ESSENTIALS OF CULTURAL
ANTHROPOLOGY CHAPTER 14 EXAM
Final Examination Questions & Answers with Verified Solutions
2026/2027
1. How do cultural anthropologists define "ethno-etiology"?
A. The study of modern biomedical hospital administrative structures
B. A culturally specific explanation for the underlying cause of health problems and
illness
C. The statistical measurement of disease transmission rates across global urban centers
D. The genetic isolation of indigenous populations suffering from chronic conditions
Rationale: Ethno-etiology refers to the local cultural theories and cross-cultural frameworks used to
explain why people get sick and what causes disease.
2. What key distinction do medical anthropologists make between "disease" and
"illness"?
A. Disease is a clinically identified biological pathology, while illness is the
individual's lived experience of feeling unwell
B. Disease affects psychological state, while illness applies only to physical organ failure
C. Disease is temporary and mild, while illness refers strictly to terminal conditions
D. Disease is diagnosed by ethnomedical healers, while illness is recognized by Western
doctors
Rationale: Medical anthropology defines disease as a biological pathology verified by clinical medicine,
whereas illness encompasses the personal, social, and cultural experience of suffering.
3. Which concept describes a combination of psychiatric and physical symptoms
recognized as a specific disease only within a particular culture?
A. Universal syndrome
B. Culture-bound syndrome
C. Structural violence
D. Epidemiological transition
, Rationale: Culture-bound syndromes (such as *susto* or *amok*) are health conditions localized to
specific cultural contexts that lack direct one-to-one equivalents in Western clinical diagnostic manuals.
4. What is "biomedicine"?
A. Traditional herbal healing practices passed down through oral history
B. A practice based on Western natural sciences that applies principles of biology and
biochemistry to diagnose and treat health conditions
C. Religious healing rituals involving spirit possession
D. Holistic wellness therapies practiced exclusively in non-Western communities
Rationale: Biomedicine is the ethnomedical system rooted in Western scientific traditions, emphasizing
biological mechanisms, clinical diagnostic testing, and pharmaceutical or surgical interventions.
5. What approach does critical medical anthropology (CMA) take when analyzing health
outcomes?
A. Examining how economic inequality, political power structures, and social
stratification shape health and access to care
B. Attributing all health disparities strictly to individual lifestyle choices and genetic traits
C. Focusing exclusively on spiritual explanations provided by traditional shamans
D. Ignoring global capitalism to evaluate isolated village remedies
Rationale: Critical medical anthropology explores how macro-level political and economic structures
produce health inequalities and dictate healthcare distribution globally.
6. What term describes a cultural healing system that uses natural remedies, local herbs,
and spiritual rituals to address health problems?
A. Medicalization
B. Biopower
C. Ethnomedicine
D. Placebo effect
Rationale: Ethnomedicine refers to the domain of human culture involving local health beliefs, medical
knowledge, and healing practices specific to a community.
7. What is "medicalization"?
ANTHROPOLOGY CHAPTER 14 EXAM
Final Examination Questions & Answers with Verified Solutions
2026/2027
1. How do cultural anthropologists define "ethno-etiology"?
A. The study of modern biomedical hospital administrative structures
B. A culturally specific explanation for the underlying cause of health problems and
illness
C. The statistical measurement of disease transmission rates across global urban centers
D. The genetic isolation of indigenous populations suffering from chronic conditions
Rationale: Ethno-etiology refers to the local cultural theories and cross-cultural frameworks used to
explain why people get sick and what causes disease.
2. What key distinction do medical anthropologists make between "disease" and
"illness"?
A. Disease is a clinically identified biological pathology, while illness is the
individual's lived experience of feeling unwell
B. Disease affects psychological state, while illness applies only to physical organ failure
C. Disease is temporary and mild, while illness refers strictly to terminal conditions
D. Disease is diagnosed by ethnomedical healers, while illness is recognized by Western
doctors
Rationale: Medical anthropology defines disease as a biological pathology verified by clinical medicine,
whereas illness encompasses the personal, social, and cultural experience of suffering.
3. Which concept describes a combination of psychiatric and physical symptoms
recognized as a specific disease only within a particular culture?
A. Universal syndrome
B. Culture-bound syndrome
C. Structural violence
D. Epidemiological transition
, Rationale: Culture-bound syndromes (such as *susto* or *amok*) are health conditions localized to
specific cultural contexts that lack direct one-to-one equivalents in Western clinical diagnostic manuals.
4. What is "biomedicine"?
A. Traditional herbal healing practices passed down through oral history
B. A practice based on Western natural sciences that applies principles of biology and
biochemistry to diagnose and treat health conditions
C. Religious healing rituals involving spirit possession
D. Holistic wellness therapies practiced exclusively in non-Western communities
Rationale: Biomedicine is the ethnomedical system rooted in Western scientific traditions, emphasizing
biological mechanisms, clinical diagnostic testing, and pharmaceutical or surgical interventions.
5. What approach does critical medical anthropology (CMA) take when analyzing health
outcomes?
A. Examining how economic inequality, political power structures, and social
stratification shape health and access to care
B. Attributing all health disparities strictly to individual lifestyle choices and genetic traits
C. Focusing exclusively on spiritual explanations provided by traditional shamans
D. Ignoring global capitalism to evaluate isolated village remedies
Rationale: Critical medical anthropology explores how macro-level political and economic structures
produce health inequalities and dictate healthcare distribution globally.
6. What term describes a cultural healing system that uses natural remedies, local herbs,
and spiritual rituals to address health problems?
A. Medicalization
B. Biopower
C. Ethnomedicine
D. Placebo effect
Rationale: Ethnomedicine refers to the domain of human culture involving local health beliefs, medical
knowledge, and healing practices specific to a community.
7. What is "medicalization"?
