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The Ojibwa coined the term okimakkan or “fake chief” when: a. Since no male was available, a female had to assume the chief’s role. b. An individual who was chief did not have the support of the people. c. A […]

An important cultural difference between Serbs and Croats from the former Yugoslavia is: a. They speak different languages. b. Serbs are Eastern Orthodox and Croats are Catholic. c. Serbs are generally professionals while Croats tend to hold menial unskilled jobs. […]

What is the primary goal of emic research? a. Help insiders make more effective changes to their culture over time. b. Help governments better manage minority populations. c. Help outsiders determine which cultures are more effective in particular environments. d. […]

Bronislaw Malinowski spent only 6 months on the Trobriand Islands. Modern-day Wiccans often believe that everything they do, good or bad, returns to them three-fold. Answer: T One thing that anthropologists working in development do is try to counter the […]

Which of the following is not a subsystem of language? a. Symbology. b. Phonology. c. Morphology. d. Syntax. e. Semantics. A fundamental principle of language is that: a. The more phonemes a language has, the more different ideas can be […]

What are two criticisms associated with the Human Relations Area Files database? What is the importance of multiculturalism for anthropology? Answer: It is a growing characteristic of our globalized world today and it is necessary to understand this concept in […]

What do anthropologists use as the basis for cross-cultural comparisons? What is fraternal polyandry? Answer: It is a custom in which a woman marries a man and his brothers. There may be some benefits to global warming, particularly in nations […]

Where the European powers could not find ethnic groups with chiefs, they: a. Permitted their colonists to settle. b. Permitted democratic elections for chiefs. c. Tended to place more of their officials “on the ground.” d. Tended not to colonize. […]

Hegemony refers to the dominance of a political elite based on a close identification between their goals and those of the larger society. How is cultural relativism different from ethnocentrism? Answer: While ethnocentrism is the belief that our own way […]

Among the poor in many urban areas there has been a development of voluntary associations. What are these and what purpose do they serve? Ethnoscience is a theoretical approach that focuses on the way in which members of a culture […]

As the example of the Toraja of Indonesia demonstrates, in many indigenous cultures, art has now become: a. A luxury. b. A leveler of class differences. c. A commodity. d. Separated from cultural identity. e. Widespread among the people within […]

Leveling mechanisms are ways of evening out the distribution of wealth in society. Which of the following is not an example of a leveling mechanism? a. The Mexican cargo system whereby wealthy adults take turns in sponsoring religious feasts. b. […]

Why were poor nations forced to accept structural adjustment? Band societies have neither warfare nor violence because they are egalitarian. Answer: F Are incest taboos universal? Explain your answer. Answer: Yes, they are; all societies have incest taboos. However, the […]

Which of the following are Na men very unlikely to do? a. Invite a lover to visit them in their homes. b. Ride in motorized vehicles. c. Have sex before they are 30. d. Engage in agriculture. e. Join the […]

What is a “voluntary minority”? Where did the Dutch East India Company primarily operate? Answer: They primarily operated in Java (Indonesia, Banda, etc.) The actual performance of a language by an individual speaker (parole) is arbitrary and abstract. Answer: F […]

Which of the following correctly characterizes Dalva, one of the informants in Mary Kenny’s study of the favela of Olinda? a. Like many other children, she will use her formal schooling to escape conditions of poverty. b. A victim of […]

In arranged marriages: a. The wife’s family never initiates the arrangement. b. The couple always lives with the husband’s family (patrilocal residence). c. The woman is valued for her economic potential. d. Both families lose face (social status) if they […]

People in many societies, including the Azande of East Africa, believe in a magical witchcraft substance that is: a. Controlled by the most powerful people in society. b. Hidden under the central shrine of the community. c. Part of the […]

Define marriage. Phillip Bourgois’ work with the homeless and drug addicts in San Francisco has led to a better understanding of issues of economic change, cultural structures, and the effects on individual lives. Answer: T What does it mean to […]

Under what conditions do we expect an increasingly specialized and complex division of labor? What does J. Christopher Kovats-Bernat mean by the concept of “mutual responsibility” under ethnographic conditions of violence? Answer: He means that both the anthropologist and informant […]

The Tirailleurs Senegalais were: a. A police force used to patrol Dakar, the capital of Senegal. b. The name for the French troops that were stationed in Africa. c. Workers in gold mines in West Africa caught in a battle […]

According to Keith Basso, why do Apache Indians find white speech so offensive? What is the World Bank? Answer: It is an international agency that provides technical assistance and loans to promote international trade and economic development, especially to poor […]

Why do many anthropologists believe that football is so popular in the United States? Define sociolinguistics and give an example of it. Answer: It is a specialization within anthropological linguistics that focuses on speech performance. An example would be a […]

The total population of the world as of 2012 is approximately: a. 2.7 billion. b. 4.53 billion. c. 6.84 billion. d. 10.74 billion. e. 12.5 billion. Fritz Scholder’s paintings combine historical images with abstract expressionism and pop art. A fundamental […]

An important kinship feature in a bilateral kinship system is: a. Clan. b. Matrilineage. c. Patrilineage. d. Phratry. e. Kindred. Comparing culture to a system implies that: a. A change in one part of culture will result in changes in […]

Name four social and/or technological developments that aided Europe in expansion. How is a subculture different from a dominant culture? Answer: It is a system of perceptions, values, beliefs, and customs that are significantly different from those of a large, […]

Which of the following correctly describes current anthropological thinking about the emergence of state level societies? a. States emerged for different reasons in different places and at different times. b. Control of irrigation was critical to the original emergence of […]

The fact that neolocal families are common in many industrialized societies is related to: a. The high rate of divorce in such societies. b. The high levels of mobility common in such societies. c. The government assistance to both the […]

All of the following are changes that China has faced recently due to global and domestic economic changes: a. Increasing middle class. b. Increasing gap between opportunities and services in rural and urban areas. c. Increasing income disparity. d. Decreasing […]

According to David Gilmore, similar ideas of manhood are almost a universal aspect of male behavior because: a. Those who possess it are likely to be more successful in the search for mates. b. Those who possess it are likely […]

The Nuer are a patrilineal society in which clans and lineages function as a type of political structure. This is called: a. A segmentary lineage system. b. A segmentary corporate system. c. A unilineal political system. d. A bilateral lineage […]

If a person speaks a more “proper” form of English (such as SSAE instead of AAVE), then their thought process will become more complex and rational. Do sweatshops operate currently in the U.S.? Explain your answer. Answer: They do. There […]

Name four characteristics of a foraging society. Name three leveling mechanisms that exist in the Chiapas district of Mexico. Answer: Leveling occurs in the household, through inheritance, and in the system of cargo. The HRAF is an attempt to facilitate […]

“Inis Beag,” a community near Galway in Ireland, is known as one of the most sexually nave of all the world’s societies. How are parallel cousins different from cross cousins? Answer: Parallel cousins are children of an individual’s mother’s sister […]