ANTH Social Organization and Kinship 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In anthropological kinship theory, what term describes a system in which descent and inheritance are traced through the mother's line?
- Matrilineal (Correct answer)
- Patrilineal
- Bilateral
- Ambilineal
Correct answer: Matrilineal
Matrilineal descent traces kinship, inheritance, and group membership through the female line from mother to children.
Question 2: What term describes marriage between two people from the same social group (clan, village, or community) as required by cultural norms?
- Endogamy (Correct answer)
- Exogamy
- Monogamy
- Levirate
Correct answer: Endogamy
Endogamy is the practice or rule of marrying within a particular social group, community, or caste.
Question 3: What is a 'lineage' in anthropological kinship terminology?
- A corporate kin group tracing descent from a known common ancestor (Correct answer)
- All biological relatives of a person regardless of descent line
- A bilateral kin group defined by both parents' families
- A group of siblings and their parents within a household
Correct answer: A corporate kin group tracing descent from a known common ancestor
A lineage is a unilineal descent group whose members can trace their relationships to a common known ancestor through either the male or female line.
Question 4: Which kinship term refers to the rule that marriage partners must come from outside one's own social group?
- Exogamy (Correct answer)
- Endogamy
- Alliance theory
- Cross-cousin marriage
Correct answer: Exogamy
Exogamy requires marriage outside one's own kin group, clan, or community, which facilitates the creation of alliances between groups.
Question 5: What term describes a household or family unit in which multiple generations — grandparents, parents, and children — live together?
- Extended family (Correct answer)
- Nuclear family
- Joint family
- Compound family
Correct answer: Extended family
An extended family household includes multiple generations or collateral relatives living together and sharing economic resources.
Question 6: The institution in which a man has multiple wives simultaneously is called:
- Polygyny (Correct answer)
- Polyandry
- Polygamy
- Serial monogamy
Correct answer: Polygyny
Polygyny is the specific form of polygamy in which one man is married to two or more women at the same time.
ANTH Social Organization and Kinship 1
In anthropological kinship theory, what term describes a system in which descent and inheritance are traced through the mother's line?