Anthro 2B- MIDTERM Comprehensive
Questions (Frequently Tested) with
Verified Answers Graded A+
Anthropology - Answer: The science of human cultural and biological variation and evolution.
Culture - Answer: Behavior that is shared, learned, and socially transmitted. Includes social and
economic systems, marriage customs, religion, philosophy.
Sociocultural Anthropology - Answer: - Subfield of anthropology
-focuses on variations in cultural behaviors among human populations
Linguistic Anthropology - Answer: - Subfield of anthropology
- focuses on nature of human language, the relationship of language to culture, and languages
of nonliterate people.
Archeology - Answer: - Subfield of anthropology
- an examination of humanity in all spaces and all times (historic and pre-historic) w/ the hopes
of being able to better understand the positives and negatives of reconstructing past human
behaviors
- The study of the material culture of past peoples
-The field of study that tells us about wow humans lived in the Paleolithic Era.
Biological Anthropology - Answer: - Subfield of anthropology
-Focuses on bio evolution of humans and human ancestors, the relationship of humans to other
organisms, and patterns to bio variation within and among human populations. AKA: Physical
anthropology.
,Paleoanthropolgy - Answer: - Subfield of anthropology
- study of primate and human evolution
Primatology - Answer: - Subfield of anthropology
-scientific study of primates
Human Biology - Answer: - Subfield of anthropology
-The study of humans as biological organisms, considered in an evolutionary framework;
sometimes called physical anthropology (origin of modern species/biological variation)
- the study of human variation with respect to evolution and physiology
Epistemology - Answer: a way of knowing ex: art, religion, science
Science - Answer: How vs Why, science touches more on how than why. Provisionality empirical
How v. Why - Answer:
Assumptions & Proof - Answer: - assump: held on basis of faith - Proof: closed logical system
framed by initial assump
Parsimony (Occam's Razor) - Answer: - also spelled Occam's razor, also called law of economy,
or law of parsimony, principle stated by William of Ockham (1285-1347/49), a scholastic, that
Pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate; "Plurality should not be posited without necessity."
The principle gives precedence to simplicity; of two competing theories, the simplest
explanation of an entity is to be preferred. The principle is also expressed "Entities are not to be
multiplied beyond necessity."
- is a principle from philosophy.
-basically means a simple explanation is better than a complicated one.
, Provisionality - Answer: - forming an hypotheses that could be tested
- open to rejection
Theories & Theoretical Paradigms - Answer: - a set of hypothesis that have been tested
repeatedly and that have not been rejected
-image of society that guides thinking and research
Hypotheses - Answer: - a falsifiable statement. You fail to disprove it.
Oxymoron of Creation Science - Answer: assume everything in Bible is true, we were created by
genesis, how can scientists believe the creation and be a science of discovering vast new ideas?
Plato & the Eidos - Answer: - eidos meaning ideal type: Ex: a fox is the perfect fox, anything
ideal - Platos: Truth cannot be found in the everyday world. Only found in another realm. Eidos
Aristotle - Answer: student of plato, said we need to investigate nature and access info from our
world today.
Great Chain of Being - Answer: - European idea that every species was a link on a chain
extending from lowest forms to humans and on to spiritual beings.
- All links and been designed at the same time during creation and would never change. Once all
the links were discovered and described, the meaning of life would be revealed.
- (lamarck) Ordered from least perfect to most perfect. Put on a scale of perfection.
Fixity of Species - Answer: - The notion that species, once created, can never change; an idea
diametrically opposed to theories of biological evolution.
- all species establish initially are all here. No evolution occurred.
Questions (Frequently Tested) with
Verified Answers Graded A+
Anthropology - Answer: The science of human cultural and biological variation and evolution.
Culture - Answer: Behavior that is shared, learned, and socially transmitted. Includes social and
economic systems, marriage customs, religion, philosophy.
Sociocultural Anthropology - Answer: - Subfield of anthropology
-focuses on variations in cultural behaviors among human populations
Linguistic Anthropology - Answer: - Subfield of anthropology
- focuses on nature of human language, the relationship of language to culture, and languages
of nonliterate people.
Archeology - Answer: - Subfield of anthropology
- an examination of humanity in all spaces and all times (historic and pre-historic) w/ the hopes
of being able to better understand the positives and negatives of reconstructing past human
behaviors
- The study of the material culture of past peoples
-The field of study that tells us about wow humans lived in the Paleolithic Era.
Biological Anthropology - Answer: - Subfield of anthropology
-Focuses on bio evolution of humans and human ancestors, the relationship of humans to other
organisms, and patterns to bio variation within and among human populations. AKA: Physical
anthropology.
,Paleoanthropolgy - Answer: - Subfield of anthropology
- study of primate and human evolution
Primatology - Answer: - Subfield of anthropology
-scientific study of primates
Human Biology - Answer: - Subfield of anthropology
-The study of humans as biological organisms, considered in an evolutionary framework;
sometimes called physical anthropology (origin of modern species/biological variation)
- the study of human variation with respect to evolution and physiology
Epistemology - Answer: a way of knowing ex: art, religion, science
Science - Answer: How vs Why, science touches more on how than why. Provisionality empirical
How v. Why - Answer:
Assumptions & Proof - Answer: - assump: held on basis of faith - Proof: closed logical system
framed by initial assump
Parsimony (Occam's Razor) - Answer: - also spelled Occam's razor, also called law of economy,
or law of parsimony, principle stated by William of Ockham (1285-1347/49), a scholastic, that
Pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate; "Plurality should not be posited without necessity."
The principle gives precedence to simplicity; of two competing theories, the simplest
explanation of an entity is to be preferred. The principle is also expressed "Entities are not to be
multiplied beyond necessity."
- is a principle from philosophy.
-basically means a simple explanation is better than a complicated one.
, Provisionality - Answer: - forming an hypotheses that could be tested
- open to rejection
Theories & Theoretical Paradigms - Answer: - a set of hypothesis that have been tested
repeatedly and that have not been rejected
-image of society that guides thinking and research
Hypotheses - Answer: - a falsifiable statement. You fail to disprove it.
Oxymoron of Creation Science - Answer: assume everything in Bible is true, we were created by
genesis, how can scientists believe the creation and be a science of discovering vast new ideas?
Plato & the Eidos - Answer: - eidos meaning ideal type: Ex: a fox is the perfect fox, anything
ideal - Platos: Truth cannot be found in the everyday world. Only found in another realm. Eidos
Aristotle - Answer: student of plato, said we need to investigate nature and access info from our
world today.
Great Chain of Being - Answer: - European idea that every species was a link on a chain
extending from lowest forms to humans and on to spiritual beings.
- All links and been designed at the same time during creation and would never change. Once all
the links were discovered and described, the meaning of life would be revealed.
- (lamarck) Ordered from least perfect to most perfect. Put on a scale of perfection.
Fixity of Species - Answer: - The notion that species, once created, can never change; an idea
diametrically opposed to theories of biological evolution.
- all species establish initially are all here. No evolution occurred.
