Anthropology Final Exam

What is anthropology?

The study of humans across time and space, including biology, culture, language, and history.

What does cultural anthropology study?

Living cultures.

What does biological anthropology focus on?

Human evolution and biology.

What does archaeology examine?

Past human societies through material remains.

What is anthropological linguistics?

The study of language and culture.

What is a holistic approach in anthropology?

Studying all aspects of human life together.

What is the comparative approach?

Comparing cultures to find patterns.

What is the emic perspective?

An insider's view of a culture.

What is the etic perspective?

An outsider's analytical view of a culture.

What is culture?

Shared beliefs, values, and practices.

What are norms?

Rules for behavior.

What are values in anthropology?

Ideas about what is good or right.

What is worldview?

How people interpret reality.

What is dominant culture?

The most powerful group in society.

What is a subculture?

A smaller group within society.

What is counterculture?

A group that rejects dominant norms.

What is enculturation?

Learning your culture.

What is cultural relativism?

Understanding culture on its own terms.

What is ethnocentrism?

Judging others by your own culture.

What is acculturation?

Adopting some traits from outside cultures.

What is assimilation?

Fully adopting the dominant culture.

What is syncretism?

Blending of cultures.

What is innovation in cultural change?

The introduction of new ideas.

What is diffusion?

The spread of ideas.

What are phonemes?

The smallest sound units in language.

What are morphemes?

The smallest meaning units in language.

What is sociolinguistics?

The study of language in social context.

What is a dialect?

Regional speech variation.

What is code-switching?

Shifting language styles.

What are loan words?

Borrowed terms from other languages.

What is the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis?

The idea that language shapes thought.

What is fieldwork?

Long-term immersion in a culture.

What is ethnography?

Detailed cultural description.

What is ethnology?

Comparison of cultures.

What is applied anthropology?

Solving real-world problems.

What is political anthropology?

The study of power systems.

What are egalitarian societies?

Societies with equal access to resources.

What is a caste system?

A fixed social hierarchy.

What is social mobility?

The movement through social hierarchy.

What is kinship?

Family relationships.

What is patriarchy?

A social system where males hold primary power.

What is matriarchy?

A social system where females hold primary power.

What is race?

A socially constructed category.

What is ethnicity?

Shared culture among a group.

What are rituals?

Formalized actions often tied to beliefs.

What is a rite of passage?

A ceremony marking an important transition.

What does decolonization refer to?

Removing colonial bias.

What is environmental justice?

Fair treatment of all people in environmental laws.

What is the role of cultural relativism in anthropology?

It helps understand cultural practices within their own context.

What perspective is needed to understand the integration of Balinese agricultural systems?

Holistic perspective.

What is a distinctive feature of anthropology?

A holistic approach to the study of societies.

What is the product of an anthropologist's research?

Ethnography.

Which perspective does the author of 'Eating Christmas in the Kalahari' use to understand the !Kung's behavior?

Eric perspective.

What is syncretism in cultural context?

The combination of aspects from different cultures.

What is an example of acculturation?

Moving to a new country and learning their native language.

What is diffusion in cultural terms?

Aspects of one culture spreading to other cultures.

Who are considered 'stateless persons' under Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

Refugees.

What is an example of an innovation?

Inventing a brand new technological system for irrigating crops.

What does assimilation refer to in culture change?

Forcing immigrants to convert to the dominant religion.

What is the theory called that suggests societies progress from simple to complex states?

Unilineal Evolutionism.

What does postmodernism state about knowledge?

All knowledge is subjective and culturally constructed.

What anthropological theory explains the reverence of cows in Hindu culture?

Cultural Materialism.

What theory focuses on unique histories of cultural groups?

Historical Particularism.

What is functionalism in anthropology?

The idea that native cultural ways serve a purpose in society.

What is intensive agriculture?

Using heavy machinery to plant and harvest a single cash crop.

What livelihood strategy uses productive technology for material needs?

Industrialism.

What is horticulture?

Crop cultivation for local consumption using hand tools.

What type of livelihood strategy do the Yu'pik of Alaska engage in?

Hunting and gathering.

What livelihood strategy do the Yarahmadzai of Iran practice?

Pastoralism.

What principle dictates the value of goods in market economies?

Impersonal market forces.

What is capitalism?

A free market economy with privately owned means of production.

What distinguishes balanced reciprocity from generalized reciprocity?

Balanced reciprocity involves concern with timing and return of equivalent value.

What is the informal economy?

Unregulated and untaxed economic activities.

What is redistribution in economic exchange?

Giving tribute to a chief who decides how to distribute goods.

What political system has centralized authority and ranked inequality?

Chiefdom.

What characterizes law as a type of social control?

Authority, universal application, and sanction.

What are ranked societies?

Societies organized into a kinship-based social hierarchy.

What political system is held together by sodalities?

Tribe.

What defines a state in political systems?

Complex bureaucracy and centralized political authority.

What is a band in political terms?

An autonomous, independent political unit with no formal leadership.

What is true of stereotypes?

They always miss within-group diversity.

What trait defines nationality?

Citizenship.

What is an ethnic group?

A group of individuals with shared culture and ancestry.

What is true about race?

Race is a cultural construction.

What causes human genetic variation?

Random mutations in DNA.

What is a cline in anthropology?

Differences in genetic traits across geographical areas.

What phase of a ritual involves members in a state of limbo?

Liminal.

What does the social theory of religion assume?

Religion maintains common values, norms, and moral codes.

What is one definitional aspect of religion?

Belief in supernatural powers.

What does the intellectual/cognitive theory of religion assume?

Religious beliefs provide explanations for puzzling events.

What does the psychological theory of religion assume?

Religious beliefs provide comfort and help people.

What is the Intellectual/Cognitive Theory of Religion?

This theory assumes that religious beliefs provide comfort and help people.

What is an example of ethnocentrism?

Tahani assumes Eleanor is 'low class' for dressing casually for afternoon tea.

What anthropological theory did Bronsilaw Malinowski's work exemplify?

Functionalism.

What is the process of learning culture called?

Enculturation.

What are objects made and used by humans in group contexts called?

Material culture.

What kind of anthropologist studies code-switching in bilingual students?

Linguistic anthropologist.

What theory states that all knowledge is subjective and culturally constructed?

Postmodernism.

What type of anthropology aimed to document disappearing cultures?

Salvage anthropology.

What is the main technique used in ethnographic fieldwork?

Participant observation.