APY1501 Exam Pack.

APY1501 Exam Pack. Anthropology In A Diverse World. Anthropology’s has “four fields” of study (biological/physical anthropology, archaeology, linguistic and sociocultural anthropology) that is closely related. Anthropologists from all four fields study notions of the body – each in a different context: 1. Sociocultural anthropologists, for example, examine how culture affects societal and individual bodily ideas, ideals and practices. They provide ethnographic records of how various sociocultural groups value appearancerelated practices. Option 2 refers to this field. 2. Biological/physical anthropologists classify human diversity related to body size, shape, composition and appearance. They investigate how geographical, social, economic and other aspects affect physical development, health and well-being. Option 3 refers to this field. 3. Linguistic anthropologists research how the body communicates; how messages are sent within a particular social context and how a language shapes bodily concepts – for example, male and female bodies. Option 1 refers to this field. 4. Archaeologists record physical variations, modification and adornment practices over time through examining material remains. Option 4 refers to this field. QUESTION 2 Select the option that CORRECTLY completes the following statement: Archaeology as a subfield of anthropology studies ___. 1. past living conditions and changes that occurred in human populations during prehistoric times. 2. the development of human beings from very early times. 3. the physical adaptation of human populations to their environment. 4. fossil remains of prehistoric human-like beings which have been preserved in the earth’s crust. Answer: The correct answer is 1 Refer: APY1501 Study Guide, pg. 9 Downloaded by: yandycele | Distribution of this document is illegal S - The study-notes marketplace 3 APY1501 The Anthropological Study of Culture in a multicultural context Reasoning: Archaeology, which is derived from the Greek arkhaios (ancient) and logos (study), studies the past living conditions and changes that occurred in human populations during prehistoric times. QUESTION 3 Select the option that CORRECTLY completes the following statement: An holistic approach to the study of culture means that anthropologists ___. 1. attempt to obtain an overall impression of the development of culture. 2. draw generalisations about the human condition. 3. study the cultural systems of societies within a global cultural pattern. 4. study all facets of human life, including the environmental factors to which people must adapt for survival. Answer: The correct answer is 4 Refer: APY1501 Study Guide, pg. 10 Reasoning: The notion of holism is based on the expectation that each patterned element or system is dependent upon or linked to some other elements within a specific time, situation and locality. Anthropologists study not only varieties of people, but also many aspects of human experience. For example, when describing a group of people, an anthropologist might discuss the history of the area in which the people live, the physical environment, the organisation of family life, the general features of their language, the group’s settlement patterns, political and economic systems, religion and styles of art and dress (Ember et al 2005:2). In other words, anthropologists take the whole context of a particular group of people into account in an attempt to get “the big picture”. QUESTION 4 Select the option that CORRECTLY completes the following statement: If an excessively cultural relativistic approach is followed in anthropology ___. 1. cultural practices that have a harmful impact on a society may not be questioned. 2. the researcher might adopt an ethnocentric approach to the study of people. 3. statistical data relevant to an investigation might be misinterpreted. 4. the researcher’s beliefs may influence the results of his/her investigation. Answer: The correct answer is 1 Refer: APY1501 Study Guide, pg. 22 Reasoning: Counteracting ethnocentrism is the notion of cultural relativism. This suggests that behaviour in a specific sociocultural system should not be judged by the values and norms of another system. In other words, a group, community or society’s behaviour, ideas, beliefs and customs should be studied and understood within their own context and judged as equally valid. If taken to the extreme, cultural relativism can, however, also be problematic. It could imply that there is no such thing as a universal human morality. If a person adopts this view, then, for example, s/he has to accept the practice of female genital mutilation; clitoridectomy (the removal of a girl’s clitoris), which is still carried out in parts of Africa and the Middle Downloaded by: yandycele | Distribution of this document is illegal S - The study-notes marketplace 4 APY1501 The Anthropological Study of Culture in a multicultural context East. One would have to find acceptable the atrocities committed by the South African police forces during apartheid, the extermination of minority groups such as Jews, gypsies and homosexuals in Nazi Germany during World War II, the cultural cleansing of the Sinhala Buddhist by Islamic extremists in Sri Lanka, the killing of albinos for their body parts in East Africa, the mass extermination of people and “ethnic cleansing” that has occurred in several countries in the last decade. There is also, of course, the issue of human rights violations, crimes against humanity and the unequal rights for many minority groups, which are still denied in many countries of the world. QUESTION 5 Which one of the following best illustrates how an application of the concept of cultural relativism influences the work of anthropologists? An anthropologist ___. 1. determines which one of two cultural groups has developed a more effective approach to combating crime. 2. compares the social structure and social behaviour of different social groups. 3. interprets the behaviour of people in terms of the sociocultural context in which the behaviour is found. 4. demonstrates how a social group’s culture has been influenced by other social groups with which it has been in contact. Answer: The correct answer is 3 Refer: APY1501 Study Guide, pg. 22 Reasoning: Counteracting ethnocentrism is the notion of cultural relativism. This suggests that behaviour in a specific sociocultural system should not be judged by the values and norms of another system. In other words, a group, community or society’s behaviour, ideas, beliefs and customs should be studied and understood within their own context and judged as equally valid. QUESTION 6 Which one of the following combinations pertaining to anthropological method and explanation has been linked CORRECTLY? 1. Participant observation Immersion of the researcher in the daily lives of the people being studied 2. Genealogical method Tracing social and friendship relations within a community 3. In-depth interviewing Gathering information mainly through quantitative strategies 4. Social network analysis Questioning informants about relatives to reconstruct family histories Answer: The correct answer is 1 Refer: APY1501 Study Guide, pp. 23, 26 Reasoning: • Participant observation is fieldwork done by an anthropologist, who studies the way of life of a group of people by sharing in and observing their activities. Downloaded by: yandycele | Distribution of this document is illegal S - The study-notes marketplace 5 APY1501 The Anthropological Study of Culture in a multicultural context • The genealogical method essentially entails questioning informants about their relatives (kin), naming all those they can remember, living or dead, and indicating the nature of the relationship between them. Therefore options 2 and 4 are incorrectly matched. • To trace and understand social relations in a wider sense than just those based on kinship, anthropologists make use of personal social network analysis. This strategy incorporates relationships beyond those established by kinship and marriage and includes relationships derived from friendship, the workplace, sport or a common interest. • In-depth interviewing is part of qualitative research (and not quantitative) – therefore option 3 is incorrectly matched. QUESTION 7 Select the option that CORRECTLY completes the following statement: All of the following perspectives or approaches are characteristic of anthropology, EXCEPT ___. 1. a contextual approach which takes the entire sociocultural and environmental settings of a human population, as well as the dynamic interaction between them into account. 2. a comparative approach that brings similarities and differences between human populations to the fore. 3. the concept of sociocultural systems that anthropologists use to try to understand the ways in which people organise their lives. 4. a research method which enables the anthropologist to produce quantitative data by means of statistical methods, surveys and questionnaires. Answer: The correct answer is 4 Refer: APY1501 Study Guide, pg. 6 Reasoning: Sociology studies the social life of people, particularly the social relations, organisation and human behaviour of human societies. Anthropologists share these interests, but there are significant differences between the disciplines. Initially, sociologists were inclined to study societies in the industrial, modernised world, while anthropologists mainly studied pre-industrial, traditional societies. The two disciplines developed different methods of data collection. To study complex societies, sociologists came to rely on questionnaires and other techniques to produce quantitative data, using sampling and statistical methods. The populations that anthropologists originally concentrated on were smaller nonliterate (without writing) societies in mainly rural settings. Anthropologists used qualitative research strategies – in other words, they lived with the people for extended periods of time, participated in their daily activities and observed, at first hand, the normal routine of their lives. It is also called fieldwork or field research. Therefore option 4 is incorrect, and the correct answer. QUESTION 8 Select the option that CORRECTLY completes the following statement: A recent survey of the University of South Africa’s Bureau of Market Research indicates that despite the significant growth in the number of so-called ‘black diamonds’ in the country, ___. Downloaded by: yandycele | Distribution of this document is illegal S - The study-notes marketplace 6 APY1501 The Anthropological Study of Culture in a multicultural context 1. more than half of all South Africans still fall in the lowest income bracket. 2. the skills shortage is worsening and preventing millions of South Africans from gaining access to the modern knowledge-economy 3. socioeconomic inequalities in the country are greater than ever. 4. 1 and 3 5. 1, 2 and 3 Answer: The correct answer is 4 Refer: APY1501 Study Guide, pg. 13 Reasoning: The latest survey by Unisa’s Bureau of Market Research (BMR) indicates that more than half of all South Africans still fall in the lowest income bracket (R0 – R50 000 per household per annum). Although there has been significant growth in the number of “black diamonds” (successful/ wealthy black business people), this has further widened the gap between rich and poor. Socioeconomic inequalities are greater than ever. There is a skills shortage, (there are no mention of the skills shortage worsening in the Studyguide, just mentioning the shortage) which means that millions of South Africans do not have access to the modern knowledge economy. QUESTION 9 Which of the following is NOT applicable to the anthropologist’s involvement in development projects? 1. Providing technical information on the geographical area targeted for the development project 2. Doing social impact studies to avoid disrupting the local community during the implementation of a project 3. Co-operating with other scientists as part of a multidisciplinary team which is planning a development project 4. Acting as a mediator between the local community and the planners of a project Answer: The correct answer is 1 Refer: APY1501 Study Guide, pg. 15 Reasoning: Experience has shown that the successful planning and execution of a development project is virtually impossible without the input of anthropologists. When they become involved in the sort of issues referred to above, anthropologists’ responsibilities include the following: • cooperating with agriculturists, geographers, engineers and other scientists in multidisciplinary teams on development projects in a local community (option 3) • doing sociocultural impact studies so that communities are not disrupted when buildings are erected, highways and dams constructed and oil pipelines laid (option 2) • playing the role of cultural broker or mediator between the government or planners and the local community when the latter has to be moved for some reason, for example during dam construction or a resettlement campaign (option 4) QUESTION 10 Downloaded by: yandycele | Distribution of this document is illegal S - The study-notes marketplace 7 APY1501 The Anthropological Study of Culture in a multicultural context From the options below, select the species that CORRECTLY completes the following statement: The species ___ lived in camps of piled stone or bushes, had a highly developed toolkit and, possibly, the use of fire. 1. Australopithecus afarensis 2. Homo erectus 3. Australopithecus africanus 4. Homo habilis Answer: The correct answer is 2 Refer: APY1501 Study Guide, pg. 40 Reasoning: Homo erectus lived from about 1.8 million to 150,000 years ago. Their name indicates that this species were able to stand and walk upright (erect). They were the first to master the use of fire and are associated with Acheulian tools – highly developed hand-axes. They had home bases in caves or camps of piled stone or bushes. While males hunted game, females probably gathered vegetable foods to bring to the common camp. H. erectus were the first to migrate from Africa. A relatively complete fossil, found in China, is known as “Peking Man” and one found in Indonesia, is called “Java Man”. QUESTION 11 According to physical anthropologists, which of the following statements regarding ‘human nature’ is/are CORRECT? a) There are limitations on human behaviour and only specific variations are possible. b) The capacity of speech is what distinguishes humans from animals. c) Despite the huge diversity found among humans, they are remarkably similar. d) Human nature is unchangeable and characteristic of a specific group of people. Choose the CORRECT option. 1. a, b and c 2. b and c 3. b 4. a, b, c and d 5. c Answer: The correct answer is 1 Refer: APY1501 Study Guide, pg. 47 Reasoning: We know that only humans have the capacity for speech, not only because of our vocal apparatus, (statement b is correct) but also because of the size and structure of our brains. By providing answers to the question of what makes human beings unique among animals, biological/ physical anthropology gives us the first clues in understanding human behaviour. It tells us what the basis for that behaviour is and what the limitations upon it are. It tells us why we should expect others to behave within those limitations and what variations are possible (statement a is correct). In other words, biological/physical anthropology spells out the limits of human behaviour. Perhaps most important of all, biological/physical anthropology teaches us that no matter how much diversity we might find in the world around us, the most remarkable fact is not how different Downloaded by: yandycele | Distribution of this document is illegal S - The study-notes marketplace 8 APY1501 The Anthropological Study of Culture in a multicultural context people are but how similar they are, and this is a crucial lesson in getting along in the world today (Friedl 1976:12–13) (statement c is correct). Anthropologists currently are careful not to make simplistic generalisations about “human nature”. There was a time when a kind of pseudoscience was practiced with reference to “human nature”. It tended to regard human nature as unchangeable and even characteristic of a particular group of people – and everything from differences in suicide rates to the different kinds of mental illness and thought patterns, and even apparent intellectual abilities, were ascribed to the “human nature” of a particular group rather than to sociocultural, contextual and historical variables. (statement d is incorrect) QUESTION 12 Which of the following statements regarding the concept of race is/are CORRECT? a) The superficial or external features of humans in particular were initially used to classify them into races. b) The classification of humans according to racial characteristics is unscientific and often based on stereotypes that stem from prejudice. c) Scientists are more likely than lay people to classify humans into races on the grounds of their biological features. d) Inborn behavioural predispositions such as alcoholism and drug abuse can be linked to specific races. Choose the CORRECT option. 1. a and b 2. b, c and d 3. a, b and c 4. a, b, c and d 5. a Answer: The correct answer is 1 Refer: APY1501 Study Guide, pp. 44-45 Reasoning: There is no agreement about how many differences constitute a race. No one race has exclusive possession of any particular variant of any gene or genes. The differences among individuals and within a population are generally greater than the differences among populations. Therefore, statements c and d are incorrect. QUESTION 13 Indicate the option that CORRECTLY completes the following statement: Tattooing ___. 1. in all probability already was practised during the Upper Paleolithic era. 2. has become a rite of passage that aims to empower tattooed people. 3. is a means by which humans establish themselves as sociocultural beings. 4. 1, 2, and 3 5. 1 and 3 Downloaded by: yandycele | Distribution of this document is illegal S - The study-notes marketplace 9 APY1501 The Anthropological Study of Culture in a multicultural context Answer: The correct answer is 5 Refer: APY1501 Study Guide, pg. 54 Reasoning: Tattooing is one of the most persistent and universal forms of body art. It possibly dates back 10,000 – 40,000 years to the Upper Palaeolithic era (also known as the Stone Age). The earliest solid evidence of human tattoos was found on the mummified body of Ötzi, the Iceman, who lived in the Alps, between Austria and Italy, around 5,000 years ago. Tattoos are a way in which people transform and express themselves and a way that human beings establish themselves as part of a specific sociocultural group.