Foundations of Anthropology Quiz

Anthropology

The study of humans and their cultures. Example: A researcher studies how people live around the world. What field is this?

Cultural Anthropology

The study of cultures and traditions. Example: A researcher studies a community's family customs. Which branch is this?

Linguistic Anthropology

The study of language and culture. Example: A researcher studies how people speak differently in different situations. Which branch is this?

Biological Anthropology

The study of human biology and evolution. Example: A scientist compares ancient human bones. Which branch is this?

Archaeology

The study of past people through objects and remains. Example: A researcher studies tools from an ancient settlement. What field is this?

Franz Boas

An anthropologist who argued that culture, not race, explains many human differences. Example: A scholar argues that cultural behavior is learned, not determined by biology. Which anthropologist's ideas are these?

Culture

Shared beliefs, behaviors, and traditions. Example: A community shares holiday customs. What concept is this?

Norms

Shared rules for behavior. Example: People wait their turn in a line. What concept is this?

Values

Beliefs about what is important or right. Example: A community prizes honesty. What concept is this?

Symbols

Things that represent ideas or meanings. Example: A flag represents a country. What concept is this?

Mental Maps of Reality

Ideas people use to understand the world. Example: Two people interpret the same custom differently because of their backgrounds. What concept is this?

Structures of Power

Systems that determine who has authority. Example: A few people make decisions for an entire group. What concept is this?

Cultural Relativism

Understanding a culture before judging it. Example: Someone learns why a tradition matters before criticizing it. What concept is this?

Artifact

An object made or changed by humans. Example: A stone tool is found at an ancient site. What is it?

Feature

A part of a site that cannot easily be moved. Example: Researchers uncover an ancient hearth. What is it?

Activity Areas

Places where specific tasks happened. Example: Tools and food remains are found where people cooked. What are these places called?

Ecofacts

Natural remains that tell us about the past. Example: Ancient seeds are found at a campsite. What are they?

Ideofacts

Cultural ideas and beliefs. Example: Researchers study evidence of ancient religious beliefs. What are they studying?

How a Site Is Chosen

Selecting a place to investigate. Example: Researchers choose a location after studying maps. What step is this?

Data Acquisition

Collecting information or evidence. Example: A team collects samples from a site. What step is this?

Data Processing

Organizing collected information. Example: A researcher enters measurements into a database. What step is this?

Analysis

Examining evidence for patterns. Example: A researcher compares pottery from different sites. What step is this?

Grid Excavation

Dividing a site into measured sections for digging. Example: A team marks a site into numbered squares. What method is this?

Plow Zone

Topsoil disturbed by farming. Example: Years of plowing have mixed objects near the surface. What layer is this?

Screening

Sifting soil through mesh to find small objects. Example: A researcher finds tiny beads in screened dirt. What method is this?

Law of Superposition

In undisturbed soil, lower layers are usually older. Example: One object is found below another in undisturbed soil. Which principle helps date them?

Radiocarbon Dating

Estimating the age of once-living material using radioactive carbon. Example: A researcher dates ancient charcoal. Which method is this?

Potassium-Argon Dating

Dating certain rocks using radioactive decay. Example: Scientists date volcanic rock near ancient fossils. Which method is this?

Dendrochronology

Dating wood using tree rings. Example: A researcher compares old wood rings with dated records. Which method is this?

Observation

Noticing and recording evidence. Example: A researcher records an object's size without explaining it. What step is this?

Classification and Recording

Sorting and documenting evidence. Example: A team labels pottery by size and material. What step is this?

Interpretation

Explaining what evidence might mean. Example: Researchers conclude that a room was used for cooking. What step is this?

Stages of Archaeology

The steps used to investigate and understand a site. Example: A team selects, digs, records, and studies a site. What process is this?

How to Grid an Archaeology Site

Dividing a site into measured squares. Example: A team uses string to mark equal sections before digging. What method is this?

Interpreting Artifacts

Using objects and their context to understand past life. Example: A researcher studies wear marks on a stone tool. What process is this?

Theory of Evolution

The explanation for how life changes over generations. Example: Fossils show changes in organisms over time. What theory explains this?

Charles Darwin

The scientist known for developing the theory of natural selection. Example: Which scientist studied how species adapt over generations?

Heredity

The passing of traits from parents to offspring. Example: A child inherits genetic traits from their parents. What process is this?

Natural Selection

Helpful inherited traits become more common over generations. Example: Better-camouflaged moths reproduce more often. What process is this?

Adaptation

An inherited trait that helps survival or reproduction. Example: An animal has a feature that helps it conserve water. What is this feature?

Fitness

How successfully an organism survives and reproduces. Example: One animal produces more surviving offspring than others. What concept is this?

Galápagos Islands

Islands where Darwin studied differences among related species. Example: A naturalist studies birds with different beak shapes on different islands. Which islands are associated with Darwin?

Phenotype Variation

Differences in visible traits. Example: Some beetles are dark, while others are light. What concept is this?

Phenotype Heritable

When differences in visible traits can be passed through genes. Example: Offspring inherit a parent's genetic color variation. What property is shown?

Struggle for Existence

Competition for limited resources. Example: Many animals need the same limited food supply. What concept is this?

Survival and Reproductive Rates

How often organisms survive and produce offspring. Example: One group leaves more surviving offspring than another. What is being compared?

Niche

An organism's role in its environment. Example: Two bird species feed in different parts of the same forest. What concept explains their roles?

Biotic

Living parts of an environment. Example: Plants, insects, and bacteria affect an ecosystem. What category are these?

Abiotic

Nonliving parts of an environment. Example: Sunlight, temperature, and soil affect plant growth. What category are these?

Peppered Moths

Moths used to demonstrate how environmental changes affect survival. Example: Dark moths become more common in a polluted area because they are harder to spot. Which example is this?

Gregor Mendel

The scientist whose pea plant experiments helped explain inheritance. Example: Which scientist studied how traits pass through generations?

Punnett Square

A chart that predicts possible genetic combinations. Example: A student predicts possible offspring traits from two parents. What tool is used?

Chromosome

A DNA-containing structure that carries genetic information. Example: A cell contains organized structures holding many genes. What are they?

Allele

A version of a gene. Example: Two organisms carry different versions of the same gene. What are these versions called?

Somatic Cell

A body cell that is not a reproductive cell. Example: A scientist collects a cheek cell for DNA testing. What type of cell is this?

Gamete

A reproductive cell, such as an egg or sperm. Example: Two cells join during fertilization. What type of cells are they?

Dominant

An allele that can show its effect with one copy. Example: An organism shows a trait while carrying two different alleles. What type of allele may cause this?

Recessive

An allele whose effect can be masked by a dominant allele. Example: A trait appears when an individual has two copies of a certain allele. What type of allele is involved?

Heterozygous

Having two different alleles of a gene. Example: An organism inherits different versions from its parents. What is its genotype?

Homozygous

Having two identical alleles of a gene. Example: An organism inherits the same version from both parents. What is its genotype?

Polymorphic Species

A species with multiple forms or genetic variants. Example: One species naturally has several color forms. What is this called?

Multiple Genes

When several genes affect one trait. Example: Many genes contribute to a person's height. What pattern is this?

Linked Genes

Genes close together on a chromosome that are often inherited together. Example: Two nearby genetic markers often appear together in offspring. What are these genes called?

Meiotic Drive

When certain alleles are passed on more often than expected. Example: One allele appears in more than half of the offspring. What process may explain this?

Segregation Distortion

When alleles are not passed on in expected proportions. Example: Offspring inherit one allele more often than another. What pattern is this?

Bipedal

Walking on two legs. Example: Fossils show an ancient relative moved upright. What movement pattern is this?

Mutation

A change in DNA. Example: A DNA sequence changes and creates a new genetic variant. What is this called?

Random Genetic Drift

Random changes in how common alleles are. Example: A storm randomly kills most of a population, changing which alleles remain. What process is this?

Gene Flow

The movement of genes between populations. Example: Individuals move to another population and have offspring there. What process is this?

First Hominid?

Ardipithecus ramidus, from about 4.4 million years ago. Example: Which early hominin was found at Aramis in Ethiopia?

Second Hominid?

Australopithecus anamensis, from about 4.2–3.9 million years ago. Example: Which species came after Ardipithecus ramidus?

Third Hominid?

Australopithecus afarensis, known for the fossil Lucy. Example: Which species does Lucy belong to?

Fourth Hominid?

Homo habilis, associated with early stone tools. Example: Which species is nicknamed “handy man”?

Fifth Hominid?

Homo erectus, known for spreading beyond Africa. Example: Which species is associated with early migration out of Africa?

Sixth Hominid?

Homo sapiens, the species of modern humans. Example: Which species includes all living humans?

What Makes Homo Sapiens Successful?

Cooperation, communication, learning, and adaptability. Example: A group shares skills and teaches them to younger members. What helps explain human success?

Biological Need for Social Ties

The need for social connections and cooperation. Example: People share resources and care for children together. What need does this show?

Interbreeding Theory

The idea that modern humans reproduced with other ancient human groups. Example: Some people carry DNA inherited from an ancient human population. Which explanation fits?

Replacement Theory

The idea that modern humans spread and largely replaced earlier human populations. Example: A model describes modern humans replacing an earlier group with little interbreeding. Which theory is this?

The Flaws of Putting Biology in Race

Human genetic variation does not fit neatly into racial categories. Example: People in the same racial category can have very different genes. What problem does this show?

Language

A system of words or signs used to communicate. Example: People use shared words and grammar to express ideas. What system is this?

Communication

Sending and receiving information. Example: One person gestures and another understands. What process is this?

FOXP2 Gene

A gene involved in abilities related to speech and language. Example: A scientist studies a gene linked to speech development. Which gene is this?

Descriptive Linguistics

Studying how people actually use and structure language. Example: A researcher records local grammar instead of correcting it. What approach is this?

Kinesics

Communication through body movements and facial expressions. Example: Someone shrugs instead of answering. What concept is this?

Paralanguages

Features of speech such as tone, pitch, and volume. Example: Someone says “fine” but sounds angry. What concept is this?

Historical Linguistics

Studying how languages change over time. Example: A researcher compares old and modern words. What field is this?

Sociocultural Linguistics

Studying how language connects to society and identity. Example: A researcher compares how different social groups speak. What field is this?

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

The idea that language can influence how people think. Example: A researcher studies whether language affects how people group colors. Which hypothesis is this?

Call System

A limited set of signals used by animals to communicate. Example: An animal makes different calls for danger and contact. What system is this?

Symbolic Language

Using words or signs to represent things and ideas. Example: Someone uses a word to refer to an object that is not present. What ability is shown?

Productivity

The ability to create new messages using language. Example: Someone creates a sentence they have never heard before. What language feature is this?

Displacement

The ability to discuss things outside the present time or place. Example: Someone describes last year's trip. What language feature is this?

Digital Age

The period when digital technology became central to daily life. Example: People use smartphones and online platforms every day. What period is this?

Digital Natives

People who grew up using digital technology. Example: A student has used internet-connected devices since childhood. What term describes them?

Digital Immigrant

Someone who learned digital technology later in life. Example: An adult begins using smartphones after growing up without them. What term describes them?

Pros of Globalization and Language

Benefits of global connections for communication and language learning. Example: People in different countries share knowledge online. What benefit is shown?

Cons of Globalization and Language

Harms such as smaller languages becoming less common. Example: Young people stop learning a local language to use a more dominant one. What problem is shown?

Prestige Language

A language or variety that has high social status. Example: Employers favor one way of speaking over another. What concept is this?

Dialect

A form of a language with different words or pronunciation. Example: People in different regions speak the same language differently. What is this called?