Unit 1 Test: Anthropology

Question 1

ethnocentric definition

Answer 1

believing that one’s own culture is superior to all others

Question 2

subculture

Answer 2

a small group within another group with similar values and beliefs unique to the larger group

Question 3

subjective definition

Answer 3

type of conclusions shaped by a person’s cultural and personal perspective, feelings, and beliefs

Question 4

what is anthropology

Answer 4

the study of the lives and cultures of human beings alive or dead

Question 5

what are the two branches of anthropology

Answer 5

physical anthropology & social or cultural anthropology

Question 6

define culture

Answer 6

the abilities, ideas, and behaviour people have acquired to become members of society

Question 7

what do physical anthropologists study

Answer 7

human evolution, human biology, and other primates

Question 8

what is cultural anthropology

Answer 8

the investigation of the origin, development, and function of human cultures & how another culture can be understood by an outsider

Question 9

what is the focus of study for linguistic anthropology & which branch of anthropology does it fall under

Answer 9

– the connection between people’s language to their culture
– the language structure
– connections between languages, the brain, and cultural behaviour

– cultural anthro

Question 10

what is archaeology, what branch of anthropology does it fall under

Answer 10

the excavation and study of human constructions and artifacts to see how humans once lived in their cultures

falls under cultural anthro

Question 11

what is the focus of study for biological anthropology, what branch of anthropology does it fall under

Answer 11

how diseases and illnesses are genetically transmitted and how they are caused by different environmental or social conditions

falls under physical anthro

Question 12

what is the focus of study for primatology, what branch of anthropology does it fall under

Answer 12

the thinking and communication patterns of our primates

falls under physical anthro

Question 13

what do forensic anthropologists do, and what branch of anthropology does it fall under

Answer 13

– they analyze bodies of victims to homicide including their DNA to find the identity, and the cause of death of the person
– provide vital information to police but usually only investigate mass murders or other special cases

falls under physical anthropology

Question 14

advantages and disadvantages of finding informants

Answer 14

pros
they offer personal perspective and have experienced something directly relating to the topic firsthand
cons
may not always be reliable or knowledgeable enough on the topic

Question 15

advantages and disadvantages of unstructured interviews

Answer 15

pros
very flexible
cons
you have to have a good relationship with interviewee, will take longer, easy to get off topic

Question 16

advantages and disadvantages of semi structured interviews

Answer 16

pros
you have a plan of what you are going to ask but can ask other questions or tweak them when necessary for getting more info
cons
can go off topic

Question 17

advantages and disadvantages of structured interviews

Answer 17

pros
narrowed down, easy to conduct; anyone can do these
cons
can’t adapt if you want to elaborate, or info is insufficient, question doesn’t apply to them, etc.

Question 18

advantages and disadvantages of counting people, photographs, and mapping

Answer 18

pros
provides quantitative data and concrete evidence
cons
there is a lack of perspective

Question 19

dian fossey

Answer 19

· observed and studied mountain gorillas in rwanda
· was able to get close to gorillas by imitating their behaviours & gather new information bc of this
· stayed with the gorillas for several years and became attached, losing objectivity

Question 20

raymond dart

Answer 20

· first person to provide evidence of the african origin of humanity
· was given a skull found in south africa and determined that it was more human than ape, walked upright, and had a small brain
· named the skull Australopithecus Africanus, and declared it to be an early form of human

Question 21

louis and mary leakey

Answer 21

· found an Australopithecus skull in Kenya, mary nicknamed it “dear boy”
· the first people to use radiometric dating, use it to age the skull

Question 22

richard leakey

Answer 22

· found an almost complete homo erectus skeleton

Question 23

what family of paleanthropologists proved humanity’s origin to be africa

Answer 23

the leakey family

Question 24

ruth benedict

Answer 24

· did research on japan for the u.s during WW2 in order to help the U.S. understand and defeat japan
· she could not live in japan because of the war so she used whatever cultural material available to her and interviewed Japanese immigrants and japanese americans
· her method was criticized, argued that she could not fully study and understand Japanese culture using her method
· was able to make recommendations to the u.s. gov. to reach terms of surrender with japan

Question 25

franz boas

Answer 25

· promoted the idea of cultural relativism, stating that an anthropologist cannot compare two cultures bc each culture has its own set of internal rules that must be accepted

Question 26

marvin harris

Answer 26

· pioneered cultural materialism: society develops on a trial and error basis; if something is not of value to society’s ability to produce or reproduce, it will disappear from society

Question 27

what is the principal of cultural materialism

Answer 27

if something is not of value to society’s ability to produce or reproduce, it will disappear from society

Question 28

what is the principal of cultural relativism

Answer 28

an anthropologist cannot compare two cultures, each culture has its own set of internal rules that must be accepted

Question 29

charles darwin

Answer 29

·

Question 30

Richard Lee

Answer 30

• studied and lived with the Dobe Ju’/hoansi of Southern Africa for almost forty years
• found that their people insult and belittle each other so nobody becomes arrogant or cocky

Question 31

margaret mead

Answer 31

• made cultural anthropology understandable to ordinary people
• insisted that you must live with the people for a long time as one of them in order to understand their culture

Question 32

ethnology definition

Answer 32

• the study of the origins and cultures of different races and peoples

Question 33

kinship

Answer 33

• the relationship between two or more people that is based on common ancestry, marriage, or adoption

Question 34

ethnography

Answer 34

the written account of a culture

Question 35

participant observation

Answer 35

the careful watching of a group, in some cases living with its members and participating in their culture

Question 36

reflexivity

Answer 36

the practice of reflecting on your own world view, biases, and impact on the culture you are studying

Question 37

culturally constructed

Answer 37

created or shaped by a culture

Question 38

informant

Answer 38

a reliable and knowledgeable person who provides specific information to an anthropologist studying his or her community