ANTH Social Organization and Kinship 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What term describes a form of exchange in which goods and services are given to a leader who then redistributes them to the community?
- Redistribution (Correct answer)
- Reciprocity
- Market exchange
- Potlatch
Correct answer: Redistribution
Redistribution involves the collection of goods or labor by a central authority (chief, state) who then reallocates them to the broader group.
Question 2: In Claude Lévi-Strauss's alliance theory, the most fundamental rule structuring human societies is:
- The incest taboo (Correct answer)
- Exogamy
- Reciprocal exchange
- Moiety division
Correct answer: The incest taboo
Lévi-Strauss argued that the incest taboo is the universal rule that forces people to seek mates outside their immediate family, creating the foundation for social alliances through marriage.
Question 3: What term refers to the transfer of wealth or property from the groom's family to the bride's family at marriage, common in many African societies?
- Bridewealth (brideservice) (Correct answer)
- Dowry
- Mahr
- Dower
Correct answer: Bridewealth (brideservice)
Bridewealth (also called bride price) involves the groom's family transferring goods, cattle, or money to the bride's family to legitimize the marriage and children.
Question 4: What is a 'moiety' in anthropological kinship and social organization?
- A division of society into two descent groups that stand in reciprocal relationship to each other (Correct answer)
- A small kinship unit consisting of a nuclear family and close relatives
- A ceremonial group based on age rather than descent
- A residential unit of related households in a village
Correct answer: A division of society into two descent groups that stand in reciprocal relationship to each other
A moiety is one of two complementary halves of a society, often based on descent, that exchange marriage partners and ritual services with each other.
Question 5: Bronisław Malinowski's fieldwork on the Kula Ring in the Trobriand Islands documented what type of exchange system?
- Ceremonial exchange of valuables circulating around a ring of islands (Correct answer)
- Competitive feasting to display wealth and gain prestige
- Silent barter between communities that avoid direct contact
- Tribute payment from commoners to a chiefly elite
Correct answer: Ceremonial exchange of valuables circulating around a ring of islands
The Kula Ring is a system of ceremonial exchange in which shell necklaces and armbands circulate in opposite directions among Melanesian islanders, creating long-term social alliances.
Question 6: What is a 'sodality' in anthropological social organization?
- A non-kin voluntary association that cuts across family and community boundaries (Correct answer)
- A group of close male relatives who hunt together
- A residential cluster of related households
- A ritual specialist group within a religious community
Correct answer: A non-kin voluntary association that cuts across family and community boundaries
A sodality is a non-kin-based association (such as age-grades, warrior societies, or secret societies) that creates social bonds cutting across kin group divisions.
ANTH Social Organization and Kinship 2
What term describes a form of exchange in which goods and services are given to a leader who then redistributes them to the community?