ANT 300 Final Exam V2 | ANT 300 Cultural
Anthropology | Q&A with Rationale
(ANT300 Final Exam) | Nightingale College
1. Which term describes the anthropological commitment to consider the full scope of human
life, including culture, biology, history, and language, across space and time?
A. Ethnocentrism
B. Structuralism
C. Cultural Relativism
D. Holism
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Holism is the hallmark of the anthropological perspective that seeks to
integrate all known aspects of the human condition. It requires researchers to look at the
interconnections between different parts of a society rather than focusing on a single
variable. This approach ensures a comprehensive understanding of human behavior and
evolution within a global context.
2. When an anthropologist studies a culture by living with the people, participating in their
daily activities, and observing their behavior, which method are they primarily using?
A. Quantitative Surveying
B. Participant Observation
,C. Archival Research
D. Clinical Interviewing
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Participant observation is the primary research strategy in cultural
anthropology that involves both involvement and detachment. It allows the researcher to
gain an ‘insider’s’ perspective while maintaining the analytical distance of an outsider. This
method is essential for collecting qualitative data that surveys alone cannot capture.
3. The belief that one’s own culture is superior to others and using one’s own cultural
standards to judge other people’s practices is known as:
A. Multiculturalism
B. Cultural Relativism
C. Xenocentrism
D. Ethnocentrism
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Ethnocentrism involves the tendency to view the world through the narrow
lens of one’s own cultural background. This perspective often leads to the devaluation of
different practices and can hinder objective anthropological analysis. Anthropologists
strive to overcome this bias by practicing cultural relativism during their investigations.
, 4. Which concept suggests that the language people speak influences the way they perceive
and think about the world?
A. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
B. Universal Grammar
C. Code-Switching
D. Linguistic Convergence
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis proposes that the structure of a language affects its
speakers’ world view or cognition. It suggests that linguistic categories serve as a bridge
between the physical world and human perception. This theory remains a significant topic
of debate regarding the extent to which language constraints thought.
5. A ‘big man’ in a tribal society maintains his position of leadership through which of the
following?
A. Inherited aristocratic status
B. Personal charisma and wealth redistribution
C. Formal institutionalized power
D. Military coercion and force
Correct Answer: B
Anthropology | Q&A with Rationale
(ANT300 Final Exam) | Nightingale College
1. Which term describes the anthropological commitment to consider the full scope of human
life, including culture, biology, history, and language, across space and time?
A. Ethnocentrism
B. Structuralism
C. Cultural Relativism
D. Holism
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Holism is the hallmark of the anthropological perspective that seeks to
integrate all known aspects of the human condition. It requires researchers to look at the
interconnections between different parts of a society rather than focusing on a single
variable. This approach ensures a comprehensive understanding of human behavior and
evolution within a global context.
2. When an anthropologist studies a culture by living with the people, participating in their
daily activities, and observing their behavior, which method are they primarily using?
A. Quantitative Surveying
B. Participant Observation
,C. Archival Research
D. Clinical Interviewing
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Participant observation is the primary research strategy in cultural
anthropology that involves both involvement and detachment. It allows the researcher to
gain an ‘insider’s’ perspective while maintaining the analytical distance of an outsider. This
method is essential for collecting qualitative data that surveys alone cannot capture.
3. The belief that one’s own culture is superior to others and using one’s own cultural
standards to judge other people’s practices is known as:
A. Multiculturalism
B. Cultural Relativism
C. Xenocentrism
D. Ethnocentrism
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Ethnocentrism involves the tendency to view the world through the narrow
lens of one’s own cultural background. This perspective often leads to the devaluation of
different practices and can hinder objective anthropological analysis. Anthropologists
strive to overcome this bias by practicing cultural relativism during their investigations.
, 4. Which concept suggests that the language people speak influences the way they perceive
and think about the world?
A. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
B. Universal Grammar
C. Code-Switching
D. Linguistic Convergence
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis proposes that the structure of a language affects its
speakers’ world view or cognition. It suggests that linguistic categories serve as a bridge
between the physical world and human perception. This theory remains a significant topic
of debate regarding the extent to which language constraints thought.
5. A ‘big man’ in a tribal society maintains his position of leadership through which of the
following?
A. Inherited aristocratic status
B. Personal charisma and wealth redistribution
C. Formal institutionalized power
D. Military coercion and force
Correct Answer: B
