Question 1

What is the term used by John Durham Peters (1997) to describe how contemporary people simultaneously experience the local and the global?

Accepted Answer

John Durham Peters (1997) uses the term bifocality to describe how contemporary people experience both the local and the global simultaneously, as if looking through two lenses of a bifocal eyeglasses.

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT an example of participant observation?

Accepted Answer

Administering interviews over the phone is not an example of participant observation, as the researcher is not physically present and therefore is not able to observe and participate in the same way as in the other examples.

Question 3

Despite the variety of research techniques that the ethnographer may utilize in the field, in the best studies the hallmark of ethnography remains

Accepted Answer

B

Question 4

Ethnographers typically combine emic and etic research strategies in their fieldwork. This means they are interested in applying both

Accepted Answer

Emic research refers to an insider or local perspective, while etic research looks at a culture from an outsider or scientist's viewpoint. Ethnographers integrate both approaches to gain a comprehensive understanding of the culture they are studying. Choice A accurately describes the combination of emic and etic research strategies.

Question 5

This chapter's survey of the major theoretical perspectives that have characterized anthropology highlights all of the following EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

The chapter does not highlight a theoretical and methodological shift from complexity to models that simplify human diversity.

Question 6

Franz Boas is the undisputed father of four-field U.S. anthropology. One of his most important and enduring contributions to anthropology was

Accepted Answer

Franz Boas's rejection of race as a biological determinant of culture was a major contribution to anthropology. He emphasized the plasticity of human biology, suggesting that culture rather than race determines behavior and social organization.

Answer: B
 Boas's emphasis on the importance of both biology and culture in human social evolution provided a framework for the comparative method in anthropology, which remains a cornerstone of the discipline.

Question 7

In survey research, a sample should

Accepted Answer

A sample should be constituted so as to allow inferences about the larger population. It means that the sample should be representative of the population being studied and must have characteristics similar to those of the larger group it represents. This ensures that the insights derived from the sample can be generalized to the larger population. Option A is incorrect because it is not practical to include the entire population in a survey. Option B is incorrect because it suggests that the sample is biased towards those who are willing to be interviewed. Option C is incorrect because it is too specific and cannot capture the complexity of human behavior. Option E is incorrect because a sample should always be subject to variation to make it an accurate representation of the population.

Question 8

In survey research, what term is used to refer to the attributes that vary among the members of a population?

Accepted Answer

The term used to refer to the attributes that vary among the members of a population in survey research is variables.

Question 9

Traditional ethnographic research focused on the single community or culture, which was treated as more or less isolated and unique in time and space. However,

Accepted Answer

The passage clearly states that there has been a shift within the discipline toward recognizing ongoing and inescapable flows of people, technology, images, and information, indicating a move away from the idea of isolated and unique communities. None of the other options accurately reflect the information presented in the passage.

Question 10

What is the term for an expert on a particular aspect of native life?

Accepted Answer

A key cultural consultant is an expert on a particular aspect of native life, who provides information and insight to anthropologists studying a particular culture.

Question 11

The research technique that uses diagrams and symbols to record kin connections is called

Accepted Answer

The genealogical method uses diagrams and symbols to record kin connections. Kin-based interviewing is a research technique that involves interviewing individuals about their kinship relations. Genealogical participant observation is a combination of participant observation and genealogical research. Interpretive anthropology is a theoretical approach to understanding culture. DNA testing involves analyzing an individual's DNA to determine ancestry and genetic relationships.

Question 12

Lewis Henry Morgan is well known for his work The League of the Iroquois, considered anthropology's earliest ethnography. This and other of his works illustrate his view of unilinear evolutionism, which is that

Accepted Answer

Lewis Henry Morgan's view of unilinear evolutionism was that there is one line or path through which all societies have to evolve, and this path involves specific stages that cannot be skipped, ending at the final stage of civilization. This perspective is also known as the stage theory of social evolution, which he elaborated in his other works such as Ancient Society. Morgan believed that all societies progressed through similar stages of development, beginning with savagery, then progressing to barbarism, and finally reaching the stage of civilization. He argued that each stage was determined by the level of technology and social organization, and that all societies had to go through them in the same order. Thus, this choice best summarises Morgan's perspective on unilinear evolutionism, which was influential in the development of anthropology as a discipline.

Question 13

Which of the following research methods is a distinctive strategy within anthropology?

Accepted Answer

Ethnography is a distinctive research method within anthropology as it involves immersive fieldwork and the study of cultural practices and beliefs of a specific group or community. Although cross-cultural comparison and working with skilled respondents are also common strategies in anthropology, they are not as unique to the discipline as ethnography. The biological and evolutionary perspectives are theoretical frameworks rather than research methods.

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic field technique of the ethnographer?

Accepted Answer

Random sampling is not a characteristic field technique of the ethnographer. Ethnographers typically use structured interviews, life histories, working with well-informed informants, and the genealogical method to gather data. However, random sampling is more commonly used in quantitative research methods.

Question 15

What did Bronislaw Malinowski mean when he referred to everyday cultural patterns as "the imponderabilia of native life and of typical behavior"?

Accepted Answer

Malinowski believed that everyday cultural patterns are so fundamental to natives that they take them for granted, but they are there for the ethnographer to observe, describe, and make sense of. These patterns include behaviors such as how people interact with each other, how they eat, and how they communicate.

Question 16

In survey research, what is sampling?

Accepted Answer

Sampling refers to the process of selecting a representative group (sample) from a larger population for the purpose of conducting research. This allows researchers to make inferences about the larger population based on the characteristics and behaviors of the sample. Option B refers to key informant interviews, option C refers to participant observation, option D refers to life history interviews, and option E refers to an emic perspective (a cultural insider's perspective).

Question 17

Reflecting today's world, in which people, images, and information move about as never before, fieldwork must be more flexible and on a larger scale. The result of such fieldwork is often an ethnography that

Accepted Answer

Flexibility and larger scale in fieldwork have led to an ethnography that is increasingly multi-sited and multi-timed, integrating analyses of external organizations and forces to understand local phenomena. This approach recognizes that culture is not isolated and can be influenced by various external factors, and thus requires a more comprehensive analysis.

Question 18

All of the following are characteristic field techniques of the ethnographer EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Longitudinal analysis of data sets gathered from state-sponsored statistical agencies is not a characteristic field technique of the ethnographer. The other options (detailed work with key consultants, direct, firsthand observation of behavior including participant observation, and in-depth interviewing often leading to the collection of life histories) are all key techniques used by ethnographers.

Question 19

In the field, ethnographers strive to establish rapport: a good, friendly working relationship based on personal contact

Accepted Answer

Rapport in the field is largely achieved through participant observation, which involves actively participating in the social activities of the culture being studied. This allows the ethnographer to gain an insider's perspective and understand the cultural norms and values of the community. Establishing rapport is a crucial component of ethnographic research, as it allows for trust and facilitates the collection of more accurate data. Options A, B, and D are incorrect as they do not accurately reflect the importance and purpose of establishing rapport in ethnographic research. Option E is partially correct, as payment may be one way to show respect for people’s time and contributions, but it is not the primary means of establishing rapport.

Question 20

An anthropologist has just arrived at a new field site and feels overwhelmed with a creepy, profound feeling of alienation, of being without some of the most ordinary, trivial (and therefore basic) cues of his culture of origin. What term best describes what he is experiencing?

Accepted Answer

The term culture shock describes the sense of alienation, disorientation, and discomfort that an individual may experience when exposed to unfamiliar cultural cues. This is a common experience for anthropologists when they begin fieldwork in a new cultural setting.

Quiz 3: Method and Theory in Cultural Anthropology