ANTH Cultural and Linguistic Anthropology

Question 1

What is ethnography in cultural anthropology?

Accepted Answer

A qualitative research method involving immersive participant observation and in-depth study of a culture from the insider's perspective

Answer

Ethnography involves extended immersion in a community through participant observation, interviews, and documentation to produce a detailed, holistic account of a culture's beliefs, practices, and social organization from an insider (emic) perspective.

Question 2

What is ethnocentrism versus cultural relativism?

Accepted Answer

Ethnocentrism judges other cultures by one's own standards; cultural relativism understands practices within their own cultural context

Answer

Ethnocentrism evaluates other cultures using one's own cultural standards as the norm (often leading to bias), while cultural relativism seeks to understand cultural practices within their own context and meaning system.

Question 3

What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

The theory that language influences thought and perception — the structure of a language affects its speakers' worldview

Answer

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (linguistic relativity) proposes that language structure influences cognition and perception. The strong version claims language determines thought; the weak version claims it influences thought patterns.

Question 4

What is kinship in anthropology?

Accepted Answer

Systems of social relationships based on blood ties and marriage that organize family structure, inheritance, and social obligations

Answer

Kinship systems define social relationships through blood (consanguinity) and marriage (affinity), organizing social groups, determining inheritance patterns, establishing responsibilities, and regulating marriage through incest taboos and exogamy/endogamy rules.

Question 5

What is archaeology's contribution to anthropology?

Accepted Answer

Studying past human cultures through material remains (artifacts, structures, landscapes) to understand cultural change over time

Answer

Archaeology studies past human behavior through material culture — artifacts (tools, pottery), ecofacts (seeds, bones), features (hearths, walls), and sites — reconstructing how people lived, organized societies, and adapted to environments.

ANTH (Anthropology) Practice Test

ANTH (Anthropology) Practice Test

ANTH Cultural and Linguistic Anthropology