Deck 2: Culture

Question 1

In the course of participant observation,an anthropologist is often called upon to do things that he or she might not ordinarily ever consider doing.This allows him or her to develop a keen understanding of beliefs and practices of others through

A) ethnographic practice.
B) cultural relativism.
C) cultural reflexivity.
D) cultural ethnocentrism.

Answer 1

cultural relativism.

Question 2

Sitting in your Anthropology class helps you learn about anthropology,but it also offers lessons in culture known as

A) unconscious instruction.
B) human learning.
C) relativism.
D) enculturation.

Answer 2

enculturation.

Question 3

An anthropologist studying female circumcision might be horrified by the practice,but must also be able to suspend personal judgment in order to understand the beliefs and practices of others within their own cultural context.This is understood as

A) relative altruism.
B) cultural relativism.
C) relative culturalism.
D) contextual relativism.

Answer 3

cultural relativism.

Question 4

Spatial comfort zones,such as standing too close to a member of another culture,are examples of which of the following?

A) symbolic actions
B) spatial actions
C) value actions
D) normative actions

Question 5

Family gatherings that honor particular moments in our lives-weddings,special holidays,and so forth-are often sources of tension when different family members want to "change things up." As a facet of culture and how we learn it,this reminds us that culture is a shared experience and is

A) static in that it remains identical,consistent,and uncontested over time.
B) constantly contested,negotiated,and changing.
C) genetically inherited.
D) completely unique to humans.

Question 6

Which of the following is one of the four elements that an anthropologist considers in attempting to understand the complex workings of a culture?

A) symbols
B) politics
C) economics
D) discourses

Question 7

Ideas or rules about how people should behave in particular situations or toward certain other people are considered

A) beliefs.
B) meanings.
C) norms.
D) values.

Question 8

Edward Burnett Tylor (1832-1917)is credited with crafting the first definition of which of the following concepts utilized in anthropology?

A) ethnography
B) cultural relativism
C) ethnocentrism
D) culture

Question 9

The text tells the story of how actor Richard Gere's public kiss of an Indian movie star was seen as a serious broach of etiquette,something that he undoubtedly did not foresee at the time.Both Gere and those who criticized him can be seen as

A) altruistic.
B) egocentric.
C) relativistic.
D) ethnocentric.

Question 10

Culture is a system of knowledge,beliefs,patterns of behavior,artifacts,and

A) institutions.
B) ideas.
C) languages.
D) religions.

Question 11

One key aspect in how we understand the idea of culture is that

A) humans genetically inherit culture via natural biological processes.
B) the process of learning culture is unique to humans.
C) culture can only be learned through the teaching of cultural institutions.
D) humans learn culture throughout their lives.

Question 12

Anthropologists seek to counter ethnocentrism by

A) objectively,accurately,and sensitively representing the diversity of human life and culture.
B) seeking to explain cultural difference as scientifically or biologically natural.
C) spreading American norms and values to the populations they study.
D) critiquing the norms and values of other cultures against the standards of their home cultures.

Question 13

For many people,getting married means one man and one woman,but for many others,cohabitation,same-sex marriage,or open relationships are the norm.As a mental map of reality,what might the married people think about the rest of us?

A) Getting married is the proper way to live and anything else is just wrong.
B) Getting married is the way I choose to live my life,but I'm accepting that others can do as they please.
C) Getting married is the path to a good and beautiful life.
D) Getting married is fundamental to all faiths everywhere and anything else distorts the significance of marriage.

Question 14

The concept of culture is a very recent idea and was actually developed without the benefit of any fieldwork whatsoever by

A) Franz Boas's work in the Pacific Northwest.
B) Edward Burnett Tylor's work in his home.
C) Charles Darwin's work in the Galapagos Islands.
D) Bronislaw Malinowski's work in the Trobriand Islands.

Question 15

Humans learn culture from people and cultural institutions that surround them,but this occurs

A) predominantly in early childhood.
B) over their entire lives.
C) primarily in specialized institutions such as schools and churches.
D) generally from late childhood to early adolescence.

Question 16

Franz Boas (1858-1942)rejected unilineal cultural evolution,instead suggesting that different cultures arise as the result of very different causes and will vary widely.His approach,still regarded today as a powerful counter to ethnocentrism,is referred to as

A) structural functionalism.
B) cultural interpretivism.
C) historical particularism.
D) unilineal cultural evolution

Question 17

The work of many nonanthropologists through the nineteenth century suggested what theoretical idea about human life that anthropologists applied to culture?

A) historical particularism
B) structural functionalism
C) unilineal cultural evolution
D) cultural interpretivism

Question 18

Which of the following individuals was among the earliest anthropologists who sought to organize vast quantities of data about the diversity of world cultures that were being accumulated via colonial and missionary enterprises?

A) Lewis Henry Morgan
B) Franz Boas
C) Bronislaw Malinowski
D) Edward Burnett Tylor

Question 19

Selecting a marriage partner is a complex process.In some societies,the choice of the partner is decided by the parents,but the characteristics of the partner that endear him or her to us are ours alone and would draw on our personal

A) beliefs.
B) social norms.
C) values.
D) sense of meaning.

Question 20

Anthropologists attempting to understand humans and their interactions must contend with the idea of ________ as both a definition and theoretical framework.

A) culture
B) ethnography
C) ethnocentrism
D) cultural relativism

Question 21

Anthropologists have been successful in uncovering evidence of vast trade networks,done entirely on foot,throughout the continent of North America that long preceded the arrival of Europeans.This movement and exchange of material goods and the ideas behind them-how they are made and what they are used for-supports the concept of

A) stratification.
B) diffusion.
C) evolution.
D) innovation.

Question 22

Culture is a highly variable process and is

A) changed,contested,and negotiated.
B) fixed over time.
C) driven primarily by material processes.
D) driven primarily by power dynamics.

Question 23

Margaret Mead's (1901-1979)fieldwork in Samoa was controversial in part because she examined sexual freedom and considered sex to be a matter of

A) biology.
B) enculturation.
C) cultural relativism.
D) structural functionalism.

Question 24

Clifford Geertz (1926-2006)argued that every cultural action is more than the action itself.It is also a symbol of deeper meaning,subject to interpretation.This important theoretical idea helped promote the idea that

A) facial expression was a key aspect of understanding other cultures.
B) symbols were a crucial means of understanding other cultures.
C) Balinese culture held the key to how we might understand other cultures.
D) meticulous field notes were the most effective way to understand other cultures.

Question 25

Commonplace norms,values,beliefs,practices,and institutions that cultivate,sometimes unconsciously,the desire to acquire consumer goods to enhance one's lifestyle constitute a culture of

A) consumerism.
B) materialism.
C) hegemony.
D) power.

Question 26

Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937)described two aspects of power that included material power and the ability to create

A) consent and agreement.
B) wealth and power.
C) influence and status.
D) prestige and class.

Question 27

Which student of Boas explored the unique patterns and integration of cultural traits and entire cultures?

A) Margaret Mead
B) Bronislaw Malinowski
C) E.E.Evans-Pritchard
D) Ruth Benedict

Question 28

Anthropologist Margaret Mead is best known for her research on sexual freedom and experimentation of young women in Samoa,drawing sharp contrasts to American women's

A) personality types.
B) repressed sexuality.
C) biology.
D) cultural patterns.

Question 29

The powerful force of consumerism today is challenging our age-old set of values that reflect

A) the power of individual agency.
B) frugality,modesty,and self-denial.
C) the shift to an industrial economy.
D) a preoccupation with material goods.

Question 30

In 1989,a large number of people in China rose up to protest the lack of democratic process in Tiananmen Square,an event that was brutally repressed by the government and widely reported around the world.When they did this,they were

A) protesting the social norm.
B) rioting to effect change.
C) demonstrating to challenge authority.
D) expressing agency.

Question 31

The uneven distribution of resources and privileges,often along lines of gender,racial or ethnic group,class,age,family,religion,sexuality,or legal status,is termed

A) racism.
B) stratification.
C) coercion.
D) hegemony.

Question 32

Some anthropologists draw upon science in their work and consider societies in a manner analogous to the human body,as a system of interconnected parts,each contributing a

A) unique structure.
B) small part.
C) specific function.
D) biological structure.

Question 33

Bronislaw Malinowski employed an early form of ________ in his anthropological research conducted in the Trobriand Islands.

A) structural functionalism
B) unilineal evolutionism
C) interpretivism
D) historical particularism

Question 34

Culture is more than a set of ideas or patterns of behavior shared by a group of people because it also includes general mechanisms created by people to promote and maintain their core values.The recent changes in same-sex marriage laws reflect what kind of mechanism?

A) religious preferences
B) powerful institutions
C) platonic ideas
D) coercive powers

Question 35

Which of the following is defined as the ability or potential to bring about change through action or influence-either one's own or that of a group or institution?

A) influence
B) hegemony
C) coercion
D) power

Question 36

When you are in love,it might be very difficult to think about any inherent ________ in your relationship,but anthropologist Eric Wolf believes that it is inherent in all relationships.

A) belief system
B) power dynamic
C) stratification
D) human agency

Question 37

The development of simple stone tools by early hominids led to the ability to procure meat more efficiently.This in turn led to the change in diet that included larger amounts of protein.Many scholars believe that this shift in diet was a significant part of how our ancient ancestors adapted so quickly to a varied set of environments,and thus were able to begin cultural development.This demonstrates the intimate connection between

A) evolution and technology.
B) culture and environment.
C) nature and nurture.
D) biology and psychology.

Question 38

Clifford Geertz,who urged anthropologists to explore culture primarily as a symbolic system,felt that these symbols were largely responsible for meaning and thus required a great deal of

A) interpretation.
B) study.
C) collective understanding.
D) specificity.

Question 39

When some things become unthinkable,we often find ourselves seeing something as a "natural truth," which is an expression of

A) the hegemony of ideas.
B) the power of institutions.
C) cultural stratification.
D) human agency.

Question 40

Which of the following is defined as the ability to create consent and agreement within a population,sometimes unconsciously,by shaping what people think is normal,natural,and possible?

A) consumerism
B) coercion
C) materialism
D) hegemony

Question 41

The process of diminishing the diversity of the world's cultures as a result of foreign influences inundating local practices,products,and ways of thinking is considered

A) colonization.
B) democratization.
C) homogenization.
D) industrialization.

Question 42

Mental maps of reality constitute one of the four elements that anthropologists often consider when conducting cross-cultural research.Define mental maps of reality and discuss the two important functions that mental maps of reality play regarding culture.Provide a concrete example for each of the two functions.Conclude by discussing why anthropologists should consider a group of people's mental maps of reality when trying to understand their culture.

Question 43

A global outlook that is emerging in response to increasing globalization and that involves linking cultural practices,norms,and values across great distances to even the most remote areas of the world is termed

A) capitalism.
B) cosmopolitanism.
C) homogenization.
D) migration.

Question 44

About fifteen years ago,the giant Walmart corporation opened a store in Germany.Ten years later,it closed the entire chain there and pulled out of the country.Its approach was to replicate-exactly- the stores found in the United States.For some corporations like McDonalds,such expansion has been successful.These efforts are all part of how globalization tends to

A) cosmopolitanize.
B) monopolize.
C) dominate.
D) homogenize.

Question 45

Cultures are influenced by many different factors: a constant flow of ideas,goods,and people.One of the major ways that people influence culture is through

A) migration.
B) globalization.
C) invasion.
D) financial power.

Question 46

Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937)described hegemony as one of two primary aspects of power.Define hegemony and provide a minimum of two concrete examples of how it serves as a form of power.What is the second aspect of power that Gramsci described,and how does it differ from hegemony? Which of the two aspects of power do you believe is likely to be more effective and why?

Question 47

Evolutionary psychologists generally argue that our genetic makeup determines who we are and how we behave,while anthropologists argue otherwise.What do anthropologists argue regarding the nature versus nurture debate surrounding who we are and how we behave? What evidence do anthropologists have to substantiate their argument?

Question 48

Which of the following industries is a key power in the creation of desire for goods and services?

A) banking
B) economics
C) advertising
D) manufacturing

Question 49

The advent of computers and deregulation of banking in the 1970s initiated major changes in our financial environment.One of the biggest changes was

A) online banking.
B) credit cards.
C) home equity loans.
D) easy student loans.

Question 50

Early anthropologists suggested that all cultures would naturally evolve through the same sequence of stages regardless of location or historical experience.What was this concept called and who were three of its early proponents? What were the three primary stages that all cultures pass through according to this anthropological approach? In your opinion,what are some implications that an approach such as this could have on how societies are perceived around the world?

Question 51

Focusing on early anthropology,define the approaches of historical particularism and structural functionalism.Who developed these approaches and what do these approaches examine when working to learn about other cultures? How did these two approaches differ from the preceding approach of unilineal cultural evolution?

Question 52

In your own words,define the term ethnocentrism and provide a concrete example that illustrates the concept.Then discuss how ethnocentrism is related to cultural relativism and why anthropologists must concern themselves with ethnocentrism when conducting cross-cultural research.Conclude by offering some suggestions for concrete ways in which anthropologists can counter ethnocentrism in mainstream society today.

Question 53

Current estimates suggest that children in the United States view almost forty thousand commercials a year.All of this is accomplished by advertising,which helps us learn

A) to be successful as consumers.
B) how to manage our material desires.
C) how to best manage our personal finances.
D) how to have more friends.

Question 54

Chapter 2 begins with a brief vignette regarding the cultural misunderstanding surrounding a kiss.Describe an example of a cultural misunderstanding that you have experienced in your own life and discuss the ways in which differing cultural norms,values,symbols,and mental maps of reality likely contributed to the misunderstanding that occurred.Conclude by discussing whether you took action to address the misunderstanding and what knowledge may have helped you in determining the appropriate response.

Question 55

The export of television shows worldwide and the knowledge of other cultures that is subsequently disseminated to even remote areas of the world are an example of which of the following concepts?

A) advertising
B) nationalism
C) cosmopolitanism
D) propagandization

Question 56

Using an interpretivist approach,anthropologist Clifford Geertz argues that seemingly straightforward actions such as winking have deep cultural meanings.Describe what constitutes an interpretivist approach.Next,provide your own example of a cultural action that you think conveys deep cultural meaning.What do you believe the action symbolizes culturally? How do you know that the action conveys deep cultural meaning,and how did you learn its meaning? Would an individual need to be a member of the particular society in order to understand the deep cultural meaning of the action,or would anyone be able to interpret it correctly? Discuss why or why not.

Question 57

What is human agency and how does it relate to culture and power? Define human agency and provide examples of how individuals engage in it.Next,discuss how human agency may be used to challenge various aspects of culture and power,providing a minimum of two examples for each.What do you believe are some of the implications of human agency on culture and society in general?

Question 58

Former Harvard University president and economist Lawrence Summers commented in a 2005 speech that his school and others similar to it likely had more men in science and math faculties than women because men's brains were better suited for success in these areas.Does Summers's statement reflect a nature or nurture perspective of human experience? Based on what you have read in Chapter 2 of your textbook,is Summers correct in his statement? What may be some of the reasons why there is a gender discrepancy in science and math faculties in U.S.colleges and universities? What role does culture play in such gender discrepancies?

Question 59

Which of the following processes is intensifying the exchange and diffusion of people,ideas,and goods worldwide,creating more interaction and engagement among cultures?

A) industrialization
B) neoliberalization
C) migration
D) globalization

Question 60

The credit card industry in the United States is able to extend credit to nearly anyone,even if he or she is unable to repay the credit card debt;this is especially noticeable in

A) high school teenagers.
B) college students.
C) blue-collar workers.
D) poor people.

Question 61

Homogenization is just one of the effects of globalization on cultures around the world.Define homogenization and give at least three examples of it.Are there aspects from other cultures that you now incorporate into your own culture? If so,provide at least two examples.Do you think that globalization will indeed cause the homogenization of world cultures in the future? Why or why not?

Question 62

The notion of a culture of consumerism is distinct from the concept of culture more generally.Do you think that the culture of consumerism affects culture more generally in some way,and if so,how? What are some benefits and drawbacks of the culture of consumerism in society today? Do you think it will affect the future of societies,and if so,in what explicit ways?

Question 63

Migration in the world is now occurring at unprecedented levels.How does migration relate to globalization? What is meant by a two-way transference of culture and how does migration figure into it? What are three examples of two-way transference of culture? What effect do you think migration will have on cultures in the future?

Question 64

The culture of consumerism in the United States and globally has intensified,especially during the last fifty years.What constitutes a culture of consumerism and how does it relate to the concept of culture more generally? What are three examples of how the culture of consumerism affects culture in general in the United States? Does it affect cultures worldwide,and if so,how?

Question 65

The advertising industry is key in arousing human desires for goods and services,which engenders the culture of consumerism.How does the power of advertising compare to the power of hegemony in influencing what people consider to be the "norm" in their cultural experiences? Are there any interconnections between the culture of consumerism and political organization in society today? Is there any evidence that suggests that advertising is also used as a tool in politics to support and to institute hegemonic ideologies of certain groups who hold power within societies? Provide concrete examples with each of your answers.