Test Bank for Cultural Anthropology The Human Challenge, 14th Edition

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Chapter 2 – Characteristics of Culture

 

MULTIPLE CHOICE

 

1. The gradual process of making beneficial adjustments to the environment is called

a.	adjustment.
b.	adaption.
c.	adaptation.
d.	acclimatization.
e.	alteration.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   Culture and Adaptation

OBJ:   1                    MSC:  New

 

2. Humans’ major mode of adaptation, which enables them to live effectively in diverse environments, is

a.	education.
b.	culture.
c.	bureaucracy.
d.	religion.
e.	biology.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Culture and Adaptation

OBJ:   1                    MSC:  Pickup

 

3. All of the following are long-term challenges associated with high-yield marginal farmlands in the U.S. except:

a.	loss of topsoil.
b.	high cost of fossil fuel.
c.	decreasing salinity of soil.
d.	silting of irrigation works.
e.	high cost of fresh water.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   1                    MSC:  New

 

4. The ability to build homes and make clothing to insulate us against cold environments is a(n)

a.	physiological adaptation.
b.	evolutionary adaptation.
c.	physical adaptation.
d.	cultural adaptation.
e.	congenital adaptation.

 

 

ANS:  D                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   1                    MSC:  New

 

 

 

 

 

5. The first clear and comprehensive definition of culture was made by

a.	Franz Boas.
b.	Ralph Linton.
c.	Edward B. Tylor.
d.	Bronislaw Malinowski.
e.	Clyde Kluckhohn.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   2                    MSC:  Pickup

 

6. The process by which culture is transmitted from one generation to the next is called

a.	enculturation.
b.	pluralism.
c.	adaptation.
d.	cultural relativism.
e.	subcultural variation.

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

 

7. Which of the following statements about society and culture is incorrect?

a.	Culture can exist without a society.
b.	Every culture is learned, shared, based on symbols, integrated, and dynamic.
c.	All culture is learned rather than biologically inherited.
d.	A culture is shared by the members of a society.
e.	Although members of a society may share a culture, their behavior is not uniform.

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   2                    MSC:  Pickup

 

8. The cultural definitions of what it means to be a male or female today

a.	are determined by biological differences.
b.	are independent of biological differences.
c.	stem from biological differences that are less significant today.
d.	developed about 60 million years ago when our species first emerged.
e.	have no relationship to sex.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   2                    MSC:  Pickup

 

9. Which of the following statements about the relationship between sex and gender is incorrect?

a.	Sex is the same as gender.
b.	Sex refers to physical differences between males and females, whereas gender refers to the cultural meanings assigned to sex.
c.	Sexual differences are biological; gender differences depend on cultural definition.
d.	Gender differences began with human culture, several million years ago.
e.	The biological differences between males and females have decreased since the time of the earliest humans.

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   2                    MSC:  Pickup

10. People share the same culture if they

a.	are dependent on each other for survival.
b.	are able to interpret and predict each other’s actions.
c.	live in the same territory.
d.	behave in an identical manner.
e.	have the same last name.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

 

11. Which of the following statements is incorrect?

a.	All culture is learned.
b.	All learned behavior is cultural.
c.	Culture is humankind’s “social heredity.”
d.	Culture is not biologically inherited.
e.	Culture is transmitted from one generation to the next through enculturation.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

 

12. In the movie Witness, a policeman named John Book was able to hide from his corrupt boss by staying with the Amish. He was protected by adopting their mode of dress, by the fact that they had no telephones, and by their being a close-knit community united by shared values that differed from those of the larger society. The Amish in the United States are an example of a(n)

a.	pluralistic society.
b.	subculture.
c.	integrated culture.
d.	world culture.
e.	complex society.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

 

13. The Amish may be used as an example of subcultural variation because

a.	they are racially different.
b.	they share the values of thrift, hard work, independence, and close family ties that Americans respect.
c.	they maintain a distinctive way of life that emphasizes agrarian living and loyalty to fellow Amish rather than to the state.
d.	they participate in a rite of passage called rumschpringe.
e.	they have their own church and do not speak English.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

14. Which of the following statements is correct?

a.	Subcultural groups always have separate religious affiliations.
b.	Ethnic groups live outside of national borders.
c.	Subcultural groups have biological differences that ethnic groups do not have.
d.	Ethnic groups collectively and publicly identify themselves as distinct.
e.	Subcultural groups collectively and publicly identify themselves as distinct.

 

 

ANS:  D                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

 

15. A set of cultural ideas held by a group that collectively and publicly identifies itself as distinct based on shared features is called

a.	tradition.
b.	custom.
c.	subculture.
d.	culture.
e.	ethnicity.

 

 

ANS:  E                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  New

 

16. The belief that one’s own way of life is superior to others is called

a.	ethnocentrism.
b.	cultural relativism.
c.	egocentrism.
d.	kulturpride.
e.	ethnicity.

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

 

17. A sound, emblem, or other sign that is arbitrarily linked to something else and represents it in a meaningful way is called a(n)

a.	myth.
b.	symbol.
c.	omen.
d.	subculture.
e.	ethnic group.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

 

18. As a result of _____ work, in 1981, the Apaches were able to move into houses that had been designed with their participation, for their specific needs.

a.	Walter Goldschmidt’s
b.	George Esber’s
c.	David Maybury-Lewis’s
d.	Bronislaw Malinowski’s
e.	Margaret Mead’s

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

 

 

19. As a prelude to social interaction, Apache hosts feel compelled to offer their guest

a.	cattle.
b.	beer.
c.	food.
d.	small gifts.
e.	seats.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

 

20. China is a pluralistic society. Which ethnic group dominates others in China and has a socially and politically ethnocentric ruling policy?

a.	Buddhists
b.	Uyghur
c.	Li
d.	Mongol
e.	Han

 

 

ANS:  E                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  New

 

21. All of the following statements about pluralistic societies are correct except:

a.	these are societies in which two or more ethnic groups coexist within the same state.
b.	together these societies comprise a nation.
c.	pluralistic societies did not exist before about 5,000 years ago.
d.	these societies have a more complex order than those states composed of a single ethnic group.
e.	ethnocentrism can be maladaptive within pluralistic societies.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  New

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22. The most important symbolic aspect of culture is

a.	art.
b.	language.
c.	religion.
d.	money.
e.	politics.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

 

23. A society is held together by a shared sense of identity and worldview. This collective body of ideas allows a society to make sense of the world, its challenges, and opportunities. It is known as

a.	infrastructure.
b.	cultural relativism.
c.	superstructure.
d.	religion.
e.	structure.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   Functions of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

 

24. Culture is an integrated and interrelated whole, which means that

a.	people of all different races get along well together.
b.	subcultural variations can be tolerated and are of great benefit to a state.
c.	if you alter one aspect of a culture, you can drastically affect and possibly even endanger the functioning of the whole.
d.	primitive people live in harmony and do not require contact with other cultures, nor do they undergo internal change.
e.	society maintains a fragile balance that can be destroyed by any contact with an outside influence.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   Characteristics of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

 

25. Infrastructure can be best described as a society’s

a.	subsistence system.
b.	religious system.
c.	political system.
d.	domestic activities and daily life.
e.	kinship system.

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Functions of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  New

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

26. The rule-governed relationships that hold a society together, with all their rights, duties, and obligations, are known as its

a.	constitution.
b.	social structure.
c.	cultural relativism.
d.	laws.
e.	ethnocentrism.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   Functions of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

 

27. Which of the following is not an element associated with the barrel model of culture?

a.	Interstructure
b.	Social structure
c.	Infrastructure
d.	Superstructure
e.	Environment

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Functions of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

 

28. As represented by the barrel model of culture, culture is an integrated system that responds to a combination of

a.	structural integrity.
b.	ideology and religion.
c.	international factors.
d.	ethical integrity.
e.	internal factors.

 

 

ANS:  E                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Functions of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

 

29. Among the Kapauku Papuans of New Guinea, the fact that an attempt to eliminate warfare (which would create a balanced sex ratio) would affect the practice of polygyny, which would affect the economy (since women raise pigs, and the more wives a man has, the more pigs he can keep), shows that culture is

a.	materialistic.
b.	relative.
c.	pluralistic.
d.	integrated.
e.	enculturated.

 

 

ANS:  D                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Functions of Culture

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  Pickup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

30. Cultures respond to motions and actions within and around them because they are

a.	symbolic.
b.	functional.
c.	ethnocentric.
d.	dynamic.
e.	integrated.

 

 

ANS:  D                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   Culture, Society, and the Individual

OBJ:   3                    MSC:  New

 

31. According to Bronislaw Malinowski, the nature of an institution is determined by its

a.	structure.
b.	function.
c.	culture.
d.	superstructure.
e.	infrastructure.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Culture, Society, and the Individual

OBJ:   4                    MSC:  Pickup

 

32. _____ set a new standard for fieldwork in anthropology through his research with the Trobriand people.

a.	E.E. Evans-Pritchard
b.	Claude Levi-Strauss
c.	Bronislaw Malinowski
d.	Ruth Benedict
e.	Alfred Wallace

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   Culture, Society, and the Individual

OBJ:   4                    MSC:  Pickup

 

33. Which of the following statements is correct?

a.	A society is a union of multiple cultures.
b.	Human survival depends on every individual being fit.
c.	A correctly functioning culture has consistency across all of its parts, though not necessarily harmony.
d.	Unregulated self-gratification does not impact the society as a whole.
e.	Although all individuals are not exactly the same, all are enculturated equally.

 

 

ANS:  C                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Culture and Change

OBJ:   4                    MSC:  Pickup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

34. What does Laura Nader mean when she says that the beauty industry and many plastic surgeons are involved in “standardizing” bodies?

a.	They focus on the cultural body, treating others as in need of changes and adjustments to be culturally normal
b.	They are working to sell cosmetics only to people who meet cultural ideals and do not address their markets to other women
c.	They are not interested in selling their products anywhere but in the United States
d.	They work together and have the same advisory boards so that there will be no competition between each other’s companies
e.	They are working on cloning experiences so that future people will have a perfect body

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Conceptual     REF:   Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

OBJ:   4                    MSC:  New

 

35. What percentage of cosmetic procedures and nonsurgical procedures were done on women in the United States in 2011?

a.	100
b.	91
c.	83
d.	61
e.	47

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

OBJ:   4                    MSC:  New

 

36. Though pastoral nomadic peoples are often blamed for causing environmental degradation, the fault is often not theirs. Rather, in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa it is caused by

a.	unrestricted development.
b.	a tremendous increase in tourism.
c.	the ever-burgeoning use of off road vehicles.
d.	governments that restrict their movements causing overgrazing.
e.	global warming.

 

 

ANS:  D                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Evaluation of Cultures

OBJ:   4                    MSC:  New

 

37. All of the following are common causes of cultural change except:

a.	ecological shifts.
b.	cultural relativism.
c.	foreign invasion.
d.	new trade goods.
e.	new technology.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Evaluation of Cultures

OBJ:   4                    MSC:  New

 

 

 

 

38. The position that because cultures are unique, each one can be evaluated only according to its own standards and values is called

a.	ethnocentrism.
b.	cultural relativism.
c.	cultural materialism.
d.	adaptation.
e.	pluralism.

 

 

ANS:  B                    DIF:    Factual           REF:   Evaluation of Cultures

OBJ:   5                    MSC:  Pickup

 

39. Most cultures are ethnocentric. In fact, the way that most societies name and refer to themselves is typically a word that translates into

a.	funny talkers.
b.	the only adults.
c.	true gods.
d.	all people.
e.	true human beings.

 

 

ANS:  E                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Evaluation of Cultures

OBJ:   5                    MSC:  New

 

40. All of the following are signs that a culture is not adequately satisfying the needs and expectations of those who live by its rules except:

a.	recovering environments.
b.	high crime rate.
c.	high delinquency rate.
d.	malnutrition (including obesity).
e.	emotional disorders.

 

 

ANS:  A                    DIF:    Applied          REF:   Evaluation of Cultures

OBJ:   5                    MSC:  New

 

TRUE/FALSE

 

1. Everything that humans do well is adaptive.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   Culture and Adaptation                    OBJ:   1

MSC:  New

 

2. Behavior that has been adaptive at one time may become maladaptive later.

 

ANS:  T                    REF:   Characteristics of Culture                OBJ:   1

MSC:  New

 

3. Examples of socially learned behavior are particularly evident among other primates.

 

ANS:  T                    REF:   Characteristics of Culture                OBJ:   3

MSC:  New

 

4. A group of people without a common culture who are stranded together for a month on a desert island and who learn to work together for survival while they are there, may be said to constitute a society.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   Characteristics of Culture                OBJ:   2

MSC:  Pickup

 

5. To say that culture is shared means that all members of a society behave in the same way.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   Characteristics of Culture                OBJ:   2

MSC:  Pickup

 

6. A larger culture is more likely to tolerate a subculture if their values and physical appearance are similar.

 

ANS:  T                    REF:   Characteristics of Culture                OBJ:   3

MSC:  Pickup

 

7. George Esber worked with architects to create more culturally responsive houses for the Navajo.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   Characteristics of Culture                OBJ:   3

MSC:  New

 

8. North American Indians form subcultures within the United States.

 

ANS:  T                    REF:   Characteristics of Culture                OBJ:   3

MSC:  New

 

9. States are socially organized bodies of people who share ethnicity.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   Characteristics of Culture                OBJ:   2

MSC:  New

 

10. Symbols are arbitrary.

 

ANS:  T                    REF:   Characteristics of Culture                OBJ:   3

MSC:  New

 

11. Cattle herding is the mainstay around which all of Kapauku Papuan society revolves.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   Functions of Culture                        OBJ:   3

MSC:  Pickup

 

12. A society’s economic base is part of the superstructure.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   Functions of Culture                        OBJ:   3

MSC:  Pickup

 

 

 

13. The most important symbolic aspect of culture is religion.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   Functions of Culture                        OBJ:   3

MSC:  Pickup

 

14. Bronislaw Malinowski used standard methods of fieldwork for his work among the Trobriand.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   Culture, Society, and the Individual

OBJ:   4                    MSC:  Pickup

 

15. Every culture provides its members ways to think of the meaning of life and death.

 

ANS:  T                    REF:   Culture, Society, and the Individual

OBJ:   4                    MSC:  New

 

16. A culture must strike a balance between the needs and desires of the individual and those of society as a whole.

 

ANS:  T                    REF:   Culture and Change                         OBJ:   4

MSC:  New

 

17. All societies require the same degree of cultural uniformity in order to function properly.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   Culture and Change                         OBJ:   4

MSC:  New

 

18. Most cultures are ethnocentric.

 

ANS:  T                    REF:   Evaluation of Cultures                     OBJ:   5

MSC:  New

 

19. Because of the objectivity of anthropological training, anthropologists are able to eliminate the biases that might affect their descriptions of culture in the field.

 

ANS:  F                    REF:   Evaluation of Cultures                     OBJ:   5

MSC:  Pickup

 

20. Cross-cultural studies show that homicide rates mostly decline after the death penalty is abolished.

 

ANS:  T                    REF:   Evaluation of Cultures                     OBJ:   5

MSC:  Pickup

 

SHORT ANSWER

 

1. What is cultural adaptation? Provide an example.

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Characteristics of Culture                MSC:  New

 

 

2. How are modern definitions of culture different from the first definition of culture in 1871?

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Characteristics of Culture                MSC:  Pickup

 

3. Distinguish between the terms “society” and “culture.”

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Characteristics of Culture                MSC:  New

 

4. Describe the process by which culture is learned.

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Characteristics of Culture                MSC:  New

 

5. What are the characteristics of culture?

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Characteristics of Culture                MSC:  New

 

6. How was the rise of the state linked to the emergence of plural societies?

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Characteristics of Culture                MSC:  Pickup

 

7. How did an anthropologist assist in house design for Apache Indians?

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Characteristics of Culture                MSC:  Pickup

 

8. What is a subculture, and how do they fit within a larger society? Provide an example.

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Characteristics of Culture                MSC:  New

 

9. Distinguish between a nation and a state.

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Characteristics of Culture                MSC:  New

 

10. How can ethnocentrism be maladaptive?

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Characteristics of Culture                MSC:  New

 

11. What is the “barrel model of culture”?

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Functions of Culture                        MSC:  Pickup

 

12. What is a pluralistic society? Give an example of a country that is pluralistic in nature.

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Characteristics of Culture                MSC:  Pickup

 

13. Why is language the most important symbolic aspect of culture?

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Characteristics of Culture                MSC:  Pickup

 

 

 

14. Describe how the culture of the Kapauku is integrated.

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Functions of Culture                        MSC:  New

 

15. What did Malinowski mean by biological, instrumental, and integrative needs that must be resolved by culture?

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Culture, Society, and the Individual                        MSC:   Pickup

 

16. What is the relationship between the individual and culture and society?

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Culture and Change                         MSC:  New

 

17. How does the beauty industry reinforce the cultural ideal?

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Culture and Change                         MSC:  New

 

18. What is cultural relativism?

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Evaluation of Cultures                     MSC:  Pickup

 

19. How can we evaluate how adaptive a culture is for its people? What are the signs of a culture that is functioning well and one that is stressed?

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Evaluation of Cultures                     MSC:  New

 

20. Name four signs of a culture that is not functioning well.

 

ANS:  Will vary       REF:   Evaluation of Cultures                     MSC:  New

 

ESSAY

 

1. What does it mean to say that a culture has adaptive characteristics?

 

ANS:  Will vary       MSC:  New

 

2. Anthropologists say that “culture is learned and shared.” What do they mean by this, and how does this occur?

 

ANS:  Will vary       MSC:  New

 

3. Why do cultures exist? Consider why humans have culture and why there is cultural diversity.

 

ANS:  Will vary       MSC:  New

 

4. Compare and contrast the earliest definition of culture provided by E.B. Tylor and those that we use today. How are they alike and different?

 

ANS:  Will vary       MSC:  New

 

5. Using the Amish as an example of subcultural variation, discuss the factors that seem to determine whether or not subcultural variation is tolerated by the larger culture. Compare the Amish with another group less well tolerated in our own society.

 

ANS:  Will vary       MSC:  Pickup

 

6. Discuss the role of culture in architecture.

 

ANS:  Will vary       MSC:  Pickup

 

7. Explain the statement that people everywhere are ethnocentric in nature and practice.

 

ANS:  Will vary       MSC:  Pickup

 

8. How has technology changed the biological basis for contrasting gender roles?

 

ANS:  Will vary       MSC:  Pickup

9. Using the example of the Kapauku Papuans, explain the idea that culture is “integrated”.  Illustrate the concept of the integration of culture with another example as well.

 

ANS:  Will vary       MSC:  Pickup

 

10. What is the role of the individual in culture?

 

ANS:  Will vary       MSC:  Pickup