1. Economic anthropologists study production, distribution, and consumption:
a. only in industrialized societies of the world.
b. only in the non-industrialized societies of the world.
c. in all of the societies in the world, industrialized and non-industrialized.
d. only in the pastoral societies of the world.
e. in all societies where there is market exchange.
2. Which of the following assumptions is formal economic theory based on?
a. The value of a particular commodity decreases as it becomes more scarce.
b. Only occasionally do people maximize their material well-being.
c. People, when exchanging goods and services, naturally strive to maximize material well-being and profits.
d. Families will compete against each other to assert rights of ownership and allocation.
e. In societies where there is formal market exchange (commercialism), the market will determine all economic
activities of individuals.
3. Formal economic theory is based on studies of:
a. tribal societies.
b. industrialized societies.
c. European societies since 1995.
d. European societies since the Industrial Revolution.
e. pre-colonial Western societies.
Chapter8—Economics
4. All of the following are potential limitations to personal property rights in the United States EXCEPT:
a. right of eminent domain.
b. availability of resources.
c. zoning laws.
d. title and ownership of property.
e. foreign land ownership.
5. Rules that govern the allocation of resources and how they are used are found in:
a. very few societies.
b. only food-collecting societies.
c. Western societies only.
d. all societies in the world.
e. all food-producing societies.
6. In terms of private property rights to land, which of the following statements is true?
a. Food collectors seldom have the notion of personal land ownership.
b. Only elites in pastoral societies own pasture lands.
c. Only chiefs in horticultural societies own the land that is planted.
d. In food-producing societies, all individuals have private land ownership.
e. All state societies have private individual land ownership.
Chapter8—Economics
7. Foodcollectingcommunities’controloflandrights:
a. is uniform in all food-collecting societies.
b. is learned from contact with the surrounding societies (they tend to follow the same rules).
c. varies because in some societies territorial boundaries between bands or families are rigorously maintained.
d. is likely to continue long into the future in spite of contact with outside societies.
e. tends to be more legalistic when these communities are part of a state society.
8. Obtaining goods from the natural environment and transforming them into usable objects is called:
a. distribution.
b. consumption.
c. specialization.
d. production.
e. manufacture.
9. Which of the following statements about land ownership among hunters and gatherers is FALSE?
a. There is no concept of private property among hunters and gatherers.
b. Flexible territorial boundaries are a survival mechanism for some hunting and gathering groups.
c. Major changes in the hunting and gathering lifestyle have occurred because of the governments who control
their lands.
d. Hunters and gatherers tend to have a flexible understanding of property rights.
e. In most hunting and gathering societies, land is not owned either privately or collectively.
Chapter8—Economics
10. Land is most likely owned by an extended kinship group among:
a. food collectors.
b. horticulturalists.
c. pastoralists.
d. intensive agriculturalists.
e. industrial agriculturalists.
11. In most industrialized societies, the basic unit of production is the:
a. individual.
b. household.
c. village.
d. government.
e. private company.
12. In most non-industrialized societies, the basic unit of production is the:
a. individual.
b. household.
c. village.
d. government.
e. private company.
Chapter8—Economics
13. Which of the following is NOT a major difference between business firms and households as productive units?
a. The business firm is a more productive unit than the household.
b. The household unit performs more functions than the business firm.
c. The business firm is more self-sufficient than the household.
d. The household uses some of its resources for non-productive ends.
e. The business firm is almost exclusively a unit of production.
14. What is a matai?
a. A fine levied against those who trespass on lands in Tanzania
b. The leader of a potlatch; the one with the most prestige
c. A parcel of land among the Inuit of Nunavit
d. The head of a hunting and gathering group who makes formal decisions
e. A family member in Samoa who holds title to the land
15. Sex and age are the basis for the division of labor in:
a. only food collecting societies.
b. only pastoralist societies.
c. only food producing societies.
d. all societies.
e. state and chiefdom societies.
Chapter8—Economics
16. The universal division of labor based on sex:
a. causes a great deal of conflict between men and women everywhere.
b. is much stricter in indigenous societies than in state societies.
c. occurs in all societies worldwide.
d. is caused by the limited physical abilities of women.
e. is not an efficient way to develop socially.
17. In a number of developing countries today:
a. an increasing number of children under age 14 engage in wage employment.
b. children only work on household chores and are not allowed to work in factories.
c. children are prohibited by their religion to work for wages.
d. an decreasing number of children under age 12 are engaged in wage employment.
e. children are being replaced by women as the primary wage earners for the family.
18. Wage employment of children under age 14 is nearly universally condemned for all of the following reasons
EXCEPT:
a. children are often exploited.
b. children often work in unsafe and dangerous conditions.
c. children lose their opportunity for proper education.
d. children cannot earn enough money to help their families.
e. children are exposed to dangerous substances.
Chapter8—Economics
19. A worker at age 65 receiving a gold watch at retirement is an example of:
a. the waning physical and mental strength of the elderly.
b. the allocation of tasks by age.
c. negative reciprocity.
d. gender specialization.
e. productive distribution of resources.
20. Reciprocity refers to an exchange of goods and/or services of:
a. unequal value that occurs at the same moment in time.
b. exactly the same value that occurs over a short period of time.
c. relatively equal value between two parties without the use of money.
d. unequal value between elites and commoners in a state society.
e. relatively equal value between more than two parties that sometimes involves the use of money.
21. Distribution of meat beyond the immediate family in hunting and gathering societies is an example of:
a. generalized reciprocity.
b. balanced reciprocity.
c. negative reciprocity.
d. redistribution.
e. market exchange.
Chapter8—Economics
22. The type of social solidarity based on an increase in the complexity of labor specialization is known as:
a. mechanical solidarity.
b. organic solidarity.
c. industrial solidarity.
d. reciprocal solidarity.
e. mechanistic solidarity.
23. Generalized reciprocity usually occurs:
a. in highly industrialized societies.
b. among labor and management in Western corporations.
c. among family members and close friends.
d. in racially-segregated societies.
e. as charity for poor people.
24. What is the primary reason for balanced reciprocity?
a. To exchange surplus goods for those that are in short supply
b. To create social networks and political alliances
c. To locate marriage partners
d. To develop long-range trade networks that extend beyond the immediate vicinity
e. To allocate resources among various social classes within a society
Chapter8—Economics
25. What is silent trade?
a. Trade in which there is no fixed value associated with the goods being exchanged
b. Tradeinwhichthepartnersneverknoweachother’sidentity
c. Trade in which the items being exchanged are not known in advance (one accepts whatever is offered)
d. Trade in which the partners have no face-to-face contact
e. Tradeinwhichnogoodsareexchanged—onlyservices
26. Tribute is a form of redistribution that:
a. is found only among foraging societies.
b. can be found in chiefdoms with no standardized currency.
c. includes the Hadza of Tanzania.
d. is found in all market economies.
e. can be found in all societies.
27. Redistribution, as a principle of exchange, includes all of the following EXCEPT:
a. big men and feast givers.
b. bridewealth.
c. potlatch.
d. tribute.
e. silent trade.
Chapter8—Economics
28. Which statement about tribute, or chiefly redistribution, is true?
a. It is found most often in hunting and gathering societies.
b. It is based on the principle of equitable distribution among the parties.
c. It functions to affirm the power of the chief and the solidarity of the people.
d. It functions to allocate resources from commoners to the chief so that she or he can survive.
e. It is used by chiefs as a way to obtain standing armies and military men to support their political power.
29. Which of the following is known as a self-made leader?
a. Chief
b. Big man
c. Slave
d. Elder
e. Provost
30. The potlatch, as practiced by the Northwest coastal American Indians, served to do all of the following EXCEPT:
a. show preservation of physical resources.
b. confer status on generous givers.
c. distribute material goods to a wide range of people.
d. maintain regional stability.
e. measure prestige of the host.
31. Market exchange systems require:
a. heavy face-to-face contact.
b. a non-standardized currency.
c. a complex division of labor.
d. only a small amount of surplus production.
e. high amounts of status and prestige.
32. A potlatch is considered an example of:
a. generalized reciprocity.
b. negative reciprocity.
c. market exchange.
d. redistribution.
e. silent trade.
33. All of the following are functions (or consequences) associated with bridewealth EXCEPT:
a. legalizing marriage.
b. legitimating children.
c. creating bonds between relatives.
d. maintaining equitable distribution in society.
e. increasing divorce rates.
Chapter8—Economics
34. The direct exchange of commodities between people that does not involve standardized currency is called:
a. redistribution.
b. informal economy.
c. market economy.
d. barter.
e. trade.
35. What is the major prerequisite of market exchange?
a. The value of a good is based on supply and demand.
b. Exchange is based on currency.
c. Exchange occurs within a commercial environment.
d. Goods and services are culturally relevant.
e. Distribution occurs among a minimum of two parties.
36. Today there are two fundamentally different types of markets. What are they?
a. Markets that use standardized money and those that include barter
b. Geographically-bounded markets and those open via websites (Internet)
c. Markets that focus on foodstuffs and markets that focus on services
d. Urban markets and rural markets
e. Markets that incur taxation and those that are informal
Chapter8—Economics
37. All of the following are characteristics of informal markets EXCEPT:
a. unregulated workers.
b. self-employed individuals.
c. illegal activities.
d. no taxation of sales.
e. a wide variety of goods and services.
38. All of the following are reasons that money is significant in market exchange EXCEPT:
a. money is a more flexible system of exchange.
b. money is always a part of market economies.
c. money is divisible and can be applied to various types and amounts of purchases.
d. money is transportable.
e. money is a form of deferred payment.
39. Every state economy today is a blend of both:
a. free markets and formal markets.
b. government control and informal markets.
c. formal markets and black markets.
d. informal markets and free markets.
e. government control and free markets.
Chapter8—Economics