ANTH Anthropological Theory and Methods

Question 1

Which theoretical perspective, associated with Bronisław Malinowski and A.R. Radcliffe-Brown, argues that cultural practices exist to serve the functional needs of society?

Accepted Answer

Functionalism

Answer

Functionalism holds that every cultural element serves a function that contributes to the stability or survival of the social system.

Question 2

What is the primary method of data collection in cultural anthropology, involving long-term immersive fieldwork within a community?

Accepted Answer

Participant observation

Answer

Participant observation involves an anthropologist living within a community over an extended period, participating in daily life while systematically observing behavior.

Question 3

Which theoretical school, associated with Claude Lévi-Strauss, argues that underlying mental structures organize cultural phenomena like myths and kinship systems?

Accepted Answer

Structuralism

Answer

Structuralism, as developed by Lévi-Strauss, identifies universal mental structures (binary oppositions) that organize myths, rituals, and social systems.

Question 4

What term describes the detailed, richly contextualized description of a culture or cultural phenomenon, introduced by Clifford Geertz?

Accepted Answer

Thick description

Answer

Clifford Geertz coined 'thick description' to mean interpretive ethnographic accounts that place behaviors within their cultural context and web of meaning.

Question 5

The principle that anthropologists should analyze cultures on their own terms, without imposing outside value judgments, is called:

Accepted Answer

Cultural relativism

Answer

Cultural relativism holds that a culture's beliefs and practices should be understood within their own context rather than judged by the standards of another culture.

ANTH (Anthropology) Practice Test

ANTH (Anthropology) Practice Test

ANTH Anthropological Theory and Methods