanity" refers to the anthropological principle that, despite the vast diversity of cultures, all human populations have the same basic mental capabilities and thus the potential for developing equivalent cultural complexities. This concept supports the idea that no group is inherently superior or inferior to another in terms of intellectual and cultural capacity.

Question 17

When variations on the American flag carry different messages, anthropologists speak of the phenomenon as agency.

Accepted Answer

Agency refers to the ability of individuals or groups to act independently and make their own choices, even within larger social structures. In the context of the American flag, variations on the flag can be seen as a form of agency, as they allow individuals or groups to express their own unique messages and identities.

Question 18

To what extent is tool use unique to humans? Illustrate your answer with examples from studies of nonhuman animals, including other primates.

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Question 19

What do studies of wild chimpanzees indicate about the nature of chimpanzee hunting behavior? What are some of the possible implications of this behavior for our understanding of early hominin social organization?

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Question 20

Describe the biological features that humans share with primates and how they provide a biological basis for cultural attributes. How is human culture similar to and different from aspects of primate life?

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Quiz 1: Culture