Question 1

The human capacity for culture has an evolutionary basis that extends back at least 2.6 million years.This date corresponds to

Accepted Answer

The earliest evidence of tool-making dates back to 2.6 million years ago, indicating the capacity for culture in early humans. This is supported by the archaeological record, which shows the survival of tools and other artifacts. The other options do not have direct evidence to support them as the basis for the evolutionary development of human culture.

Question 2

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 tool or means to achieve a certain end, such as fulfilling their basic biological needs for food, drink, shelter, comfort, and reproduction. Culture is seen as a practical means of addressing human needs and ensuring survival.

Question 3

Culture can be adaptive or maladaptive.It is maladaptive when

Accepted Answer

Maladaptive culture refers to cultural traits or practices that threaten the survival and reproduction of a group, and therefore jeopardize its very existence. This can happen when cultural practices or beliefs impede the adoption of behaviors that are adaptive to changing circumstances, such as environmental or social change. Maladaptive culture can also arise when cultural practices or beliefs lead to behaviors that are harmful to some members of the group or that limit their opportunities for success and well-being. Ultimately, maladaptive culture undermines the viability and sustainability of a group, and can lead to its decline or extinction.

Question 4

What archaeological evidence suggests that humans were hunting by at least 2.6 million years ago?

Accepted Answer

Stone meat-cutting tools, such as the Oldowan tools found in East Africa dated to around 2.6 million years ago, provide evidence that early humans were hunting and processing animal meat.

Question 5

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?

Accepted Answer

A symbol is something verbal or nonverbal, 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.

Question 6

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 doctrine of the "psychic unity of man" means that although individuals may differ in their emotional and intellectual capacities, all human populations have equivalent capacities for culture. This means that culture is a universal trait of human societies, and that all humans are capable of learning and transmitting cultural knowledge. This doctrine helps to underscore the similarities between different human societies around the world, and to emphasize our shared humanity.

Question 7

Which of the following statements about enculturation is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

Enculturation refers to the process by which an individual learns and adopts the norms, values, beliefs, and behaviors of a particular culture. Option D describes the process of acculturation, which occurs when two or more distinct cultures come into consistent contact and exchange cultural features.

Question 8

Culture

Accepted Answer

Culture is not exclusive to the elite and is acquired by humans as members of society through the process of enculturation, which involves learning and socialization into the norms, beliefs, values, and practices of a given culture. Electronic media may impact aspects of culture, but it does not necessarily destroy it. Culture also exists among nonhuman primates and has been developing over millions of years, not just 10,000. The level of development of culture varies among different societies, whether industrial or hunter-gatherer.

Question 9

What are cultural particularities?

Accepted Answer

Cultural particularities are often defined as traits that are unique to a given culture and that are not shared with others. They are specific features of a culture that set it apart from others, often related to its history, geography, political system, values, beliefs, customs, and traditions. While some cultural traits may be isolated from other traits within the same culture, this is not the defining characteristic of cultural particularities.

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

Culture takes our natural biological urges and teaches us how to express them in specific ways. This includes not only what we should eat but also when, how, and with whom we should eat. This shows that culture plays a significant role in shaping human behavior, even in basic biological needs like eating.

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

Isolationism refers to a society or group that remains separate from other cultures and does not interact or exchange ideas with them. It would therefore not contribute to the creation of cultural generalities. The other options (A) cultural borrowing, (B) globalization, (C) colonialism, and (E) trade all involve interaction and exchange between cultures, which can lead to the adoption of shared cultural traits and beliefs.

Question 12

What do anthropologists mean when they say culture is shared?

Accepted Answer

Anthropologists mean that culture is shared because it is an attribute of individuals as members of groups. Culture is not just an individual's personal attribute, but it is shaped by and shared with others through socialization and communication. Cultural beliefs, values, and practices are passed down from one generation to another, and they need to be transmitted among people in the same society. Therefore, culture is shared among members of a particular group or society.

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

Echolocation is not a trait that reflects the fact that our primate ancestors lived in trees. Instead, it is a trait found in certain species of bats and cetaceans (including dolphins and whales) that use sound waves to navigate and locate prey.

Question 14

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 does not necessarily imply a view of culture as a process. Rather, it suggests a view of culture as a fixed entity with clear boundaries. The other options all suggest a view of culture as a dynamic process.

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

Cultural diffusion, whether it occurs through direct or indirect means, or by force, is the most responsible process for the existence of international culture. As people migrate, trade, and interact with one another, they share cultural practices, beliefs, values, and norms, which over time can lead to the emergence of a global or international culture. This process of diffusion is ongoing and continually shapes and reshapes our understanding of what it means to be part of a culture. While ethnocentrism and cultural relativism can affect how people perceive and interact with other cultures, they are not responsible for the existence of international culture in the same way that cultural diffusion is. Dendritic acculturation and gene flow may play a role in shaping cultural practices, but they are not as central to the development of international culture as cultural diffusion.

Question 16

Which of the following is a cultural generality?

Accepted Answer

The nuclear family is a cultural generality because it is common in many, but not all, cultures around the world. Other options like exogamy, the use of fire, the incest taboo, and the use of symbols are more widespread and can be considered cultural universals.

Question 17

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 passage states that individualism is a distinctive shared value in American culture, refuting options A and B. The passage does not suggest that individualism is a result of genetic enculturation, eliminating option D. Option E is also incorrect since the passage implies that American culture does place a high value on individualism.

Question 18

Something,verbal or nonverbal,that stands for something else is known as a

Accepted Answer

A symbol is a representation of something else, either in the form of a word, image, or gesture. It can have a cultural or personal meaning and can be used to communicate complex ideas or concepts. Examples of symbols include the American flag, the peace sign, and the heart shape.

Question 19

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 it is applicable to anthropology?

Accepted Answer

The primary and neutral meaning of globalization as applicable to anthropology is the spread and connectedness of production, communication, and technologies across the world. This definition does not promote any specific interests or ideologies, but rather describes a process that has taken place and continues to shape our world.

Question 20

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 serves to emphasize the evolutionary basis of culture. Since humans and apes share a common ancestor, studying their similarities and differences can help us understand how culture evolved in human societies.

Quiz 2: Culture