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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 35 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Anthropology
| Cultural anthropologists have identified two fundamental types of family structure - the nuclear family and the ________ family? | Cultural Anthropology Mix
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extended. The nuclear family is based on marriage ties. The extended family, a larger social unit, is based on blood ties between generations.
| In societies, goods and services are distributed in three different modes: reciprocity, redistribution and ______? | Cultural Anthropology Mix
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market exchange. Reciprocity is the exchange of goods and services, of roughly equal value, between two trading partners. Redistribution is when goods and services are given to a central authority and then reallocated. Market exchange involves the use of standardized currencies to buy and sell goods and services.
| Political anthropologists recognize four levels of political organization: band, tribe, chiefdoms and states. Where would a band organization most often be found? | Cultural Anthropology Mix
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foraging societies. As societies became more complex they moved from band to tribe, to chieftain and then state.
| Explanations for the universal incest taboo include the natural aversion theory, the family disruption theory, the theory of expanding social alliances and _____________? | Cultural Anthropology Mix
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the inbreeding theory. It is generally agreed today, that inbreeding is genetically harmful to human populations. Whether or not prehistoric people understood this fact when establishing the incest taboo is unknown.
Neolocal. The married couple live: patrilocal- with or near the relatives of the husbands father, matrilocal - with or near the relatives of the wife, ambilocal - with either relatives of the wife or husband.
consanguineous. Affinal relatives are those we are related to through marriage.
| In most small-scale, non-industrial societies, social organization is based largely on _______________? | Cultural Anthropology Mix
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kinship affiliation. In most small non-industrial societies, kinship is the basis for group membership. In industrial societies, social relationships are based on other factors such as profession, neighborhood, common interests, and to a lesser degree kinship.
| Suppose you are walking down the streets of Peru, looking at all of the interesting shops and vendors carts as you pass. One vendor in particular catches your eye: he has an assortment of guinea pigs. You ask him why he has so many, and he tells you that guinea pigs are roasted, stretched out over a bowl of potatoes, and eaten on the indigenous peoples' birthdays. "How disgusting!" you exclaim. What is this view of another's cultural practices as inferior to your own known as, in the world of anthropology? | Do You Know Anthropology?
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Ethnocentrism. Employing cultural relativism is actually what the person in the above example should have done: looking at that part of Peruvian culture in the context of Peruvian culture, not their own. Anthropologists need to constantly check themselves and be sure not to look down on other cultures past or present, as should all people. Ethnocentrism is widespread, but by becoming aware of our tendencies to think of other cultures as less than our own, we can at least help to reduce its occurrence.
If you are interested in any of these areas of anthropology, I suggest going to your local community college and signing up for a few courses; community colleges are relatively inexpensive and have great financial aid programs. It's a fantastic way to learn more about this intriguing science.
Thank you for taking my quiz; I really hope you learned something new today.
| In which of the four major branches of anthropology (biological, cultural, linguistics, archaeology) would you study for your future career if you were interested in grammar, vocabulary, and the origin of languages? | Do You Know Anthropology?
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Linguistics. Anthropological linguists get jobs today in the various world governments, as English as a Second Language teachers, and as pop culturists, just for a few examples. There are so many opportunities in this field.
| One of the characteristics of the Neolithic site Mehrgarh in Southeast Asia are the many anthropomorphic figurines excavated there. What does anthropomorphic mean? | Do You Know Anthropology?
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Displaying human characteristics. The ancient residents of Mehrgarh were not the only people with anthropomorphic figurines. Some of the early Andean peoples worked with anthropomorphic figurines and complicated carvings.
| In which world location listed below could you find these famous archaeological sites: Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Torre Annunziata? | Do You Know Anthropology?
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Italy. Pompeii is a site that nearly everyone has heard of: Mount Vesuvius erupting in 79 A.D. ring a bell? A lot of people don't know about the other two listed above, however. Herculaneum was another commercial city not far from Pompeii. While it is not as famous as Pompeii, Herculaneum in my opinion is the better preserved and more interesting of the two sites. Torre Annunziata was once a very wealthy villa; today, it is world-renowned for its preservation of some of the most beautiful paintings of all Italy.
| Jane Goodall is a very famous primatologist (a scientist who studies primates, past and present); we see her a lot on television shows such as "Discovery" and featured in magazines like "Science" and "National Geographic." What kind of primate does she study almost exclusively? | Do You Know Anthropology?
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Chimpanzee. Chimpanzees share 98% of the same DNA with humans... Amazing. Gorillas are not far behind, though, with about 96% of the same DNA.
| One of the challenging issues that faces anthropologists is the many ways a site, an artifact, a theory, etc can be interpreted. Case in point - Stonehenge. There is still much debate about how, for instance, the extraordinary monument was constructed, especially without machinery like we have today. Most people have heard of Stonehenge and know that it is in England. But do you know this incredible pre-historic landmark's purpose? | Do You Know Anthropology?
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It functioned as a temple to the sun. As far as I know, none of the incorrect answers above have been given any credence whatsoever. I say this only because there is so much that we do not know about this mysterious landmark.
There is sufficient evidence that it acted as an observatory to record the summer solstice. In fact, it is still fairly accurate today.
Recently archaeological studies have shown that it was also a crematorium for, presumably, very important people
| This scientist can be trained to look at fragments of bone dating back thousands, if not millions of years, and will be able to determine the sex, age, and diet of the individual. What is the correct name for a scientist who studies the human skeleton? | Do You Know Anthropology?
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Osteologist. Osteologists have a very important role to play in the analysis of archaeological remains, but these scientists do not live only in the past; quite a few get jobs in forensics, as coroners or crime scene investigators.
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