Anthropology Telecourse Exam 1

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1. As part of the forward, the section introducing the text, the authors present a series of maps of the world. They do this primarily in order to
 show the locations of the various cultures that will be referred to in the text
 demonstrate how the way maps are drawn can both reflect and influence particular people's perceptions of their own cultures relative to others
 discuss how the work of Anthropologists has changed our understanding of the peoples of the world
 demonstrate the greater accuracy and objectivity of modern European and American maps over the culturally biased and limited views presented in maps made by less sophisticated societies
 support his discussion of the 'global village' concept: the observation that in today's complex world all peoples are deeply interconnected and mutually dependent on each other
 

2. Anthropology is most accurately defined as the study of
 non-Western societies
 primitive cultures
 all human beings
 all Primates
 social insects, such as ants
 

3. The 'Garbage Project' of the university of Arizona has come up with which of the following observations or conclusions that have relevance to other kinds of social science research?
 what people do may well differ from what people say they do.
 scarcity of a valued good (or commodity) in American society does not necessarily mean less of it will be wasted.
 newspaper is not as quickly or easily decomposed in landfills as we might like to think
 using surveys and questionnaires to learn about human behavior will not tell the whole story.
 All of the above are insights that have been gained or reinforced through this ongoing research project.
 

4. The major goal of an Anthropologist doing ethnography is
 to prove that the culture she is studying is better than her own.
 To learn the language of the people he is studying.
 To trace the historical roots of the people being studied.
 To observe and describe the behavior patterns of a particular culture.
 To prove that Western cultures are superior to non-Western cultures
 

5. Anthroplogy most clearly demonstrates itself to be a science by
 using questionnaires to gather data.
 stating its conclusions as proven, absolute truths.
 conducting carefully controlled experiments.
 attempting to arrive at generalizations or laws about human behavior through a process of hypothesis testing and validation.
 None of the above; Anthropology is primarily a humanistic discipline and makes no pretense of scientific thinking
 

6. Archaeology is presented in your text as
 the study of garbage
 the study of human evolution
 the study of ancient art and architecture
 a subdivision of Physical Anthropology
 the study of the material objects that are the result of human behavior
 

7. If this were a class in physical anthropology, you would be studying
 human evolution and racial variability
 ancient human cultures
 the observable physical activities of people in different cultures
 human diets and health problems
 all of the above
 

8. Using a 'holistic perspective' in Anthropology means to
 look for the holes in earlier theories about human cultures
 study how all the different parts of a culture are interrelated and connected.
 immerse oneself wholly in the culture one is studying as a participant-observer.
 be sure to interview and observe every member of the culture you're studying, so as not to leave out any source of data.
 Focus on just one aspect of a culture in order to understand it thoroughly.
 

9. According to your text, most modern definitions of culture emphasize that
 culture is intangible: a set of rules or knowledge that guide people's behavior, and as such cannot, itself, be directly observed.
 'culture' is just another word for 'society.'
 culture is primarily a set of biological adaptations to natural environments.
 culture results in uniform behavior of all members of a society in any given situation.
 some cultures are, by nature, better than others.
 

10. What is a society?
 Any group of people who join together for a common purpose.
 Any set of rules or standards that define behavior that is considered proper or acceptable.
 The relationships that hold a group of people together.
 A group usually occupying a specific locality, dependent upon each other for survival, and sharing a common culture.
 

11. Which of these defines cultural integration in an anthropological sense?
 Toleration of a number of subcultures within a single society.
 The human tendency to accept people living nearby as 'neighbors.'
 The tendency for all aspects of a culture to be interrelated.
 The movement of some societies throughout a large geographic region.
 

13. Clyde Snow, the forensic anthropologist (discussed in the separate 'Anthropology Applied' box in Chapter 1), has done which of the following?
 he has documented human rights abuses in Argentina and elsewhere by studying the bones of people who have died 'mysteriously' during abusive military regimes.
 he has studied the household waste patterns in Arizona, documenting the difference between what people say they do and what they actually do.
 he has studied the population density of the large ancient Mayan city of Tikal, in Guatemala.
 he has led many public debates on important Anthropological issues such as evolutionary vs. creationist theories of human origins.
 all of the above are things he and other forensic anthropologists do, in addition to teaching.
 

14. Which of the following would illustrate an ethnocentric attitude?
 being shocked at the immorality of the Turkana man in the film who had five wives.
 expressing disgust at the custom of eating grubs, beetles, and lice.
 American parents making negative comments about their teenagers' taste in music.
 referring to hunting/gathering cultures as 'primitive,' backward,' or 'savage.'
 all of the above are examples of ethnocentrism.
 

15. 'Cultural relativism' refers to
 the study of the kinship patterns in human cultures.
 the belief that one's own culture is superior to any others.
 the interconnectedness of all parts of a culture relative to each other.
 the study of the relationships between ancient cultures and their modern descendants.
 none of these.
 

16. Ethnology is
 the comparative study of two or more cultures.
 the study of the historical relationships among languages.
 A description of a single culture, based on first-hand observation.
 The study of past cultures.
 The study of human evolution.
 

17. In the first film, there is a brief portrait of look at the life of one man (named Larang) of the Turkana tribe of Ethiopia. Which of the following insights into Turkana culture does this man's story reveal?
 Women strenuously resist and resent their husbands' bringing home additional wives.
 Wealth and success for Turkana men is measured in herd animals and wives.
 Men take extra wives primarily to demonstrate their sexual prowess.
 The herds are so important in this culture that only men are allowed to take care of them.
 Men like Larang strive to be appointed to public office, for that is their main access to power and prestige.
 

18. In the first film, the footage on the Tasmanians was included primarily to
 demonstrate that these people were a physically more primitive form of human, remnants of an earlier stage in human evolution.
 justify the destruction of such primitive cultures as the natural result of survival of the fittest.
 document and illustrate how a functioning culture can be destroyed through contact with another.
 give credit to Charles Darwin as one of the first Europeans to see and agree that the peoples of South America had cultures just as valid and valuable as his own.
 demonstrate that even in so-called primitive cultures, human beings are physically very similar.
 

19. When an Anthropologist was hired to help one band of Apaches work with architects in designing a new community that would fit Apache cultural patterns and needs, he found which of the following patterns of Apache life to be particularly important in designing new houses? (Note: This was the 'Anthropology Applied' example from Chapter 2.)
 Because Apache men have several wives, separate cooking/sleeping areas for each wife needed to be built into each house.
 Because Apaches have very large families, and value individual privacy, lots of small bedrooms needed to be included in the plans for each house.
 Because Apaches strongly separate the worlds of men and of women, houses had to be designed with male and female wings or areas on either side of a central public living space.
 Because Apaches need to be able to clearly see each other in order to 'size up' a social situation and act appropriately, large spaces with no partitions separating cooking and eating areas needed to be built into each house.
 Because Apaches spend most of their time and do most of their work and visiting activities outside, house needed to have small bedroom/storage areas but large open patio spaces.
 

20. In Chapter 2 of your text, the Original Study is a passage from the work of Annette Weiner, who did her anthropological field work among the people of the Trobriand Islands. These cultures had been thoroughly studied 60 years earlier by a famous anthropologist named Bronislaw Malinowski. What did she learn or discover as she did her field work?
 she discovered that Malinowski had done such a thorough job of research here that there was really nothing new or significant that she could add.
 She discovered that women and women's wealth played a much more important role in Trobriand political life than Malinowski had realized or reported.
 She concluded that Malinowdki had deliberately withheld information about women's lives because he wanted to prove his theories about 'the natural dominance and superiority of men.'
 She found that nothing that Malinowski had written had any basis in observable Trobriand behavior.
 

21. The Boran, the cattle-keeping tribe of the arid region of Kenya and Ethiopia, (film #2 and study guide)
 have demonstrated their eagerness to become part of modern African culture.
 refused to incorporate any element of modern technology into their cultural patterns.
 placed high value on openness and sharing of resources and information with anyone who asks.
 jealously guard their family water holes, and cannot allow anyone else access to this essential and limited resource without risking their own survival.
 

22. In the film segment on the cattle-keeping Boran of Kenya and Ethiopia, the Boran father was lecturing his son
 to encourage him to go to school and learn skills he would need to survive in the modern world.
 to scold him for having let the cattle herd go too far astray.
 to encourage him to go get a job in a city, so he could help support the family.
 to persuade him not to go to school, but to stay home and learn how to manage the family's herd, in preparation for the day when he would be responsible for the family's welfare.
 to encourage him to keep himself and his clothes clean and tidy.
 

23. In the second film, the footage on the Brazilian Indians, the Txukarrame, illustrated
 how this culture, which has meaning and value for its members, is threatened with eventual destruction due to exploitative contact with the modern world.
 how much more noble and satisfactory life is in a primitive culture than is life in modern Western cultures.
 the eagerness with which these Indians welcome the health and technological benefits of the modern world.
 the Brazilian government's attempts to protect these cultures from all contact with the modern world.
 how unpatterned, unorganized life in a primitive society is.
 

24. In a ceremony called the 'Kuarupe,' the Txukarrame of Brazil (from tape) decorate wooden posts to represent
 enemies
 spirits of the dead
 tribal gods
 spirits of wild animals
 

25. According to the description in your Faces Study Guide (Chapter 3), how was Napoleon Chagnon greeted when he first arrived at a Yanomamo village to begin his field work?
 The children all swarmed around him instantly, begging for hand-outs and laughing at his funny clothing.
 The men stood at the entrance to the village, pointing spears at him, while the dogs nipped at his legs.
 While the others watched, the headman of the village approached him alone and challenged him to a chest-pounding duel.
 The headman approached him and invited him to come recline in his (the headman's) hammock as an honored guest.
 He arrived in the middle of some kind of feast, and was enthusiastically pulled in to join the festivities.
 

26. The green powder Yanomamo men occasionally blow up each other's noses
 is a form of tobacco or snuff, which is their version of smoking.
 is taken to make them more fierce.
 enables them to see and communicate with the spirits of their world.
 is 'taken medicinally' to relieve the pains caused by their frequent injuries.
 is 'taken recreationally' to temporarily escape the boredom and hopelessness of their lives.
 

27. How did the shaman, Dedeheiwa, react to Chagnon's presence among the Yanomamo?
 Dedeheiwa evidently felt his position in the village was threatened by the stranger, Chagnon, and so he consistently attempted to turn the villagers against Chagnon.
 Dedeheiwa, as a healer, was fascinated by the strange and powerful medicines Chagnon had brought with him, so he spent a lot of time with Chagnon trying to learn as much as he could.
 Dedeheiwa remained suspicious of Chagnon; although he never actually threatened Chagnon, he kept a watchful eye on his activities from a 'safe distance.'
 Dedeheiwa tolerated Chagnon's presence, but was so busy with his own healing rituals that he paid little attention to the stranger.
 Dedeheiwa became a caring friend to Chagnon, and an excellent informant, anxious to teach Chagnon all he could about Yanomamo religion.
 

28. As Chagnon was to learn, according to Yanomamo belief, the only way one can be sent to their version of Hell after death is by being
 cowardly in life.
 aggressive or violent in life.
 too proud or arrogant in life.
 stingy in life.
 disrespectful to the spirits of the forest.
 

29. Yanomamo myths of origin and culture heroes tend to emphasize themes related to
 the fertility of the soil.
 the unquestioned authority of clan ancestors.
 the fierceness or combative aggressiveness of men.
 problems of good versus evil in the world.
 the balance and interplay of make and female essences or elements in the functioning of the universe.
 

30. When Chagnon studied the Yanomamo, which of the following ethical considerations did he seem most concerned about?
 Whether or not to intervene when he saw men beating their wives, or little boys hitting little girls.
 Whether or not to take drugs with them.
 The discomfort he caused them by invading their privacy, asking personal questions.
 That the Venezuelan government might use his studies in ways that would harm the Yanomamo or threaten their life style.
 The effects that the tools and gifts he brought in from the outside might have on their cultural patterns.
 

31. Language is a centrally important component of all cultures, because
 it is the primary way cultural knowledge is transmitted from one generation to the next.
 it enables humans to translate abstract, intangible ideas, and perceptions into symbols other humans can understand.
 it reflects the reality humans experience in the process of creating or developing cultural patterns of behavior.
 it can help to shape or influence our perceptions of reality through the linguistic structures it provides.
 All of the above are important dimensions of language in human life.
 

32. When the telelesson on language speaks of human languages as 'open,' as opposed to the 'closed' call systems of other animals, it is referring primarily to which of the following characteristics of languages?
 the fact that any language can recombine its available sounds, according to its own rules, into an infinity of new meanings.
 the fact that specific languages are not genetically programmed into us, but must be learned as we grow up.
 the fact that humans can use language to express feelings and moods, which other animals are unable to communicate.
 the fact that humans are capable of learning more than one language.
 the fact that many languages have a variety of subcultural variations called dialects, reflecting the diversity of groups within a complex society.
 

33. The first step in doing a study of the structure of any particular language is to
 learn the basic daily vocabulary of nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
 study the cultural contexts in which the language is spoken, noting how language usage differs in differing social situations
 learn the rules for proper phrase and sentence formation.
 locate the set of sounds the language uses, and learn the rules for combining the available sounds in permissible ways.
 do a study of the history of the language, to trace it back to its origins, in order to better understand the changes it has undergone in becoming the language as spoken in the present.
 

34. What you probably think of as a 'word,' a linguist would call
 a morpheme
 an allophone
 a phoneme
 a syntax
 a vocalization
 

35. Which of the following would be the best example of kinesics?
 gruntings as you comment on the difficulty of picking up a heavy load.
 saying 'This weighs a ton,' as you bend to pick up that heavy load.
 rolling up your sleeves, bending your knees, and staggering a bit as you pick up the heavy load.
 continuing your conversation, but in a lower pitch and with longer spacing between the words as you pick up the heavy load.
 explaining to the person you're with the proper way to lift heavy objects without straining your back.
 

36. Among the lessons learned in the language renewal project among the Northern Ute Indians (the 'anthropology applied' example from Chapter 4), was that
 once people no longer speak their native language, they lose all traces of understanding it as well, and need to be taught it all over from the beginning.
 children who were able to speak Ute had fewer problems with speaking English in school than children who did not speak Ute.
 adult Utes who had formal education and degrees from English-speaking schools were better able to relearn and then teach Ute to their tribe than tribal members who had not had formal training in English or education.
 this project was successful only because a trained outsider, the anthropologist, was able to overcome tribal apathy, resistance and resentment of outside meddling in tribal affairs.
 

37. The section of Telelesson #4 on the Nuer cattle herders of Sudan is included primarily to illustrate which of the following observations or ideas about language and culture?
 The notion that language influences the way people perceive and experience the world by providing habitual ways of thinking.
 The observation that gender strongly influences how one speaks in any language.
 He observation that children everywhere learn to speak their native language in similar and predictable stages.
 The observation that language often reflects cultural patterns, themes, or interests.
 The observation that some gestures and facial expressions, such as smiling or frowning, are nearly universal and have similar meanings everywhere.
 

38. In Telelesson #4, the main point of the section on speakers of Black English was
 to show that in a complex multicultural society such as America, ethnic groups must learn to use language in ways dictated by the dominant European-white culture.
 to show that Black English is a rich and expressive English variation in its own right, reflecting the consciousness and heritage of its speakers, and worthy of both pride and further study.
 To illustrate the differences between 'standard' or good English and the poor grammar and pronunciation still used by people of African origin.
 To show that many speakers of Black English are ashamed of how they talk, and reluctant to discuss it.
 To show that an anthropological or linguistics researcher must come from the same ethnic background as the people she is studying.
 

39. Your Text uses the example of the Garbage Project and the breaking of certain clan marriage taboos among the Trobriand Islanders as examples of which of the following?
 Both these examples show how informants may deliberately lie to researchers about behavior they are ashamed of.
 Both these examples illustrate how, in times of emergency, people will break rules they would otherwise follow closely.
 Both these examples illustrate how differences in social class can produce different behaviors within the same culture, as lower class people have less to lose by breaking the rules.
 Both these examples illustrate how there can be noticeable differences between what people say they should do, and think they do, and what they actually do.
 Both these examples illustrate how difficult it can be for an anthropologist to overcome her/his personal reactions to some of the more distasteful patterns of behavior in other cultures or subcultures.
 

40. The author of your text considers which of the following approaches to be particularly important in doing field research?
 Recording what her/his informants say that they do, whether this matches the anthropologist's observations or not.
 Recording the 'ideal culture' - what informants say people should do, as this represents the true essence of their culture.
 Observing what people actually do, regardless of what they say about what they do.
 The author emphasizes that all three of these approaches are necessary to pay attention to, in order to gain a balanced understanding of a culture.
 None of the above - the author takes the position that because an anthropologist cannot help but be 'culture-bound,' it is best to not pretend to be describing anything other than their own personal impressions and experience
 

41. According to the original study in chapter 1 on HIV/AIDS in Africa, how have many of the traditional healers in the region of the author's studies responded to the influences of Western medical knowledge?
 Because they believe in witchcraft as the ultimate cause of most serious illnesses, and know that Western medicine does not deal with this, most healers just don't pay attention to suggestions from Western sources
 As they come to understand the truth about how HIV/AIDS is transmitted, many traditional healers have become fearful of becoming infected themselves, and are turning away patients with AIDS-like symptoms.
 As traditional healers have gotten some training in Western medical knowledge, they have also increased the fees they charge their patients..often cutting people off from their help.
 Thousands of traditional healers have now taken AIDS training programs, and have altered some specific practices in their work as a result, especially techniques which involve possible contact with patients' blood.
 Once traditional healers learn and come to appreciate the effectiveness of Western medical care, they give up their traditional approaches, and are now the individuals most active in trying to teach these new ways of thinking about disease to their communities.
 
 
