Deck 14: Politics, Power, and Violence

Question 1

In a kin-ordered society, leaders:

A) are always the eldest son of the family
B) must rule through state leaders
C) have little or no influence
D) lack formal political power

Answer 1

lack formal political power

Question 2

Which of the following has a band political organization?

A) Kpelle
B) Yanomamo
C) Ju/'hoansi
D) Kapauku

Answer 2

Ju/'hoansi

Question 3

When did political organization first begin to diversify?

A) 2,500 years ago
B) 7,500 years ago
C) 5,000 years ago
D) 10,000 years ago

Answer 3

10,000 years ago

Question 4

In uncentralized political systems, all offenses are:

A) considered to require formal sanctions
B) severe challenges to the group's leadership
C) transgressions against the state
D) transgressions against the individual or kin group

Question 5

Which of the following is not a common state institution?

A) kinship
B) bureaucracy
C) military
D) religious

Question 6

In return for greater security against enemy attacks or starvation, people in tribal societies sacrifice:

A) all political autonomy
B) a percentage of their resources in taxes
C) kinship ties
D) household autonomy

Question 7

Kapauku are most associated with the herding of:

A) cattle
B) goats
C) sheep
D) pigs

Question 8

A prime technique for resolving disputes in a band is:

A) warfare
B) imprisonment
C) strong leadership
D) mobility

Question 9

Which is likely to be the oldest form of political organization?

A) chiefdom
B) band
C) tribe
D) state

Question 10

In which form of political organization do we find class-ranking?

A) tribe
B) band
C) state
D) chiefdom

Question 11

In which form of political organization do we find a redistributive exchange involving tribute?

A) tribe
B) band
C) state
D) chiefdom

Question 12

An individual's status within a chiefdom is determined to the greatest extent by:

A) where they live in relationship to the paramount chief
B) the amount of resources available for the group as a whole
C) closeness of their relationship with the chief
D) the individual's skills and accomplishments

Question 13

Which of the following is not a common mechanism used in tribal societies as a means of political integration?

A) racial typing
B) common-interest groups
C) age grades
D) age sets

Question 14

How do tribal leaders customarily enforce their authority?

A) through shaming and gossip
B) through fines and taxes
C) through military action
D) through banishment

Question 15

Which of the following pairs are examples of uncentralized systems?

A) chiefdoms/tribes
B) states/tribes
C) tribes/bands
D) bands/chiefdoms

Question 16

In an uncentralized political system the principal means of social organization is:

A) institutions
B) class strata
C) inheritance
D) kinship

Question 17

Which of the following characteristics does not describe an uncentralized political system?

A) large population
B) high levels of individual freedom
C) leaders with no formal political power
D) subsistence economy

Question 18

What is the primary reason for lower incidences of warfare among food foragers?

A) frequent mobility
B) little occupational specialization
C) significant role of the family lineage
D) small amounts of food surplus

Question 19

Among the Kapauku, the tonowi, or "rich one," is the:

A) shaman
B) ancestor
C) king
D) "big man"

Question 20

Among the Kapauku, who has the ultimate authority to confiscate property?

A) grandfather
B) army
C) headman
D) priest

Question 21

The first female president on the continent of Africa was in the country of:

A) Liberia
B) Kenya
C) South Africa
D) Ethiopia

Question 22

What is unique about the Kpelle chiefdoms?

A) the paramount chiefs tax their citizens to generate revenue
B) the paramount chiefs do not represent the people
C) the paramount chiefs receive a salary from the state government
D) the chiefs are paramount and each rules a separate country

Question 23

Why were Igbo female-headed institutions destroyed?

A) because women were needed to head up economic enterprises
B) because of threats from Igbo men
C) because of internal warfare among the various tribes
D) because of colonial pressures and cultural differences

Question 24

Which type of political organization is least ordered by kinship?

A) band
B) state
C) tribe
D) chiefdom

Question 25

"Sitting on a man" is:

A) how Igbo women pressure men to acknowledge their rule
B) how Igbo women sanction men for misbehavior
C) an Igbo man's way of discerning male political leadership potential
D) a Kpelle form of legitimizing male political rule

Question 26

Why does every society develop sanctions?

A) because internalized controls are not sufficient
B) because they are threatened by other groups at all times
C) because sanctions provide structure to social institutions
D) because sanctions allow societies to compete with each other

Question 27

Approximately how many nations, as defined in the text, exist today?

A) 50
B) 50,000
C) 500
D) 5,000

Question 28

What is a Talking Circle?

A) a belief that if aggrieved parties come together in a circle and smoke peace pipes that all disputes are resolved automatically
B) a means of mediating between two parties and developing a fair sense of forma coercion within the society
C) a form of dispute resolution that has been developed by Ury to foster greater interaction and understanding among disputing parties
D) a practice in which disputing parties come together in a circle to express concerns to each other free of interruption

Question 29

How is the leader of a chiefdom different from that of a tribe?

A) the leader of a chiefdom has a standing military rank
B) the leader of a tribe is always patrilineal
C) the leader of a tribe is hereditary
D) the leader of a chiefdom is a formal authority figure

Question 30

In uncentralized political systems, the primary goal of judicial proceedings is to:

A) reassure the general population
B) restore social harmony
C) punish the perpetrator
D) compensate the victim

Question 31

If law is to be effective, it must:

A) be expedient and set the basis for very rapid resolution
B) allow for change
C) properly match a punishment to a crime
D) never change, regardless of compelling circumstances

Question 32

Laws are an example of:

A) informal sanctions
B) formal sanctions
C) formative sanctions
D) formational sanctions

Question 33

Approximately how many internationally recognized states, as defined in the text, exist today?

A) 500
B) 130
C) 75
D) 200

Question 34

Following the resolution of a dispute, in which type of society is the victim least likely to receive compensation or restitution?

A) state
B) band
C) tribe
D) chiefdom

Question 35

Traditionally, chiefdoms have been extremely:

A) unstable
B) small
C) aggressive
D) stable

Question 36

Which of the following forms of political organization is considered to be the most stable?

A) chiefdom
B) tribe
C) state
D) band

Question 37

What is the primary difference between a rule of law and a rule of custom?

A) laws employ overt coercion
B) customs employ overt coercion
C) laws involve few legal claims
D) customs involve legal sanctions

Question 38

What method do Inuit societies of northern Canada use to settle disputes?

A) verbal insult
B) whaling competitions
C) witchcraft charges
D) song duels

Question 39

Power based on legitimacy is considered:

A) symbolic
B) absolute
C) authentic
D) divine

Question 40

All of the following are basic functions of the law except:

A) to define relationships among society's members
B) to redefine social relations and ensure social flexibility
C) to allocate authority to employ coercion
D) to mark out proper behavior under unspecified circumstances

Question 41

Disputes may be settled in each of the following ways except:

A) adjudication
B) negotiation
C) exasperation
D) mediation

Question 42

Political organization in the tribe is temporary.

Question 43

According to Ury, what is the "third side?"

A) the ability to resolve disputes without the use of legal sanctions and coercion
B) the role that the surrounding community plays in resolving disputes between parties
C) the actual conflict resolution itself
D) the goal of promoting world peace and the elimination of all disputes

Question 44

What did Darwin believe to be the primary purpose of horns and vibrant plumage for male members of a species?

A) to draw attention to males and away from females for defense
B) to serve for group defense purposes
C) to distract females from male dominance
D) to aid in the competition for a mate

Question 45

Richard Wrangham argues that violence leads to a:

A) less aggressive society overall
B) more united society
C) female-dominated society
D) male-dominated society

Question 46

The collective body of ideas that members of a culture generally share concerning the ultimate shape and substance of their reality is:

A) a worldview
B) an ideology
C) a mission
D) a lifestyle

Question 47

Which of the following is an effort for radical cultural reform in response to widespread social disruption and collective feelings of despair?

A) genocide
B) rebellion
C) revolutions
D) revitalization movement

Question 48

The Cheyenne Indians were organized by military societies.

Question 49

Over the past 200 years, warfare has:

A) involved the destruction of property
B) been associated with religious strife
C) intensified
D) decreased

Question 50

How long has warfare been a problem for human societies?

A) at least since 10,000 years ago
B) at least since 15,000 years ago
C) at least since 5,000 years ago
D) at least since 2,000 years ago

Question 51

Band societies may have a headwoman as a leader.

Question 52

A "Big Man" is associated with a tribal form of political organization.

Question 53

All of the following are key goals of PON except:

A) to implement better dispute resolution practices
B) to find a way to eliminate all disputes in human society
C) to promote collaboration among scholars in this area
D) to increase public awareness of successful conflict resolution efforts

Question 54

The band is an example of a centralized type of political organization.

Question 55

The advent of farming provided all of the following risk factors for warfare except:

A) increased dependence
B) increases in surplus
C) presence of state society
D) increased mobility

Question 56

The argument that males are more biologically suited to combat is proposed as an example of:

A) natural variation
B) sexual selection
C) genetic drift
D) sexual dimorphism

Question 57

In chiefdoms power is often hereditary.

Question 58

What has most affected the rise of warfare among human societies?

A) mobility of individual
B) climate change
C) scare resources
D) food production

Question 59

Civil disobedience is associated with which type of political organization?

A) tribe
B) state
C) band
D) chiefdom

Question 60

In a band society there is almost never any real conflict.

Question 61

A _______________ is a people who share a collective identity.

Question 62

Among the Igbo, the omu and the obi were a ruling married pair.

Question 63

For sanctions to be effective they must be arbitrary and not anticipated.

Question 64

Men have held significantly more positions of political leadership worldwide than women.

Question 65

_______________ is the ability of individuals or groups to impose their will.

Question 66

In contemporary warfare, casualties of civilians as well as children far outnumber those of soldiers.

Question 67

In the past, Igbo women managed their own affairs, both politically and socially.

Question 68

States are an unstable form of political organization.

Question 69

When surplus goods are amassed in a centralized location for dispersal at a later date, the economic system is classified as _______________.

Question 70

The focal point for the band's claims on territory is the _______________.

Question 71

States first emerged around 7,000 years ago.

Question 72

Decisions affecting the band are made with an emphasis on reaching _______________.

Question 73

A society creates and maintains social order and reduces social disorder by means of __________________________.

Question 74

Wars have only become a significant problem among societies since the invention of ____________________________.

Question 75

The 1960s movement in the United States is classified as a rebellion.

Question 76

Religion is frequently used to legitimize political authority.

Question 77

War is a universal phenomenon.

Question 78

The devout Christian's fear of hell is an example of a cultural control.

Question 79

Paramount chiefs are involved intensely with local issues and are known for their frequent interactions with ordinary people.

Question 80

The Kpelle are an indigenous group in Ethiopia.