Question 1

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.

Accepted Answer

This is a basic tenet of Marxist theory, in which the relationship between the owners of the means of production and the workers who sell their labor is seen as exploitative and unequal. Marx argued that this class exploitation was a central feature of capitalism, and that it created many social and economic problems that could only be addressed through a radical restructuring of society.

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

Marxist anthropology rejects the idea of unilineal evolution, which proposes that all societies progress through the same stages of development over time. Instead, it recognizes the diversity and complexity of social formations and emphasizes the influence of economic and political factors on social organization and change.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

Bronislaw Malinowski's psychological functionalism emphasized on how society satisfies the desires and necessities of the individual.

Question 4

According to general evolutionists such as Leslie 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.

Accepted Answer

According to Leslie White, the degree of societal development can be measured by the amount of energy harnessed by the sociocultural system, and hence, the greater the energy, the more highly evolved the system.

Question 5

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."

Accepted Answer

The concept described is known as "Cultural Diffusion," not "Cultural Spread Theory." Cultural diffusion refers to the spread of cultural beliefs and social activities from one group to another.

Question 6

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.

Accepted Answer

Cultural ecology is a perspective that emphasizes how humans and culture interact with the natural environment. However, it has been criticized for oversimplifying human behavior and not accounting for the role of history, politics, and religion in shaping cultural practices.

Question 7

Much of the ethnographic record has been compiled by men.

Accepted Answer

Historically, anthropologists and ethnographers have been predominantly men and thus much of the ethnographic record has been compiled by them. However, efforts are being made to increase diversity and representation in the field.

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

This statement accurately reflects Franz Boas' stance on the importance of fieldwork and data collection in anthropology. He believed that relying solely on secondhand information or preconceived notions would lead to inaccurate and biased conclusions about different cultures.

Question 9

Postmodernist anthropologists stress that ethnographers should present themselves as objective researchers.

Accepted Answer

Postmodernist anthropologists reject the idea of objective truth and believe that all knowledge is subjective and influenced by power dynamics. Therefore, they argue that ethnographers should not attempt to present themselves as objective researchers, but rather acknowledge their own biases and subjectivities.

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

Lewis Henry Morgan believed in a hierarchical evolution of society, but he emphasized the evolution of the family and kinship terms, in contrast to Edward B. Tylor's focus on religion and belief systems.

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

Symbolic anthropologists emphasize the importance of symbols, meanings, and shared understandings in shaping culture, rather than genetics or language alone.

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

Franz Boas is famous for his rejection of cultural evolutionism and his emphasis on the uniqueness of each society's history and culture.

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

Cultural relativism emphasizes that cultural practices and values should not be judged by the standards of another culture, but rather by those of the culture in question. It recognizes that different cultures may have their own unique perspectives and ways of life, and that these should be respected and considered in any cross-cultural understanding.

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

Unilineal evolution theory suggests that all societies evolve towards civilization and complex social structures in a single direction, which is considered as progress. Therefore, the statement is true.

Question 15

Feminist anthropologists agree that monogamy is preferred by women because of its sociobiological advantages.

Accepted Answer

While there are sociobiological advantages to monogamy, feminist anthropologists argue that women's preferences for monogamy are shaped by cultural norms and social expectations rather than solely by biology. They also note that women's experiences of monogamy vary greatly depending on cultural context and power dynamics within relationships.

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

Edward B. Tylor did indeed suggest that all societies progressed through three evolutionary stages: savagery, barbarism, and civilization, in his book "Primitive Culture" published in 1871.

Question 17

Karl 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.

Accepted Answer

While Karl Marx did suggest that societal and cultural transformations were a result of economic systems, he did not specifically suggest that they were the result of warfare between communist and capitalist nations. He believed that the conflicts between the bourgeoisie (capitalist class) and the proletariat (working class) were the driving force for societal change.

Question 18

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.

Accepted Answer

The British and German schools of cultural diffusion were criticized for their ethnocentric perspectives, and they have been largely replaced by more nuanced and inclusive approaches to understanding societal development.

Question 19

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

Accepted Answer

The cultural ecological perspective of cultural evolution examines the ways in which sociocultural systems adapt to the natural environment, including factors such as climate, geography, and resources.

Question 20

Anthropologist Franz Boas was a powerful advocate for unilineal diffusion.

Accepted Answer

Franz Boas was actually a critic of unilineal diffusion and believed that cultures should be studied in their own contexts rather than as part of a linear progression of societal development.

Quiz 6: Anthropological Explanations