Cultural Anthropology, Nanda - Complete test bank -
exam questions - quizzes (updated 2022)
Chapter 01:
Chapter 1: Anthropology
Anthropologyand Human
and Diversity
Human Diversity
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The critical factor that distinguishes anthropology from other fields of study is:
a. Its emphasis on rigorous experimentation and analysis of data.
b. Its exclusive focus on non-Western cultures.
c. Its use of theories of biological evolution to explain human behavior.
d. Its interest in describing humankind throughout time and in all parts of the world.
e. Its focus on the discovery of a single human nature.
ANS: D DIF: Conceptual REF: 3 OBJ: 1
MSC: Pickup
2. One of the most critical goals of cultural anthropology as an academic discipline is to:
a. Describe, analyze, and explain different cultures.
b. Increase the level of culture in particular human societies.
c. Place large numbers of cultural anthropologists in political offices.
d. Determine the direction of human evolution.
e. Preserve world heritage for future generations.
ANS: A DIF: Conceptual REF: 3 OBJ: 1
MSC: Pickup
3. To say that anthropology is holistic means that anthropologists are particularly interested in:
a. Objects and acts regarded as holy by various peoples.
b. The whole personality of any particular individual.
c. The integration of biological, sociocultural, and environmental factors in explaining
human behavior.
d. Studying every culture in the world.
e. The efforts to find holes in particular theories.
ANS: C DIF: Applied REF: 4 OBJ: 1
MSC: Pickup
4. Which of the following correctly identifies the sub-disciplines of anthropology?
a. Archaeology, Anthropometry, Cultural Anthropology, Paleontology, and Cultural
Relativity.
b. Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology, Cognitive Anthropology, Ethno-history, and
Linguistics.
c. Archaeology, Ethno-history, Anthropometry, Structural Anthropology, and Cultural
Anthropology.
d. Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology, Physical Anthropology, Applied
Anthropology and Linguistics.
e. Archaeology, Phonology, Medical Anthropology, Development Studies, and
Cultural Anthropology.
ANS: D DIF: Factual REF: 4 OBJ: 2
MSC: Pickup
,5. Anthropologists say that human adaptation is biocultural. Which of the following best
represents what is meant by this statement?
a. Human adaptation is both biological and cultural, and anthropologists cannot
distinguish between the meanings of these concepts.
b. Human adaptation involves both biological and cultural dimensions and each
influences the other.
c. Human adaptation is unique among all animals because it is based exclusively on
physiological adaptations.
d. Human adaptation is the same as that of all animal because culture plays a role in
the adaptation of all forms of life.
e. Human adaptation is based exclusively on culture. Biology is subsumed within the
cultural dimension and does not exert an independent influence on humans.
ANS: B DIF: Conceptual REF: 4 OBJ: 2
MSC: New
6. Which of the following studies how languages are related to each other?
a. Biological anthropology
b. Human variation
c. Historical linguistics
d. Paleo-linguistics
e. Cultural linguistics
ANS: C DIF: Factual REF: 5 OBJ: 2
MSC: New
7. Archaeologists are principally interested in:
a. Excavating sites and developing museums to preserve ancient landforms.
b. Collecting artifacts made by ancient peoples.
c. Tracing the course of human evolution through an examination of the fossilized
remains.
d. Understanding and reconstructing the cultures of past societies.
e. Tracing the early development of Western civilization.
ANS: D DIF: Factual REF: 6 OBJ: 2
MSC: Pickup
8. A primary contribution of urban archaeologists is the development of:
a. New architecture based on traditional designs.
b. New methods of city governance.
c. New knowledge about people who resided at the site.
d. New insights into agriculture.
e. New information about traditional Native American lifestyles.
ANS: C DIF: Applied REF: 7 OBJ: 2
MSC: Pickup
9. All of the following statements about the understanding of culture in anthropology are
correct except:
a. Culture is biologically and genetically transmitted from person to person.
b. Culture is the way of life of a particular human society.
, c. Culture is the learned behaviors and symbols that allow people to live in groups.
d. Culture is the primary way that human adapt to their environments.
ANS: A DIF: Conceptual REF: 7 OBJ: 2
MSC: New
10. What is ethnography?
a. It is the reconstruction of past cultures based on material remains.
b. It is the scientific study of the concept of culture and adaptation.
c. It is the process of doing qualitative, fieldwork-based research.
d. It is the protection and exhibition of cultural resources.
e. It is the process of seeking laws and general principles that govern cultural
phenomena.
ANS: C DIF: Factual REF: 7 OBJ: 2
MSC: New
11. An emic approach to the study of culture is one that emphasizes:
a. The description of a culture from the point of view of a member of the culture.
b. The comparison of similar parts of different cultures.
c. The study of the ecological adaptation of a culture.
d. Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism.
e. The search for general laws or principles that can be applied to all human cultures.
ANS: A DIF: Factual REF: 8 OBJ: 2
MSC: Pickup
12. Which of the following problems would an applied anthropologist be most likely to study?
a. The ways in which families are organized to carry out the basic tasks of farming in
agricultural societies.
b. The ways in which health care delivery to American minority communities might
be improved.
c. The ways in which a society's religious beliefs relate to its artwork.
d. The relationship between the language members of a culture speak and the ways in
which they understand the world.
e. The percentage of goods and practices in a culture that have their origins in a
different culture.
ANS: B DIF: Applied REF: 9 OBJ: 3
MSC: Pickup
13. A critical insight of medical anthropology is that:
a. Disease and medicine never exist independently from culture.
b. Diseases are universal, biological entities and have little relation to culture.
c. There is a single, universal medical model that is applicable to all cultures.
d. Although diseases may have different names and different treatments in different
cultures, the same diseases are present in all cultures.
e. Traditional cultures have a greater number of diseases that modern medicine
considers “psychological” than does modern culture.
ANS: A DIF: Conceptual REF: 8 OBJ: 3
, MSC: Pickup
14. Psychiatry has been a frequent subject of medical anthropology. One critical finding is:
a. The Freudian model of psychoanalysis is appropriate to all cultures universally.
b. People in all cultures experience universal psycho-sexual stages of development.
c. Schizophrenics are considered ill in Western cultures but are considered religiously
enlightened in other cultures.
d. Doctors are most frequently trained to treat mental disease as a result of either
biological dysfunction or psychosocial factors but not both.
e. Mental illness is always caused by social factors, but because of the influence of
drug companies, doctors are reluctant to believe this finding.
ANS: D DIF: Applied REF: 9 OBJ: 3
MSC: Pickup
15. One important use of applied archaeology mentioned in the text is:
a. To settle border disputes between modern nations.
b. To prove the fundamental truths of evolution.
c. To demonstrate the ancient presence of humans in the Americas and in China.
d. To demonstrate that no Europeans were present in North America before
Columbus.
e. To increase agricultural yields by revitalizing ancient irrigation techniques.
ANS: E DIF: Factual REF: 10 OBJ: 3
MSC: Pickup
16. Indigenous peoples involve all of the following except:
a. Members of a society that have occupied a region for a long time.
b. Members of groups recognized as original inhabitants.
c. Members of any group who dress as indigenous peoples and participate in native
pow-wows.
d. Members of a group that is recognized as very ancient to a region.
e. Members of a group that continues to live in a traditional manner.
ANS: C DIF: Factual REF: 10 OBJ: 3
MSC: New
17. Which of the following best illustrates why applied anthropology is important today?
a. It helps us understand which cultures are superior.
b. It contributes to our understanding of the evolution of human beings.
c. It provides new forms of technology and new ways of coordinating populations.
d. It creates the basis for world peace.
e. It opens up new perspectives and insights in understanding our human differences.
ANS: E DIF: Conceptual REF: 11 OBJ: 3
MSC: New
18. Ethnocentrism is the tendency for:
a. Every society to view itself as superior to others.
b. Every society to want to exploit the wealth of other societies.
c. Every individual to consider him/herself the equal of others.
exam questions - quizzes (updated 2022)
Chapter 01:
Chapter 1: Anthropology
Anthropologyand Human
and Diversity
Human Diversity
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The critical factor that distinguishes anthropology from other fields of study is:
a. Its emphasis on rigorous experimentation and analysis of data.
b. Its exclusive focus on non-Western cultures.
c. Its use of theories of biological evolution to explain human behavior.
d. Its interest in describing humankind throughout time and in all parts of the world.
e. Its focus on the discovery of a single human nature.
ANS: D DIF: Conceptual REF: 3 OBJ: 1
MSC: Pickup
2. One of the most critical goals of cultural anthropology as an academic discipline is to:
a. Describe, analyze, and explain different cultures.
b. Increase the level of culture in particular human societies.
c. Place large numbers of cultural anthropologists in political offices.
d. Determine the direction of human evolution.
e. Preserve world heritage for future generations.
ANS: A DIF: Conceptual REF: 3 OBJ: 1
MSC: Pickup
3. To say that anthropology is holistic means that anthropologists are particularly interested in:
a. Objects and acts regarded as holy by various peoples.
b. The whole personality of any particular individual.
c. The integration of biological, sociocultural, and environmental factors in explaining
human behavior.
d. Studying every culture in the world.
e. The efforts to find holes in particular theories.
ANS: C DIF: Applied REF: 4 OBJ: 1
MSC: Pickup
4. Which of the following correctly identifies the sub-disciplines of anthropology?
a. Archaeology, Anthropometry, Cultural Anthropology, Paleontology, and Cultural
Relativity.
b. Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology, Cognitive Anthropology, Ethno-history, and
Linguistics.
c. Archaeology, Ethno-history, Anthropometry, Structural Anthropology, and Cultural
Anthropology.
d. Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology, Physical Anthropology, Applied
Anthropology and Linguistics.
e. Archaeology, Phonology, Medical Anthropology, Development Studies, and
Cultural Anthropology.
ANS: D DIF: Factual REF: 4 OBJ: 2
MSC: Pickup
,5. Anthropologists say that human adaptation is biocultural. Which of the following best
represents what is meant by this statement?
a. Human adaptation is both biological and cultural, and anthropologists cannot
distinguish between the meanings of these concepts.
b. Human adaptation involves both biological and cultural dimensions and each
influences the other.
c. Human adaptation is unique among all animals because it is based exclusively on
physiological adaptations.
d. Human adaptation is the same as that of all animal because culture plays a role in
the adaptation of all forms of life.
e. Human adaptation is based exclusively on culture. Biology is subsumed within the
cultural dimension and does not exert an independent influence on humans.
ANS: B DIF: Conceptual REF: 4 OBJ: 2
MSC: New
6. Which of the following studies how languages are related to each other?
a. Biological anthropology
b. Human variation
c. Historical linguistics
d. Paleo-linguistics
e. Cultural linguistics
ANS: C DIF: Factual REF: 5 OBJ: 2
MSC: New
7. Archaeologists are principally interested in:
a. Excavating sites and developing museums to preserve ancient landforms.
b. Collecting artifacts made by ancient peoples.
c. Tracing the course of human evolution through an examination of the fossilized
remains.
d. Understanding and reconstructing the cultures of past societies.
e. Tracing the early development of Western civilization.
ANS: D DIF: Factual REF: 6 OBJ: 2
MSC: Pickup
8. A primary contribution of urban archaeologists is the development of:
a. New architecture based on traditional designs.
b. New methods of city governance.
c. New knowledge about people who resided at the site.
d. New insights into agriculture.
e. New information about traditional Native American lifestyles.
ANS: C DIF: Applied REF: 7 OBJ: 2
MSC: Pickup
9. All of the following statements about the understanding of culture in anthropology are
correct except:
a. Culture is biologically and genetically transmitted from person to person.
b. Culture is the way of life of a particular human society.
, c. Culture is the learned behaviors and symbols that allow people to live in groups.
d. Culture is the primary way that human adapt to their environments.
ANS: A DIF: Conceptual REF: 7 OBJ: 2
MSC: New
10. What is ethnography?
a. It is the reconstruction of past cultures based on material remains.
b. It is the scientific study of the concept of culture and adaptation.
c. It is the process of doing qualitative, fieldwork-based research.
d. It is the protection and exhibition of cultural resources.
e. It is the process of seeking laws and general principles that govern cultural
phenomena.
ANS: C DIF: Factual REF: 7 OBJ: 2
MSC: New
11. An emic approach to the study of culture is one that emphasizes:
a. The description of a culture from the point of view of a member of the culture.
b. The comparison of similar parts of different cultures.
c. The study of the ecological adaptation of a culture.
d. Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism.
e. The search for general laws or principles that can be applied to all human cultures.
ANS: A DIF: Factual REF: 8 OBJ: 2
MSC: Pickup
12. Which of the following problems would an applied anthropologist be most likely to study?
a. The ways in which families are organized to carry out the basic tasks of farming in
agricultural societies.
b. The ways in which health care delivery to American minority communities might
be improved.
c. The ways in which a society's religious beliefs relate to its artwork.
d. The relationship between the language members of a culture speak and the ways in
which they understand the world.
e. The percentage of goods and practices in a culture that have their origins in a
different culture.
ANS: B DIF: Applied REF: 9 OBJ: 3
MSC: Pickup
13. A critical insight of medical anthropology is that:
a. Disease and medicine never exist independently from culture.
b. Diseases are universal, biological entities and have little relation to culture.
c. There is a single, universal medical model that is applicable to all cultures.
d. Although diseases may have different names and different treatments in different
cultures, the same diseases are present in all cultures.
e. Traditional cultures have a greater number of diseases that modern medicine
considers “psychological” than does modern culture.
ANS: A DIF: Conceptual REF: 8 OBJ: 3
, MSC: Pickup
14. Psychiatry has been a frequent subject of medical anthropology. One critical finding is:
a. The Freudian model of psychoanalysis is appropriate to all cultures universally.
b. People in all cultures experience universal psycho-sexual stages of development.
c. Schizophrenics are considered ill in Western cultures but are considered religiously
enlightened in other cultures.
d. Doctors are most frequently trained to treat mental disease as a result of either
biological dysfunction or psychosocial factors but not both.
e. Mental illness is always caused by social factors, but because of the influence of
drug companies, doctors are reluctant to believe this finding.
ANS: D DIF: Applied REF: 9 OBJ: 3
MSC: Pickup
15. One important use of applied archaeology mentioned in the text is:
a. To settle border disputes between modern nations.
b. To prove the fundamental truths of evolution.
c. To demonstrate the ancient presence of humans in the Americas and in China.
d. To demonstrate that no Europeans were present in North America before
Columbus.
e. To increase agricultural yields by revitalizing ancient irrigation techniques.
ANS: E DIF: Factual REF: 10 OBJ: 3
MSC: Pickup
16. Indigenous peoples involve all of the following except:
a. Members of a society that have occupied a region for a long time.
b. Members of groups recognized as original inhabitants.
c. Members of any group who dress as indigenous peoples and participate in native
pow-wows.
d. Members of a group that is recognized as very ancient to a region.
e. Members of a group that continues to live in a traditional manner.
ANS: C DIF: Factual REF: 10 OBJ: 3
MSC: New
17. Which of the following best illustrates why applied anthropology is important today?
a. It helps us understand which cultures are superior.
b. It contributes to our understanding of the evolution of human beings.
c. It provides new forms of technology and new ways of coordinating populations.
d. It creates the basis for world peace.
e. It opens up new perspectives and insights in understanding our human differences.
ANS: E DIF: Conceptual REF: 11 OBJ: 3
MSC: New
18. Ethnocentrism is the tendency for:
a. Every society to view itself as superior to others.
b. Every society to want to exploit the wealth of other societies.
c. Every individual to consider him/herself the equal of others.
