ANTH 110 MIDTERM 1 EXAM
Final Examination Questions & Answers with Verified Solutions
2026/2027
1. What are the four traditional subfields of American anthropology?
A. Sociology, Psychology, History, and Political Science
B. Cultural Anthropology, Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, and Linguistic
Anthropology
C. Primatology, Forensic Science, Ethnography, and Philosophy
D. Geology, Paleontology, Genetics, and Folklore
Rationale: Franz Boas established the four-field approach in North America: Cultural, Archaeological,
Biological (Physical), and Linguistic anthropology.
2. How do anthropologists define "culture"?
A. A system of learned, shared, and symbolic beliefs, values, customs, and behaviors
transmitted across generations
B. Biological traits inherited genetically through parental DNA
C. High-status artistic preferences such as opera, classical music, and fine art alone
D. Written legal codes enacted by civilized state governments
Rationale: Culture is learned through socialization (enculturation), shared among group members, reliant
on symbols, and non-genetic.
3. What is "enculturation"?
A. The rapid loss of native language fluency after emigrating
B. The process through which an individual learns their culture's norms, values, and
practices from infancy
C. Enforcing military laws on conquered foreign territories
D. Translating ancient stone inscriptions into modern English
Rationale: Enculturation is the lifelong process of learning one's native culture through observation, formal
instruction, and social interaction.
, 4. What primary research strategy defines ethnographic fieldwork in cultural
anthropology?
A. Participant observation paired with qualitative interviews
B. Conducting controlled laboratory double-blind experiments
C. Mailing statistical questionnaires to random household addresses
D. Excavating ancient stone tools from deeply buried strata
Rationale: Ethnographic fieldwork relies on participant observation—living within a community,
participating in daily routines, and observing behavior firsthand.
5. What is the difference between an "emic" perspective and an "etic" perspective?
A. Emic refers to ancient history, while etic refers to modern observations
B. Emic represents the insider's cultural perspective, while etic represents the outside
researcher's analytical framework
C. Emic is quantitative data, while etic is qualitative data
D. Emic applies to biological evolution, while etic applies to language
Rationale: An emic approach seeks to explain how local people understand their own world, whereas an
etic approach applies cross-cultural scientific categories.
6. Who is considered the "father of American anthropology" for pioneering holistic four-
field research and cultural relativism?
A. Franz Boas
B. Bronislaw Malinowski
C. E.B. Tylor
D. Margaret Mead
Rationale: Franz Boas rejected 19th-century unilineal evolutionism and scientific racism, championing
empirical rigor, historical particularism, and cultural relativism.
7. Which anthropologist popularized long-term intensive fieldwork during research in the
Trobriand Islands during WWI?
A. Claude Lévi-Strauss
B. Bronislaw Malinowski
C. Ruth Benedict
D. Clifford Geertz
Final Examination Questions & Answers with Verified Solutions
2026/2027
1. What are the four traditional subfields of American anthropology?
A. Sociology, Psychology, History, and Political Science
B. Cultural Anthropology, Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, and Linguistic
Anthropology
C. Primatology, Forensic Science, Ethnography, and Philosophy
D. Geology, Paleontology, Genetics, and Folklore
Rationale: Franz Boas established the four-field approach in North America: Cultural, Archaeological,
Biological (Physical), and Linguistic anthropology.
2. How do anthropologists define "culture"?
A. A system of learned, shared, and symbolic beliefs, values, customs, and behaviors
transmitted across generations
B. Biological traits inherited genetically through parental DNA
C. High-status artistic preferences such as opera, classical music, and fine art alone
D. Written legal codes enacted by civilized state governments
Rationale: Culture is learned through socialization (enculturation), shared among group members, reliant
on symbols, and non-genetic.
3. What is "enculturation"?
A. The rapid loss of native language fluency after emigrating
B. The process through which an individual learns their culture's norms, values, and
practices from infancy
C. Enforcing military laws on conquered foreign territories
D. Translating ancient stone inscriptions into modern English
Rationale: Enculturation is the lifelong process of learning one's native culture through observation, formal
instruction, and social interaction.
, 4. What primary research strategy defines ethnographic fieldwork in cultural
anthropology?
A. Participant observation paired with qualitative interviews
B. Conducting controlled laboratory double-blind experiments
C. Mailing statistical questionnaires to random household addresses
D. Excavating ancient stone tools from deeply buried strata
Rationale: Ethnographic fieldwork relies on participant observation—living within a community,
participating in daily routines, and observing behavior firsthand.
5. What is the difference between an "emic" perspective and an "etic" perspective?
A. Emic refers to ancient history, while etic refers to modern observations
B. Emic represents the insider's cultural perspective, while etic represents the outside
researcher's analytical framework
C. Emic is quantitative data, while etic is qualitative data
D. Emic applies to biological evolution, while etic applies to language
Rationale: An emic approach seeks to explain how local people understand their own world, whereas an
etic approach applies cross-cultural scientific categories.
6. Who is considered the "father of American anthropology" for pioneering holistic four-
field research and cultural relativism?
A. Franz Boas
B. Bronislaw Malinowski
C. E.B. Tylor
D. Margaret Mead
Rationale: Franz Boas rejected 19th-century unilineal evolutionism and scientific racism, championing
empirical rigor, historical particularism, and cultural relativism.
7. Which anthropologist popularized long-term intensive fieldwork during research in the
Trobriand Islands during WWI?
A. Claude Lévi-Strauss
B. Bronislaw Malinowski
C. Ruth Benedict
D. Clifford Geertz
