CHAPTER 1:
WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?
MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. What is anthropology?
A. the art of ethnography
B. the study of long-term physiological adaptation
C. the study of the stages of social evolution
D. the humanistic investigation of myths in nonindustrial societies
E. the exploration of human diversity in time and space
Answer: E
2. A holistic and comparative perspective
A. makes general anthropology superior to sociocultural anthropology.
B. refers only to the cultural aspects of human diversity that anthropologists study.
C. makes anthropology an interesting field of study, but too broad of one for any
application to real problems people face today.
D. most characterizes anthropology, compared to other disciplines that study humans.
E. is the hallmark of all social sciences, not just anthropology.
Answer: D
3. As humans organize their lives and adapt to different environments, our abilities to
learn, think symbolically, use language, and employ tools and other products
A. rest on certain features of human biology that make culture itself a biological
phenomenon.
B. have made some human groups more cultured than others.
,C. prove that only fully developed adults have the capacity for culture; children lack the
capacity for culture until they mature.
D. rest on certain features of human biology that make culture, which is not itself
biological, possible.
E. are shared with other animals capable of organized group life such as baboons, wolves,
and even ants.
Answer: D
4. Which of the following is NOT true about culture?
A. Culture is a key aspect of human adaptability and success.
B. Culture is passed on genetically to future generations.
C. Cultural forces consistently mold and shape human biology and behavior.
D. Culture guides the beliefs and behavior of the people exposed to it.
E. Culture is passed on from generation to generation.
Answer: B
5. What is the process by which children learn a particular cultural tradition?
A. acculturation
B. ethnology
C. enculturation
D. ethnography
E. biological adaptation
Answer: C
6. This chapter’s description of how humans cope with low oxygen pressure in high
altitudes illustrates
,A. human capacities for cultural and biological adaptation, the latter involving both genetic
and physiological adaptations.
B. how biological adaptations are effective only when they are genetic.
C. how human plasticity has decreased ever since we embraced a sedentary lifestyle some
10,000 years ago.
D. how in matters of life or death, biology is ultimately more important than culture.
E. the need for anthropologists to pay more attention to human adaptation in extreme
environments.
Answer: A
7. The presence of more efficient respiratory systems to extract oxygen from the air
among human populations living at high elevations is an example of which form of
adaptation?
A. short-term physiological adaptation
B. cultural adaptation
C. symbolic adaptation
D. genetic adaptation
E. long-term physiological adaptation
Answer: E
8. Over time, humans have become increasingly dependent on which of the following to
cope with the range of environments they have occupied in time and space?
A. cultural means of adaptation
B. biological means of adaptation, mostly thanks to advanced medical research
C. a holistic and comparative approach to problem solving
D. social institutions, such as the state that coordinates collective action
E. technological means of adaptation, such as the creation of virtual worlds that allow us to
escape from day-to-day reality
Answer: A
, 9. Today’s global economy and communications link all contemporary people, directly or
indirectly, in the modern world system. People must now cope with forces generated by
progressively larger systems—the region, the nation, and the world. For
anthropologists studying contemporary forms of adaptation, why might this be a
challenge?
A. Truly isolated indigenous communities, anthropology’s traditional and ongoing study
focus, are becoming harder to find.
B. According to Marcus and Fischer (1986), “The cultures of world peoples need to be
constantly rediscovered as these people reinvent them in changing historical
circumstances.”
C. A more dynamic world system, with greater and faster movements of people across
space, speeds up the process of evolution, making the study of genetic adaptations more
difficult.
D. Anthropological research tools do not work in this new modern world system, making
their contributions less valuable.
E. Since cultures are tied to place, people moving around and connecting across space
means the end of culture, and thus the end of anthropology.
Answer: B
10. In general, Americans tend to maintain a greater physical distance from others they
interact with on a day-to-day basis, especially when compared to Brazilians or Italians,
who need less personal space. However, the story of American students’ attitudes
toward hugging in “Give Me a Hug” reminds us that
WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?
MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. What is anthropology?
A. the art of ethnography
B. the study of long-term physiological adaptation
C. the study of the stages of social evolution
D. the humanistic investigation of myths in nonindustrial societies
E. the exploration of human diversity in time and space
Answer: E
2. A holistic and comparative perspective
A. makes general anthropology superior to sociocultural anthropology.
B. refers only to the cultural aspects of human diversity that anthropologists study.
C. makes anthropology an interesting field of study, but too broad of one for any
application to real problems people face today.
D. most characterizes anthropology, compared to other disciplines that study humans.
E. is the hallmark of all social sciences, not just anthropology.
Answer: D
3. As humans organize their lives and adapt to different environments, our abilities to
learn, think symbolically, use language, and employ tools and other products
A. rest on certain features of human biology that make culture itself a biological
phenomenon.
B. have made some human groups more cultured than others.
,C. prove that only fully developed adults have the capacity for culture; children lack the
capacity for culture until they mature.
D. rest on certain features of human biology that make culture, which is not itself
biological, possible.
E. are shared with other animals capable of organized group life such as baboons, wolves,
and even ants.
Answer: D
4. Which of the following is NOT true about culture?
A. Culture is a key aspect of human adaptability and success.
B. Culture is passed on genetically to future generations.
C. Cultural forces consistently mold and shape human biology and behavior.
D. Culture guides the beliefs and behavior of the people exposed to it.
E. Culture is passed on from generation to generation.
Answer: B
5. What is the process by which children learn a particular cultural tradition?
A. acculturation
B. ethnology
C. enculturation
D. ethnography
E. biological adaptation
Answer: C
6. This chapter’s description of how humans cope with low oxygen pressure in high
altitudes illustrates
,A. human capacities for cultural and biological adaptation, the latter involving both genetic
and physiological adaptations.
B. how biological adaptations are effective only when they are genetic.
C. how human plasticity has decreased ever since we embraced a sedentary lifestyle some
10,000 years ago.
D. how in matters of life or death, biology is ultimately more important than culture.
E. the need for anthropologists to pay more attention to human adaptation in extreme
environments.
Answer: A
7. The presence of more efficient respiratory systems to extract oxygen from the air
among human populations living at high elevations is an example of which form of
adaptation?
A. short-term physiological adaptation
B. cultural adaptation
C. symbolic adaptation
D. genetic adaptation
E. long-term physiological adaptation
Answer: E
8. Over time, humans have become increasingly dependent on which of the following to
cope with the range of environments they have occupied in time and space?
A. cultural means of adaptation
B. biological means of adaptation, mostly thanks to advanced medical research
C. a holistic and comparative approach to problem solving
D. social institutions, such as the state that coordinates collective action
E. technological means of adaptation, such as the creation of virtual worlds that allow us to
escape from day-to-day reality
Answer: A
, 9. Today’s global economy and communications link all contemporary people, directly or
indirectly, in the modern world system. People must now cope with forces generated by
progressively larger systems—the region, the nation, and the world. For
anthropologists studying contemporary forms of adaptation, why might this be a
challenge?
A. Truly isolated indigenous communities, anthropology’s traditional and ongoing study
focus, are becoming harder to find.
B. According to Marcus and Fischer (1986), “The cultures of world peoples need to be
constantly rediscovered as these people reinvent them in changing historical
circumstances.”
C. A more dynamic world system, with greater and faster movements of people across
space, speeds up the process of evolution, making the study of genetic adaptations more
difficult.
D. Anthropological research tools do not work in this new modern world system, making
their contributions less valuable.
E. Since cultures are tied to place, people moving around and connecting across space
means the end of culture, and thus the end of anthropology.
Answer: B
10. In general, Americans tend to maintain a greater physical distance from others they
interact with on a day-to-day basis, especially when compared to Brazilians or Italians,
who need less personal space. However, the story of American students’ attitudes
toward hugging in “Give Me a Hug” reminds us that
