Test Bank for Anthropology, 15th Edition by Carol R. Ember, Melvin R. Ember
CHAPTER 1: What Is Anthropology? All Chapters
Multiple Choice Questions Instant Access
1. Anthropology is literally the study of .
A) humans
B) fossils
C) history
D) religion
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.1 Explain the general definition and purpose of anthropology.
Topic: What Is Anthropology?
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
2. Which type of culture was the traditional focus for anthropologists?
A) Western cultures
B) extinct cultures
C) non-Western cultures
D) post-industrialized cultures
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.2 Describe the scope of anthropology.
Topic: The Scope of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
3. The anthropological curiosity is primarily interested in .
A) abnormal characteristics within a population
B) differences in individual behavior
C) behavioral changes over time
D) typical characteristics of populations
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.4 Explain anthropology’s distinctive curiosity. Topic:
Anthropological Curiosity
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
4. What are the two broad classifications of subject matter within anthropology?
A) biological and cultural
B) contemporary and ancient
C) Western and non-Western
D) theoretical and practical
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
,5. Which of the following can encompass any of the four main subfields of anthropology?
A) biological anthropology
B) applied anthropology
C) anthropological linguistics
D) archaeology
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
6. Prosimians, monkeys, apes, and humans are all members of the order .
A) Primates
B) Humans
C) Homo sapiens
D) Mammals
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
7. What is culture?
A) the religion, language, and values of a population
B) the customary ways that a particular population or society thinks and behaves
C) advanced knowledge of literature and fine arts
D) traditional beliefs that have been unchanged over generations
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
8. The study of how languages change through time and how they may be related is called
.
A) structural linguistics
B) sociolinguistics
C) ethnolinguistics
D) historical linguistics
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
9. A might study speech patterns in varying social contexts.
A) sociolinguist
,B) anthropological linguist
C) historical linguist
D) ethnologist
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
10. A cultural anthropologist who spends a year or so living with, talking to, and observing people
whose customs he or she is studying is known as a(n) .
A) linguistic anthropologist
B) ethnographer
C) archaeologist
D) ethnohistorian
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
11. The goal of applied anthropology is to .
A) understand human evolution
B) limit anthropology to an academic setting
C) make anthropological knowledge useful
D) focus solely on Western cultures
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
12. Anthropology is a comparatively young discipline. It was only in the late that
anthropologists began to go to live with people in faraway places.
A) 1800s
B) 1700s
C) 1600s
D) 1900s
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.7 Communicate the relevance of anthropology.
Topic: The Relevance of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
13. Why is it incomplete to simply call anthropology “the study of humans”?
A) The focus of anthropology is on pre-human organisms.
B) Many other disciplines also study humans.
, C) Anthropologists study only certain aspects of human life.
D) Anthropologists study all species of mammals.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.1 Explain the general definition and purpose of anthropology.
Topic: What Is Anthropology?
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
14. How does anthropology differ from other disciplines concerned with humans?
A) Anthropology has a narrower focus on the cultural “other.”
B) It has existed as a discipline longer than most other social sciences.
C) Anthropology has a less scientific approach than other disciplines.
D) It is broader in scope, both geographically and historically.
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.2 Describe the scope of anthropology.
Topic: The Scope of Anthropology
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
15. A distinguishing feature of anthropology is the goal of understanding how aspects of human
experience such as local history, physical environment, family life, language, settlement patterns,
and religion are interrelated. This approach to culture is referred to as .
A) the holistic approach
B) the sociological approach
C) cultural materialism
D) participant observation
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.3 Explain the holistic approach.
Topic: The Holistic Approach
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Easy
16. In what way has anthropological research changed over the years?
A) Anthropologists only work in academic settings today.
B) Modern anthropologists are no longer trained with a holistic approach.
C) Anthropologists now have more specialized areas of research.
D) Anthropologists are now only interested in non-Western cultures.
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
17. A human paleontologist might study .
A) pre-human fossils
B) the behavior of chimpanzees
C) dinosaur fossils
CHAPTER 1: What Is Anthropology? All Chapters
Multiple Choice Questions Instant Access
1. Anthropology is literally the study of .
A) humans
B) fossils
C) history
D) religion
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.1 Explain the general definition and purpose of anthropology.
Topic: What Is Anthropology?
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
2. Which type of culture was the traditional focus for anthropologists?
A) Western cultures
B) extinct cultures
C) non-Western cultures
D) post-industrialized cultures
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.2 Describe the scope of anthropology.
Topic: The Scope of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
3. The anthropological curiosity is primarily interested in .
A) abnormal characteristics within a population
B) differences in individual behavior
C) behavioral changes over time
D) typical characteristics of populations
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.4 Explain anthropology’s distinctive curiosity. Topic:
Anthropological Curiosity
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
4. What are the two broad classifications of subject matter within anthropology?
A) biological and cultural
B) contemporary and ancient
C) Western and non-Western
D) theoretical and practical
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
,5. Which of the following can encompass any of the four main subfields of anthropology?
A) biological anthropology
B) applied anthropology
C) anthropological linguistics
D) archaeology
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
6. Prosimians, monkeys, apes, and humans are all members of the order .
A) Primates
B) Humans
C) Homo sapiens
D) Mammals
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
7. What is culture?
A) the religion, language, and values of a population
B) the customary ways that a particular population or society thinks and behaves
C) advanced knowledge of literature and fine arts
D) traditional beliefs that have been unchanged over generations
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
8. The study of how languages change through time and how they may be related is called
.
A) structural linguistics
B) sociolinguistics
C) ethnolinguistics
D) historical linguistics
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
9. A might study speech patterns in varying social contexts.
A) sociolinguist
,B) anthropological linguist
C) historical linguist
D) ethnologist
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
10. A cultural anthropologist who spends a year or so living with, talking to, and observing people
whose customs he or she is studying is known as a(n) .
A) linguistic anthropologist
B) ethnographer
C) archaeologist
D) ethnohistorian
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
11. The goal of applied anthropology is to .
A) understand human evolution
B) limit anthropology to an academic setting
C) make anthropological knowledge useful
D) focus solely on Western cultures
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
12. Anthropology is a comparatively young discipline. It was only in the late that
anthropologists began to go to live with people in faraway places.
A) 1800s
B) 1700s
C) 1600s
D) 1900s
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.7 Communicate the relevance of anthropology.
Topic: The Relevance of Anthropology
Skill Level: Remember the Facts Difficulty
Level: Easy
13. Why is it incomplete to simply call anthropology “the study of humans”?
A) The focus of anthropology is on pre-human organisms.
B) Many other disciplines also study humans.
, C) Anthropologists study only certain aspects of human life.
D) Anthropologists study all species of mammals.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.1 Explain the general definition and purpose of anthropology.
Topic: What Is Anthropology?
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
14. How does anthropology differ from other disciplines concerned with humans?
A) Anthropology has a narrower focus on the cultural “other.”
B) It has existed as a discipline longer than most other social sciences.
C) Anthropology has a less scientific approach than other disciplines.
D) It is broader in scope, both geographically and historically.
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.2 Describe the scope of anthropology.
Topic: The Scope of Anthropology
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
15. A distinguishing feature of anthropology is the goal of understanding how aspects of human
experience such as local history, physical environment, family life, language, settlement patterns,
and religion are interrelated. This approach to culture is referred to as .
A) the holistic approach
B) the sociological approach
C) cultural materialism
D) participant observation
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.3 Explain the holistic approach.
Topic: The Holistic Approach
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Easy
16. In what way has anthropological research changed over the years?
A) Anthropologists only work in academic settings today.
B) Modern anthropologists are no longer trained with a holistic approach.
C) Anthropologists now have more specialized areas of research.
D) Anthropologists are now only interested in non-Western cultures.
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.5 Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology.
Topic: Fields of Anthropology
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
17. A human paleontologist might study .
A) pre-human fossils
B) the behavior of chimpanzees
C) dinosaur fossils
