40. The study of other cultures and other ways of life should lead us to an understanding that:
a. all cultures have value and none is better than any other.
b. some cultures are more valuable than others.
c. all cultures are created equally but history allows some to be more successful than others.
d. all cultures face the same challenges and have the same history.
e. there is no such thing as cultural diversity.
41. Dr. Ann Soetoro, the mother of President Barack Obama, was a cultural anthropologist who worked in Indonesia
studying:
a. ritual practices and religious change.
b. agricultural improvement and multinational corporations.
c. economic development and entrepreneurism among rural craftspeople.
d. gender roles in society.
e. educational policy and improvements.
42. Which statement about the applied research of Susan Squires is true?
a. Since children are not very hungry when they wake-up at 6:30 a.m., they often leave the house at 7 a.m.
without eating much of anything.
b. Families with two working parents have more nutritious breakfasts than families with only one working parent.
c. Her research led to the development of the breakfast cereal Fruit Loops.
d. Children, parents, and grandparents in the U.S. generally agree on what constitutes a healthy breakfast.
e. Breakfast is not a culturally significant topic of study.
Chapter1—WhatIsAnthropology?
43. The study of anthropology develops all of the following skills EXCEPT:
a. developing cognitive complexity.
b. appreciating other perspectives.
c. responsible money management.
d. building emotional resilience.
e. operating more comfortably in ambiguous situations.
44. In order to truly appreciate other cultural perspectives, which of the following is most vital?
a. Be willing to make cultural evaluations based on past experience.
b. Let go of cultural certainty in order to learn something new.
c. Work effectively to achieve short-term goals despite cultural differences.
d. Learn to ignore cultural differences as being unimportant.
e. Cultivate friendships in as many cultures as possible.
45. The ability to see how a single entity is composed of a number of different parts and how these parts are
interconnected is called:
a. cognitive complexity.
b. cultural sensitivity.
c. cultural relativism.
d. differentiation.
e. integration.
Chapter1—WhatIsAnthropology?
46. Being attentive to both verbal and nonverbal communication is a skill known as:
a. cognitive complexity.
b. differentiation.
c. integration.
d. global teamwork.
e. perceptual acuity.
47. Anincreasingnumberofrecenthighschoolgraduatesareoptingtotakea“gapyear,”travelingandinterningwith
organizations abroad before attending college. All of the following are critical skills in the 21st century EXCEPT:
a. a fluency in a second language.
b. a broad-based approach to learning and experience.
c. an ability to determine which culture is best and most valuable.
d. an ability to immerse themselves in another culture
e. a capacity to understand the logic and value of other cultures.
48. Which of the following statements about American values is most accurate?
a. Americans are collectivistic by nature and tend to choose to live in urban areas in increasing numbers.
b. Americans and Europeans share all of the same values.
c. American values are unique to our country and none are shared by other cultures because each culture is
unique.
d. Some values are shared widely by other cultures and some are particular to a culture.
e. No culture has values. Only individuals have values.
Chapter1—WhatIsAnthropology?
49. All of the following can be used to illustrate a pursuit of individualism that negatively impacts the common good in the
United States EXCEPT:
a. salary disparity between CEOs and the average worker.
b. the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
c. the practice of allowing business needs and desires to override health standards.
d. the widespread practice of giving to charity and other philanthropic societies.
e. the lack of personal care for elderly parents and grandparents.
50. Which of the anthropological subfields most prepares a student with the skills for success in the 21st century?
a. Anthropological linguistics
b. Cultural anthropology
c. Archaeology
d. Physical anthropology
e. Structural linguistics
51. Anthropologistsareconcernedwithallhumans,bothpastandpresent,aswellashumans’behaviorpatterns,thought
systems, and material possessions.
a. True
b. False
Chapter1—WhatIsAnthropology?
52. Physical anthropology is focused exclusively on the reconstruction of the human fossil record.
a. True
b. False
53. Anthropologists recognize non-human primates as important research subjects because they can be studied in
environments similar to those our human ancestors lived in several million years ago.
a. True
b. False
54. Race has never been a central concept in the study of anthropology.
a. True
b. False
55. Artifacts are things like seeds or bones that have been worked by humans.
a. True
b. False
56. Cultural resource management may involve very contemporary archaeological sites.
a. True
b. False
Chapter1—WhatIsAnthropology?
57. Anthropological linguistics is the least significant subfield in the discipline of anthropology.
a. True
b. False
58. The study of disease in prehistoric populations is called paleoanthropology.
a. True
b. False
59. Cultural anthropology involves the practice of both ethnography and ethnology. While ethnography is the study of
specific cultural traits and behaviors, ethnology is an approach meant to uncover general cultural laws and principles.
a. True
b. False
60. Environmental anthropology traditionally focused primarily on how non-Western peoples adapted to their physical
environments.
a. True
b. False
Chapter1—WhatIsAnthropology?
61. Because of the importance of holism in the study of anthropology, most anthropologists today are more generalized in
their studies than specialized.
a. True
b. False
62. Ethnocentrism is declining in the world today due to globalization.
a. True
b. False
63. A degree of ethnocentrism is found among all peoples and cultures.
a. True
b. False
64. One positive outcome of mild ethnocentrism is group solidarity and the development of cultural diversity.
a. True
b. False
Chapter1—WhatIsAnthropology?
65. The attitude of anthropology is one of cultural relativism. It undergirds and lays the foundation for understanding the
other.
a. True
b. False
66. Aperspectiveinethnographythatusestheconceptsandcategoriesoftheanthropologist’sculturetodescribe
another culture is called the emic approach.
a. True
b. False
67. One of the most important changes affecting cultures today is the phenomenon of globalization.
a. True
b. False
68. The field of applied anthropology works to put anthropological knowledge to use for governmental improvement and
stabilization. It is a highly political approach in the field.
a. True
b. False
Chapter1—WhatIsAnthropology?
69. An important skill for the 21st century will be the ability to balance contradictory needs and demands rather than
trying to eliminate them.
a. True
b. False
70. Ruth Benedict wrote her classic account of psychological anthropology on national character studies of the Chinese.
a. True
b. False
71. What are the subfields, or branches, of anthropology?
72. What is primatology and why is it important to the study of humans?
73. With what three types of material remains do archaeologists work?
74. What is sociolinguistics and what does it contribute to the field of anthropological linguistics?
75. Compare and contrast ethnography and ethnology.
76. What does the holistic approach in anthropology involve?
77. What is ethnocentrism?
78. Describe cultural relativism and explain why it is important in anthropology.
Chapter1—WhatIsAnthropology?
79. What does applied research in anthropology seek to do?
80. Namefive“skillsforthe21stCentury.”
81. Describe the four-field approach to anthropology. List the primary concerns of specialists in each field.
82. Consider why it is important to understand nonhuman primates. Discuss two important reasons for us to learn about
animals so like ourselves.
83. Why is it important for anthropologists to study contemporary human differences? What does it mean to say that all
humans are a single species? How important are physical differences in human populations? In your response,
consider both cultural and physical differences.
84. Although the work of anthropological linguists has changed over the last 100 years, this approach remains central to
our understanding of what it means to be human. Discuss the importance of language and what it can reveal about
culture and human change and adaptation.
85. Consider the significance of a specialty such as medical anthropology. Do you believe that this type of research is
more or less important today than when it first developed some 35 years ago? Provide examples within your
discussion.
86. Describe how anthropology is holistic. How does holism help us to learn about human nature?
87. Discuss both positive and negative aspects of ethnocentrism. Give examples of each.
88. Cultural relativism is often depicted as an attitude that allows any cultural practice to be explained as legitimate.
Anthropologists, however, do support a category of human rights and see certain human practices as morally
indefensible. Consider such things as genocide, female circumcision, or torture and explain why cultural relativism
may not be applicable in these cases.
89. What is the difference between applied and basic research in anthropology? Explain how both of these types of
research help us to better understand ourselves.
90. What unique perspectives do cultural anthropologists bring to the study of globalization in the 21st Century?