Question 1

Since the 1970s, many anthropologists have done research among the Ariaal, a nomadic community of northern Kenya. Just as anthropologists have studied many aspects of this community's culture, the Ariaal have formed opinions based on observation of their visitors. For example, they note how anthropologists

Accepted Answer

The passage states that the Ariaal community notes how anthropologists "slather white liquid on their very white skin to protect them from the sun, and often favor short pants that show off their legs and boots."

Question 2

Many human traits reflect the fact that our primate ancestors lived in trees. These traits include all of the following EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Humans do not possess echolocation abilities, which are typically found in animals such as bats and whales. All of the other traits listed are adaptations that aided our primate ancestors in living in trees.

Question 3

People in the United States sometimes have trouble understanding the power of culture because of the value that American culture places on the idea of the individual. Yet in American culture

Accepted Answer

The statement acknowledges that American culture places a value on individualism, which implies that it is a distinctive shared value and a feature of the culture. Therefore, option C is the most accurate choice. Options A, B, D, and E are incorrect because they either misrepresent the concept or are not supported by the given information.

Question 4

Culture can be adaptive or maladaptive. It is maladaptive when

Accepted Answer

Maladaptive culture is when cultural traits, patterns, and inventions threaten the group's continued survival and reproduction and thus its very existence. This means that the culture is not serving the needs of the group and may be harmful or dangerous to its members. It is important for cultures to be adaptive in order to ensure their survival and well-being.

Question 5

Which of the following is a cultural generality?

Accepted Answer

The nuclear family is a cultural generality in that it is a common family structure found in many cultures worldwide, although there are variations in its composition and roles within the family. Exogamy and the incest taboo are specific cultural practices and beliefs related to marriage and family. The use of fire and symbols are cultural traits related to technology and communication, respectively.

Question 6

What does it mean to say that humans use culture instrumentally?

Accepted Answer

When humans use culture instrumentally, it means that they use it as a means to an end, to fulfill their basic biological needs for survival and reproduction. Culture provides tools, knowledge, and practices that help satisfy these fundamental needs, such as food production, shelter building, and child-rearing practices. Other options (B, C, D, E) are either not directly related to the instrumental use of culture or are incomplete or inaccurate in their explanation.

Question 7

Anthropologists agree that cultural learning is uniquely elaborated among humans and that all humans have culture. They also accept a doctrine designated in the 19^th century as the "psychic unity of man." What does this doctrine mean?

Accepted Answer

The "psychic unity of man" doctrine means that although individuals may differ in their emotional and intellectual capacities, all human populations have equivalent capacities for culture. This doctrine emphasizes the universality of human culture, regardless of individual variability.

Question 8

People have to eat, but culture teaches us what, when, and how to do so. This is an example of how

Accepted Answer

The statement is describing how culture instructs us on how to fulfill a natural urge (in this case, the need to eat), which suggests that culture helps shape our behaviors and expressions of basic biological needs. This aligns with the idea presented in choice A that culture teaches us how to express natural biological urges in particular ways.

Question 9

All of the following are evidence of the tendency to view culture as a process EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Analysis that attempts to establish boundaries between cultures suggests a fixed and static view of culture, rather than a process. The other options, such as practice theory and attention to agency, emphasize the ongoing and dynamic nature of culture.

Question 10

Culture

Accepted Answer

Culture is acquired by humans as members of society through the process of enculturation, which involves learning from others in one's society. It is not restricted to the elite or exclusive to certain groups, nor is it being destroyed by electronic media. Culture also developed among nonhuman primates long before 10,000 years ago, and there is no clear relationship between industrialization and cultural development.

Question 11

Which of the following LEAST explains the existence of cultural generalities?

Accepted Answer

Isolationism would least explain the existence of cultural generalities. Isolationism involves a society or culture deliberately separating itself from other cultures, which would limit the amount of cultural borrowing, globalization, colonialism, and trade that occur, therefore making it less likely to share cultural generalities with other cultures.

Question 12

What do anthropologists mean when they say culture is shared?

Accepted Answer

Anthropologists emphasize that culture is shared among members of a group or society, rather than being solely an attribute of individuals. Culture is learned and transmitted through socialization and interaction with others, shaping the beliefs, values, and behaviors of those within the group.

Question 13

The human capacity for culture has an evolutionary basis that extends back at least 2.5 million years. This date corresponds to

Accepted Answer

The use and creation of tools is one of the earliest signs of cultural behavior in human ancestors, as evidenced by artifacts found in the archaeological record dating back at least 2.5 million years.

Question 14

What process is most responsible for the existence of international culture?

Accepted Answer

Cultural diffusion, whether through direct contact, indirect exchange, or forced migration, is the primary process responsible for the existence of international culture. This process involves the spreading of cultural traits, ideas, and practices from one group to another. Over time, this exchange can lead to the creation of new forms of culture that incorporate elements from different societies. Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism are attitudes that people hold towards other cultures and do not in themselves create international culture. Dendritic acculturation refers to the transmission of culture within a particular group, and gene flow refers to the exchange of genetic material between populations.

Question 15

There are two meanings of globalization: globalization as fact and process, and globalization as ideology and contested policy. What is the primary and neutral meaning of globalization as is applicable to anthropology?

Accepted Answer

The neutral and primary meaning of globalization in anthropology is the spread and connectedness of production, communication, and technologies across the world. This meaning does not promote the interests of multinational corporations over farmers and workers nor does it necessarily support or oppose global free trade. It simply refers to the fact that the world is becoming more interconnected and that production and communication are increasingly conducted on a global scale.

Question 16

Anthropologist Clifford Geertz defined culture as ideas based on cultural learning and symbols. For anthropologist Leslie White, culture originated when our ancestors acquired the ability to use symbols. What is a symbol? It is

Accepted Answer

A symbol is something within a particular language or culture that comes to stand for something else, with no necessary or natural connection to the thing for which it stands. It can be verbal or nonverbal.

Question 17

What are cultural particularities?

Accepted Answer

Cultural particularities refer to traits that are unique to a given culture and are not shared with others. They are distinct features that set one culture apart from another. Option A refers to isolated traits within the same culture, and option C refers to different layers or levels within a culture. Option D refers to the most general aspect common to all culture patterns, and option E refers to individual cultural traits rather than those of a group or society. B is the correct option as it specifically refers to unique traits of a culture.

Question 18

Which of the following statements about enculturation is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

The statement "It is the exchange of cultural features that results when two or more groups come into consistent firsthand contact" describes acculturation, not enculturation. Enculturation refers to the process by which an individual learns their own culture, while acculturation refers to learning and adopting the culture of another group.

Question 19

Why does this chapter on culture include a section that describes similarities and differences between humans and apes, our closest relatives?

Accepted Answer

The section on similarities and differences between humans and apes is included to emphasize culture's evolutionary basis, as understanding our evolutionary history and relationship to other primates helps to explain how culture developed in humans.

Question 20

The incest taboo is a cultural universal, but

Accepted Answer

While the incest taboo is considered a cultural universal, the definition of what constitutes incest varies widely across cultures. What is considered incestuous in one culture may not be considered so in another, and vice versa. For example, some cultures allow first-cousin marriages while others forbid them. Therefore, option C is the correct answer.

Quiz 2: Culture