Name: ___________________________ Class: _________________ Date: __________
chapter 3
1. Explain how ethnographers can explore global phenomena by conducting fieldwork
at the local level.
2. Compare Nancy Scheper-Hughes’s early ethnographic fieldwork in Alto do
Cruzeiro with her current research and work with Organs Watch. How has
globalization affected her fieldwork?
3. What are the core moral and ethical concerns of anthropological research? Why
are they necessary?
4. Define zeros and explain their significance for ethnographers.
5. Define three fieldwork strategies that anthropologists use to conduct research for
an ethnography, and describe the context in which each is used.
6. Evaluate the merits of the long-term participant observation advocated by
Bronislaw Malinowski relative to merits of the methods of “armchair” anthropology,
discussing both these concepts in the context of today’s social media networks and
the Internet as avenues for conducting research.
7. Describe the state of anthropological research at the end of the nineteenth century.
How did it change to include fieldwork and ethnography? Describe at least two
anthropologists who were responsible for the field’s shift to an emphasis on
fieldwork and the strategies they used. What do you think are some of their most
lasting contributions to anthropology?
8. Explain why ethnography is considered both a science and an art.
9. Increased migration has led anthropologists to conduct ethnographic research in
new ways, such as collecting data in two or more locations. What type of
ethnography is this?
a.
reflexive
b.
extensive
c.
public
d.
multisited
10. How does the problem of organ trafficking from the poor in Brazil, as documented
in Scheper-Hughes’s work, mirror the plight of poor people in different countries
where she has not worked?
a.
The poor are a vulnerable population and are often exploited.
b.
The poor are a safe source of organs for patients who can cover the costs.
c.
The poor usually seek to sell their organs directly without intermediaries.
d.
The poor are closely protected by local authorities.
11. What changed and expanded in the late twentieth century that has allowed
anthropologists to continue research even after leaving the field?
a.
transportation
b.
diplomatic relations
c.
economics
d.
communications
12. During the 1960s and 1970s, how was anthropology’s role in colonialism viewed,
and why?
a.
negatively—for not assisting in colonization efforts
b.
negatively—for providing information to the military and depicting colonial
subjects as unable to govern themselves
c.
positively—for helping colonial subjects fight against colonial rule
d.
neutrally—there was no opinion on this topic during this time.
13. How would you describe the problems pertaining to the vulnerability of research
subjects involved in a study of Facebook groups?
a.
The study population might be self-selecting, and therefore
nonrepresentative.
b.
The researcher would not be able to establish meaningful connections.
c.
The population would not have the chance to say things in their own words.
d.
The participants would not have anonymity.
14. How did the American Anthropological Association’s “do no harm” mandate come
into existence?
a.
Anti-colonialist ideas spurred a debate in the 1900s about the role of
anthropology in protecting indigenous groups.
b.
The loss of life during the Human Terrain Systems Program was made public
and provoked outrage among the anthropological community.
c.
An increasing awareness of the loss of Amazonian rain forest populations
evoked a worldwide outcry.
d.
Questions about the ethical and moral behavior of anthropologists toward the
end of the twentieth century led to changes in attitude about their roles and
responsibilities with respect to informants.
15. The anthropological practice of sharing ethnographic information on particular
communities with nonanthropological institutions such as the military has been
questioned within the discipline of anthropology under
a.
the covert operations rulebook.
b.
foreign aid guidelines.
c.
efforts toward economic development.
d.
a directive called “do no harm.”
16. One way in which anthropologists make an effort to protect informants’ anonymity
is by
a.
anonymizing names in publications while continuing to use subjects’ real
names in research notes.
b.
using the real names of communities but not those of the people living there.
c.
altering details about people randomly in publications so that the people
cannot be identified.
d.
referring to individuals in both research notes and publications using
alternate names or codes.
17. An anthropologist conducts ethnographic research on the lives of undocumented
immigrant families. How might the anthropologist justify publishing intimate and
potentially incriminating details about the subjects?
a.
All poor people must be given an equal voice, and publishing ethnographic
research is the most useful way to accomplish this.
b.
The researcher must have obtained informed consent and ensured the
anonymity of the subjects.
c.
The anthropologist must publish the results to help stop undocumented
immigration.
d.
The anthropologist will violate the “do no harm” mandate unless the research
is published.
18. You are conducting research among a group of migrant farmworkers in southern
Florida and you realize that some of them are undocumented. You know that you
are able to protect their identities, even if you publish your findings widely, because
of your commitment to what ethical principle?
a.
polyvocality
b.
informed consent
c.
anonymity
d.
participant observation
19. Programs like Human Terrain Systems Program and the Minerva Initiative offer
funding to anthropologists whose work can benefit defense planning. Many
anthropologists see this as a problem for the discipline. What do they find
problematic?
a.
an excess of funding sources for a narrow range of interests
b.
the weaponizing of anthropology
c.
the corruption of scientific discovery
d.
recruitment of anthropologists as fighting soldiers
20. Anthropologists are able to collect information, select which people to highlight,
and choose which facts to publish in their results. What key aspect of writing
ethnography does this clearly illustrate?
a.
the importance of accurate notes in the field
b.
the crucial need for different types of anthropologists today
c.
how the type of ethnographic writing affects the published results
d.
the reality that all anthropological inquiry is a form of interpretation
21. The introduction of global communication methods mean that anthropologists’ work
is now read by new audiences worldwide. What implications does this have with
respect to writing and publishing ethnography?
a.
Despite advances in communication, uneven development in communication
technologies means that anthropologists can expect that members of
informant communities will not read their work.
b.
Regardless of the audience, when they publish their work, anthropologists
must strive to be scientific and unbiased by the opinions of the communities
being portrayed about how they are portrayed.
c.
Anthropologists write for academic audiences, so their work is rarely
accessible to others.
d.
Anthropologists must consider that members of informant communities may
read their publications and that they will expect their communities to be
accurately portrayed and their concerns appropriately expressed.
22. One recent development in ethnography includes a kind of “full disclosure,” in
which anthropologists can discuss the length of fieldwork and their relationships
with their research subjects. This is seen as valuable because it
a.
maintains a level of impersonal reflection.
b.
helps ensure ethnographic loyalty from informants.
c.
is how an ethnographer builds the personal framework.
d.
clarifies the nature of ethnographic authority.
23. One of the changes in ethnographic work that has occurred in the twenty-first
century has to do with the degree to which local voices are considered. How has
this changed?
a.
The inclusion of local voices has decreased.
b.
The inclusion of local voices has increased.
c.
The inclusion of local voices is discouraged.
d.
Today, local voices are used exclusively.
24. An anthropologist publishes a book about their fieldwork in Morocco. The
anthropologist interviewed many people in the field and publishes much of those
raw interviews as part of the text in each chapter. Why is this a polyvocal
approach?
a.
It includes many voices from the people interviewed.
b.
The voices of the informants are used to describe the ethnographer’s
personal perspective.
c.
There is no actual survey data in the book.
d.
It uses selective accounts of the informants to tell the whole story.
25. What term describes ethnographers’ awareness that they should engage in critical
self-examination regarding the role they play in the research process?
a.
polyvocality
b.
reflexivity
c.
etic
d.
emic
26. In the past, anthropology has been criticized for failing to properly include the
communities being studied into the research process. What practice do
anthropologists today frequently use as a response to those critiques?
a.
longer periods of fieldwork
b.
elements of polyvocality
c.
emic perspectives
d.
key informant interviews
27. Which of the following is an example of a zero?
a.
the presence of a local politician from an important community meeting
b.
an interviewee describing in detail how she felt at a particular event
c.
a mother’s avoidance of discussing her children’s deaths
d.
the inability of an anthropologist to collect statistical data
28. What is the difference between kinship analysis and social network analysis?
a.
Kinship analysis looks at marriage and family ties, while social network
analysis examines relationships throughout the community.
b.
Kinship analysis is only done in small towns, and social network analysis is
only done in large urban areas.
c.
Kinship analyses involve a smaller number of people.
d.
Social network analyses are only done online.
29. Imagine you are getting ready to conduct an ethnography on the family and
marriage history of royalty in the United Kingdom. What strategy could be
considered necessary in order to understand the diverse and complex relationships
among the people you’re studying?
a.
mutual transformation
b.
key informant interviews
c.
kinship analysis
d.
surveys
30. What perspective do anthropologists use in their ethnographies when they want to
take a zoomed-out approach to describing the culture they work with in order to
make comparisons and larger analyses?
a.
etic
b.
polyvocal
c.
thick description
d.
emic
31. An anthropologist writes an ethnography of coal miners in West Virginia purely
from their own “insider’s” point of view. What perspective is the anthropologist
using?
a.
etic
b.
polyvocality
c.
ethnographic
d.
emic
32. You are conducting fieldwork and invite local heads of household to a focus group
session. You notice that all the heads of household that arrive are women. For
research purposes, the men in these families are referred to as
a.
zeros.
b.
patriarchs.
c.
key informants.
d.
imponderabilia.
33. Ethnology is the process of ________ and can be used to examine activities,
trends, and patterns of power across cultures.
a.
transformation
b.
social network analysis
c.
mapping
d.
comparison
34. What is an obstacle that ethnographers will likely need to overcome in their own
personal lives while conducting long-term fieldwork?
a.
gaining access to observe everyday life and practices
b.
establishing close rapport with community members
c.
gaining a perspective on complex systems of power and meaning
d.
ethnocentric attitudes about cultural superiority
35. It is essential that ethnographers map communities because mapping
a.
allows the anthropologist to identify key informants.
b.
documents the randomness of the built environment.
c.
provides a deep immersion in the rhythms of daily life.
d.
illuminates how the use of space influences social interactions.
36. What do anthropologists call community members who guide, advise, and teach
the ethnographer during fieldwork?
a.
local collaborators
b.
tribal elders
c.
key informants
d.
primary subjects
37. On arriving at a new site for ethnographic research, you spend time walking
through the small village complex where you live. What useful ethnographic
information do you discover in doing this?
a.
who the friendliest people in the area are
b.
a spatial awareness of where people live
c.
who in the village likes to sit around drinking at night
d.
how the history of the village developed over time
38. What is one of the typical first steps taken during the planning stages of a fieldwork
project?
a.
identifying key informants
b.
establishing rapport
c.
charting kinship networks
d.
conducting a literature review
39. What is the significant difference between quantitative and qualitative data?
a.
Qualitative data is more difficult to obtain.
b.
Qualitative data cannot be counted.
c.
Quantitative data is subject to the bias of the ethnographer.
d.
Quantitative data is only obtained via direct conversation.
40. Which ethnography set modern standards for ethnography?
a.
Malinowski’s Argonauts of the Western Pacific
b.
Mead’s Coming of Age in Samoa
c.
Evans-Pritchard’s The Nuer
d.
Steward’s The People of Puerto Rico
41. Which of the following is an example of engaged anthropology?
a.
the sharing of information on Iraqi communities to the U.S. military by
anthropologists
b.
Shannon Speed’s work with the indigenous people of Chiapas, Mexico, in
their fight for return of their ancestral lands and protection of human rights
c.
Franz Boas’s work with the indigenous Kwakiutl people of the Pacific
Northwest of the United States and Canada
d.
E. E. Evans-Pritchard’s ethnography of the life of the Sudanese tribe, the
Nuer
42. Which theory did “armchair anthropologists” of the late nineteenth century apply to
their work?
a.
four-field approach
b.
reflexivity
c.
cultural relativism
d.
unilineal cultural evolution
43. Which of the following is not a factor that led to the development of anthropology
and the practice of fieldwork?
a.
globalization of the late nineteenth century
b.
professionalization of data gathering
c.
desire to understand each culture on its own terms
d.
rapid dwindling of native cultures
44. Sydney Mintz conducted research on sugar production in Puerto Rico in the 1970s
and 1980s, examining the way local communities were affected by capitalism.
What other problems did his work help to illustrate?
a.
the use of small-scale communities as a subject of research
b.
the changing nature of food production
c.
the consequences of globalization on communities
d.
banking systems as a central power in global economies
45. Because Nancy Scheper-Hughes has been a community activist and an advocate
for her research subjects, what kind of anthropology can we consider her work to
be?
a.
experimental
b.
engaged
c.
reflexive
d.
medical
46. How did early twentieth-century anthropology differ from the anthropology
practiced in nineteenth-century Europe?
a.
Twentieth-century anthropologists’ research focused on kinship and religion,
whereas nineteenth-century anthropologists were more interested in
economics and politics.
b.
Whereas twentieth-century anthropologists took a four-field approach to
understanding culture, nineteenth-century anthropologists were mostly
interested in material culture.
c.
Nineteenth-century anthropologists were mostly interested in present-day
cultures and evolutionary processes that may have created them, but
twentieth-century anthropologists were interested in the processes by which
cultures changed.
d.
Nineteenth-century anthropologists conducted long-term fieldwork, but
twentieth-century anthropologists tended to rely on explorers’ accounts.
47. In an age of intensifying globalization, ethnographic research continues to provide
a deep understanding of informants’ everyday lives and cultures, due in large part
to the continued use of what specific part of the anthropologist’s toolkit?
a.
conducting surveys
b.
drawing maps
c.
participant observation
d.
reflexivity
48. E. E. Evans-Pritchard used a synchronic approach in establishing social
anthropology through his work doing
a.
a careful reexamination of Bronislaw Malinowski’s work in the Trobriand
Islands.
b.
a methodical analysis of social life among the Nuer of Africa.
c.
an examination of effects of British colonialism in Puerto Rico.
d.
an analysis of how British colonialism altered the idea of exchange in the kula
ring economy.
49. What aspect of Julian Steward and Sidney Mintz’s work introduced a new
approach to ethnography?
a.
They conducted a collaborative restudy of the Trobriand Islands.
b.
They researched social life among the Nuer of Africa, while others in his team
studied the forgotten peoples of Europe.
c.
They engaged in collaborative, multisited research as their team studied the
effects of colonialism in Puerto Rico.
d.
They examined sexuality in Samoa through close collaborative fieldwork.
50. How did Annette Weiner, a feminist anthropologist, challenge preexisting theories
in anthropology?
a.
She conducted a restudy of the Trobriand Islands and drew new conclusions
about gender roles.
b.
She rewrote the ethnographies of Evans-Pritchard’s work on the Nuer,
focusing primarily on women.
c.
She established reflexivity as a key part of ethnography through her work in
Puerto Rico.
d.
She closely reexamined sexuality in Samoa and expanded the role of women
in that study.
51. Margaret Mead was both controversial and renowned for her work. Which of the
following statements best describes that work?
a.
She conducted deep-immersion studies of the Trobriand Islands.
b.
She challenged existing work done among the Nuer of Africa.
c.
She studied the effects of colonialism in Puerto Rico.
d.
She examined sexuality and gender in Samoa.
52. What did Lewis Henry Morgan do that was an exception in the field of anthropology
at that time?
a.
He conducted a restudy of the Trobriand Islands.
b.
He researched social life among the Nuer of Africa.
c.
He and his team studied the effects of colonialism in Puerto Rico.
d.
He conducted fieldwork in order to become an expert on Native Americans.
53. E. E. Evans-Pritchard’s approach to anthropology has been criticized for being
ahistorical. What was one of the major shortcomings of his work?
a.
He ignored the fact that the communities he studied were part of a larger
preexisting colonial system.
b.
He conducted experiments on people while in the field without their informed
consent.
c.
He failed to consider the impact of his work on the tribes he studied.
d.
He lacked understanding about the forces of evolution that had shaped
modern humans.
54. Margaret Mead’s talent for blending fieldwork with dynamic writing about cross–
cultural gender roles provided her with the authority and opportunity to do what?
a.
instigate change in Samoan society through protest
b.
engage in cultural debates with a broad public audience
c.
demonstrate that gender is universal
d.
reinforce existing norms regarding appropriate female behavior
55. What idea introduced by Bronislaw Malinowski is fundamental to all research
conducted by contemporary cultural anthropologists?
a.
participant observation
b.
archival research
c.
engaged anthropology
d.
synchronic study
56. What did Bronislaw Malinowski specifically encourage fellow anthropologists to do
in his guidelines?
a.
clearly document the kinship system of the people being studied
b.
take time to learn the local language of the people being studied
c.
carefully document the geographical setting of the people being studied
d.
conduct in-depth analysis of a culture from an armchair
57. Franz Boas is credited with developing the concept of cultural relativism. What
made cultural relativism radical at that time?
a.
It views each culture as a variation of unilineal evolution.
b.
It applies an ethnocentric perspective to studying different cultures.
c.
It seeks to understand each culture on its own unique merits.
d.
It views cultures exclusively through comparative ethnology.
58. Attempts to document Native American cultures that anthropologists feared would
disappear with the westward expansion of settlers are called salvage ethnography.
This method involves
a.
rapidly gathering available material and key interviews.
b.
rapidly assessing local conditions and numerous in-depth interviews.
c.
observing many participants over a long period of time.
d.
collecting only material goods that were considered trash.
59. Henry Lewis Morgan and Edward Burnett Tylor, two early anthropologists, had
notably different approaches to anthropological research. In conducting his
research, Tylor
a.
was able to work from his favorite armchair.
b.
worked in the communities he was studying for years at a time.
c.
applied statistical methods to the accounts of others.
d.
conducted salvage ethnography of Native Americans.
60. Current forms of ethnographic fieldwork in cultural anthropology are rooted in
a.
early biological models.
b.
modern philosophical debates.
c.
turn-of-the-century demographic trends.
d.
late-nineteenth-century globalization.
61. The roots of today’s anthropology emerged from very early accounts of travelers in
previous centuries. What about these accounts helped fuel anthropological inquiry?
a.
a desire to further the hard sciences
b.
a desire to mold the unknown world to fit anthropologists’ ideas
c.
intense curiosity about the nature of other unknown lands and peoples
d.
a drive to compare cultural practices to discover universally superior
behaviors
62. Select the research question that best fits Nancy Scheper-Hughes’s fieldwork in
Alto do Cruzeiro.
a.
How can the international community reduce poverty in Brazil?
b.
Why do mothers refuse to grieve when their babies die?
c.
Why do fathers love their children more than mothers do?
d.
What historical factors resulted in profound poverty in Brazilian shantytowns?
63. Which of the following statements about culture shock and ethnographic fieldwork
is accurate?
a.
Anthropologists may experience culture shock when they return to their home
culture.
b.
Anthropologists avoid or deny culture shock whenever possible.
c.
It is possible, but rare, for an anthropologist to experience culture shock
when entering the field.
d.
Culture shock is caused primarily by extreme events such as violence or
natural disasters.
64. Fieldwork is considered a scientific approach to understanding human societies.
However, because it involves adaptation, intuition, and interpretation, it is also
considered
a.
precise qualitative evaluation.
b.
a form of exploitation.
c.
an art.
d.
intrusive.
65. Fieldwork is often considered a rite of passage for students. Why might this be the
case?
a.
Having conducted fieldwork signifies that the student has achieved a certain
level of education in anthropology.
b.
Fieldwork incites a special kind of mutual transformation between the student
and the people they are studying.
c.
Fieldwork is a key developmental stage for all social scientists.
d.
Fieldwork uncovers ethnocentrism and develops a sense of deep empathy
for others.
66. Anthropologists conducting fieldwork may experience a particular kind of
disorientation from the “strangeness” they discover. Which term is used to describe
this experience?
a.
kinship
b.
culture shock
c.
polyvocality
d.
reflexivity
67. What is the necessary starting point for all anthropologists conducting fieldwork?
a.
Nancy Scheper-Hughes’s notion of volunteerism and activism
b.
Margaret Mead’s emphasis on dynamic writing
c.
Franz Boas’s notion of cultural relativism
d.
E. E. Evans-Pritchard’s synchronic approach
68. What was Nancy Scheper-Hughes’s role in Alto do Cruzeiro when she first arrived
there?
a.
social science research assistant
b.
Doctors without Borders volunteer
c.
physician’s assistant
d.
Peace Corps volunteer
Answer Key
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