U4 - Anthropology

Question 1

What are the four fields of anthropology?

Answer 1

Cultural Anthropology, Archaeology, Linguistic Anthropology, Physical (Biological) Anthropology.

Question 2

What does anthropology study?

Answer 2

The study of humans, past and present, including culture, biology, language, and history.

Question 3

What is kinship in anthropology?

Answer 3

Socially recognized relationships based on blood, marriage, or adoption.

Question 4

What is ethnography?

Answer 4

The immersive, descriptive study of a culture through fieldwork and participant observation.

Question 5

What is ethnology?

Answer 5

Comparative study of different cultures using ethnographic data.

Question 6

What is cultural diffusion?

Answer 6

The spread of cultural traits and ideas from one society to another.

Question 7

What is ethnocentrism?

Answer 7

Judging other cultures by the standards of one’s own culture.

Question 8

How is gender viewed in anthropology?

Answer 8

As a cultural construct, not just biological sex differences.

Question 9

What does it mean that gender is culturally constructed?

Answer 9

Gender roles and identities vary across societies and are learned through socialization.

Question 10

What is kinship?

Answer 10

A relationship based on cultural definitions of family (blood, marriage, or adoption).

Question 11

What does kinship determine?

Answer 11

Where you live, inheritance, generational connections, and family power dynamics.

Question 12

What are the types of kinship?

Answer 12

Genetic/legal and fictive kinship.

Question 13

What is fictive kinship?

Answer 13

Socially recognized relationships (e.g., close friends or non-legal guardians).

Question 14

What are the kinship systems? (PMB)

Answer 14

Patrilineal (father’s side), Matrilineal (mother’s side), Bilineal (both sides).

Question 15

What are the functions of marriage?

Answer 15

Parenting, defining roles/obligations, forming new kin bonds.

Question 16

What is monogamy?

Answer 16

Marriage to one person.

Question 17

What is polygyny?

Answer 17

One man married to multiple women.

Question 18

What is polyandry?

Answer 18

One woman married to multiple men.

Question 19

What are arranged marriages?

Answer 19

Marriages organized by others (e.g., family or matchmakers).

Question 20

Divorce rate for arranged vs. love marriages?

Answer 20

5–7% vs. ~33% in Canada.

Question 21

What is linguistic anthropology?

Answer 21

The study of how language influences and reflects culture.

Question 22

What are the three areas of linguistic anthropology?

Answer 22

Historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, structural linguistics.

Question 23

What does historical linguistics study?

Answer 23

Language evolution and comparisons across time.

Question 24

What is the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis?

Answer 24

Language shapes our perception of reality.

Question 25

What is code-switching?

Answer 25

Alternating between languages or styles in conversation.

Question 26

What is body language?

Answer 26

Non-verbal communication that varies by culture.

Question 27

Who proposed the theory of universal grammar?

Answer 27

Noam Chomsky.

Question 28

What does archaeology study?

Answer 28

Human behaviour through material remains.

Question 29

What is a midden?

Answer 29

An ancient garbage dump used to study past life.

Question 30

What are common archaeological methods?

Answer 30

Sifting, brushing, ground-penetrating radar, excavation.

Question 31

What is the Tollund Man?

Answer 31

A bog body from 4th century BC found well-preserved in Denmark.

Question 32

What challenges does archaeology face?

Answer 32

Looting, dating difficulty, excavation destruction, repatriation.

Question 33

What did the Franklin Expedition uncover?

Answer 33

Remains and ships (Erebus & Terror) found with Inuit help.

Question 34

What is physical anthropology?

Answer 34

Study of humans as biological organisms.

Question 35

What is paleoanthropology?

Answer 35

Study of ancient humans through fossils and bones.

Question 36

Who discovered Australopithecus africanus?

Answer 36

Raymond Dart.

Question 37

Who discovered “Lucy”?

Answer 37

Donald Johanson.

Question 38

Who were Louis and Mary Leakey?

Answer 38

Paleoanthropologists who discovered early hominins in Africa.

Question 39

What is bipedalism?

Answer 39

Walking on two legs.

Question 40

Traits of bipedalism?

Answer 40

S-curve spine, flat pelvis, arched feet, aligned big toe.

Question 41

What are Laetoli footprints?

Answer 41

3.6 million-year-old hominin footprints found by Mary Leakey.

Question 42

What is Homo naledi known for?

Answer 42

Mix of human and ape traits, possibly buried their dead.

Question 43

Human migration timeline?

Answer 43

Out of Africa (~2M years ago), into Americas (~30k years ago).

Question 44

What does primatology study?

Answer 44

Living primates’ behavior and anatomy.

Question 45

Shared traits of humans & chimps?

Answer 45

Community living, affection, tool use, aggression, culture.

Question 46

Who are the “Trimates”?

Answer 46

Jane Goodall (chimps), Dian Fossey (gorillas), Biruté Galdikas (orangutans).

Question 47

What did Jane Goodall discover?

Answer 47

Chimps eat meat, use tools, have emotions.

Question 48

What is unique about orangutans?

Answer 48

Long childhoods; babies stay with moms for 8 years.

Question 49

Who was Koko the gorilla?

Answer 49

Learned over 1000 signs; showed grief and affection.

Question 50

What is self-recognition in primates?

Answer 50

Ability to recognize oneself in a mirror (tested by Gallup).

Question 51

What is sociolinguistics?

Answer 51

The study of how language varies and changes in social groups.

Question 52

What is structural linguistics?

Answer 52

The study of the structure of language, including phonology, morphology, syntax.

Question 53

What role does language play in culture?

Answer 53

Language both shapes and reflects cultural beliefs, values, and identity.

Question 54

What is ethnographic analogy in archaeology?

Answer 54

Using observations of living cultures to interpret archaeological findings.

Question 55

What is radiometric dating?

Answer 55

Technique to date artifacts based on radioactive decay (e.g., carbon dating).

Question 56

What is the difference between a hominin and a hominid?

Answer 56

Hominins are humans and their direct ancestors; hominids include all great apes and their ancestors.

Question 57

Who was Charles Darwin?

Answer 57

Scientist who proposed the theory of natural selection.

Question 58

What is natural selection?

Answer 58

Process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and reproduce.

Question 59

Who is Penny Patterson?

Answer 59

Researcher who worked with Koko the gorilla on language acquisition.

Question 60

Why is primate study important to anthropology?

Answer 60

Helps us understand human evolution, behavior, and social structures.