40. Postmodernists emphasize:
a. solitary research by one ethnographer.
b. the rejection of generalizing and developing predictable theories.
c. a close relation to biology that focuses on cultures as a biological necessity.
d. the extreme etic approach.
e. the local people only, disregarding any kind of global effects.
41. Postmodern anthropology:
a. is similar to the cultural materialism because it is an empirical approach.
b. is wedded to the etic point of view and is considered an extreme scientific approach.
c. argues that culture should be understood from several perspectives.
d. aims at the construction of laws and generalizations.
e. focuses specifically on the development of technology and its effect on culture.
42. Most anthropologists today:
a. utilize evolutionary theory.
b. utilize neoevolutionary theory.
c. use materialist approaches that emphasize technology.
d. focus primarily on ethnoscience.
e. do not tie themselves to a single theoretical orientation
Chapter4—TheGrowthofAnthropologicalTheory
43. Interpretive anthropology is part of which theoretical orientation?
a. Neoevolutionsism
b. Cultural materialism
c. Diffusionism
d. Humanistic anthropology
e. Ethnoscience
44. What is the primary contribution of interpretive anthropology?
a. Interpretive anthropology has increased awareness of the role of anthropologists.
b. Interpretive anthropology has increased our focus on description and ethnographic detail.
c. Interpretive anthropology has led to a much greater understanding of how cultures change.
d. Interpretive anthropology provides an etic point of view.
e. Interpretive anthropology has not made any new contributions to the field of anthropology.
45. In the cultural law of C=ET of Leslie White, the variables are:
a. culture, energy, time.
b. culture, energy, technology.
c. culture, evolution, time.
d. child-rearing, equality, territory.
e. culture, evolution, technology.
Chapter4—TheGrowthofAnthropologicalTheory
46. Which theory approaches society like a biological organism with many interconnected parts?
a. American historicism
b. Neoevolutionism
c. Feminist theory
d. Functionalism
e. Structural functionalism
47. Which theory argues that any culture is partially composed of traits diffused from other cultures?
a. Structural functionalism
b. American historicism
c. Ethnoscience
d. Postmodernism
e. Interpretive anthropology
48. Which theory most focuses on the unconscious level?
a. French structuralism
b. American historicism
c. Functionalism
d. Psychological anthropology
e. Postmodernism
Chapter4—TheGrowthofAnthropologicalTheory
49. Which theory operates on the assumption that cultures must be described in terms of native categories?
a. French structuralism
b. Psychological anthropology
c. Functionalism
d. Feminist anthropology
e. Ethnoscience
50. Which theory is the most opposed to postmodernism?
a. Ethnoscience
b. Psychological anthropology
c. Feminist anthropology
d. Cultural materialism
e. Diffusionism
51. Anthropological theory attempts to explain the great cultural diversity in the world.
a. True
b. False
52. Tylor and Morgan, as 19th-century evolutionists, based their theories on fragmentary data.
a. True
b. False
Chapter4—TheGrowthofAnthropologicalTheory
53. Evolutionary theory is an inductive approach to societies and diversity.
a. True
b. False
54. The British diffusionists maintained that all cultural features, wherever they may be found, had their origins in Britain.
a. True
b. False
55. Boas called for a moratorium on theorizing.
a. True
b. False
56. American Historicism is a deductive theoretical approach.
a. True
b. False
Chapter4—TheGrowthofAnthropologicalTheory
57. Structural functionalism is a theory that focuses on social stratification.
a. True
b. False
58. Malinowski argued that dysfunction accompanied every society and every cultural group.
a. True
b. False
59. Praxis theory is a study of people’s work patterns and distribution of goods.
a. True
b. False
60. Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict took a Freudian approach to anthropology.
a. True
b. False
Chapter4—TheGrowthofAnthropologicalTheory
61. Leslie White gave credit to Lewis Henry Morgan and Edward Tylor for their earlier evolutionary theory, arguing that
they were essentially correct.
a. True
b. False
62. Franz Boas was the first and leading proponent of political ecology.
a. True
b. False
63. LéviStrauss’theorymaintainsthatthehumanmindthinksinbinaryoppositions.
a. True
b. False
64. French structuralism is based on the study of binary oppositions.
a. True
b. False
Chapter4—TheGrowthofAnthropologicalTheory
65. Ethnoscience takes an extreme etic approach to analyzing culture.
a. True
b. False
66. Today, anthropologists tend to be more eclectic with theory.
a. True
b. False
67. Ethnoscience attempts to describe a culture as it is perceived and categorized by the ethnographer.
a. True
b. False
68. Postmodernists emphasize that ethnographies should be written from several voices.
a. True
b. False
Chapter4—TheGrowthofAnthropologicalTheory
69. Interpretive anthropology is an approach headed up by Ward Goodenough.
a. True
b. False
70. Most anthropologists today are cultural ecologists.
a. True
b. False
71. Define the term theory.
72. What are the basic premises of the theory of evolutionism?
73. Although diffusionism was a very interesting theory that contributed to our understanding of change as a result of
culture contact, there were many areas for which it was a weak approach. Name at least four questions that the
diffusionist approach could not answer.
Chapter4—TheGrowthofAnthropologicalTheory
74. Why did Franz Boas call for a moratorium on theory?
75. In addition to performing the function of distributing goods within the society, what other areas of Trobriand culture
are related to the kula ring?
76. What was Margaret Mead attempting to demonstrate in her research among the Arapesh, Tchambuli, and
Mundugumor of New Guinea?
77. What three kinds of evolutionary thought did Julian Steward recognize?
78. What is the significance of binary oppositions in French structuralism?
Chapter4—TheGrowthofAnthropologicalTheory
79. What is the task of an ethnoscientist?
80. What three aspects do cultural materialists consider the most important parts of cultural systems?
81. How are the preordained evolutionary stages of Tylor’s and Morgan’s theories of cultural evolution ethnocentric?
What effect did limited empirical data on non-Western societies have on the development of this theory?
82. What are the most important contributions of Boas’ American historicism approach? Why was ethnographic
fieldwork important to him? Why did he want women trained as anthropologists?
83. What is the difference between an inductive and a deductive theory? Use examples from anthropological theoretical
schools in order to illustrate your points.
Chapter4—TheGrowthofAnthropologicalTheory
84. There are several significant differences between functionalism and structural functionalism. Discuss these
differences and then discuss why these theories are considered part of the same theoretical school of thought.
85. How does the concept of gender affect the development of psychological anthropology?
86. Discuss the intellectual contributions Leslie White believes that Lewis Henry Morgan and Edward Tylor made to
White’stheoryofneoevolutionism.Doyouagreethattheseareverysimilarapproachestothestudyofhuman
diversity?
87. Distinguish between the three major forms of evolutionary thought that Julian Steward proposed: unilinear evolution,
universal evolution, and multilinear evolution.
88. What is political economy? How does its position and methodology differ from the political ecology?
Chapter4—TheGrowthofAnthropologicalTheory
89. Compare and contrast cultural materialism with political ecology. How would the same culture be approached
differently by anthropologists holding these different points of view?
90. Mostanthropologiststodayare“eclectic.”Havinglearnedaboutthevarioustheoriesinanthropology’spast,doyou
believe that an eclectic approach is the best type? What advantages and disadvantages would be associated with this
change in approach?