A
“Historical particularism” (Franz Boas) emphasized:
A. Universal stages shared by all societies
B. That culture is for the most part biologically determined
C. Only material factors matter
D. Studying cultures in their own historical contexts and trajectories
D. Studying cultures in their own historical contexts and trajectories
“Reflexivity” in ethnography means:
A. Avoiding all personal reflection to avoid bias
B. Focusing exclusively on others’ perspectives and experiences
C. Using only quantitative instruments
D. Critically thinking about how one’s position, assumptions, and interactions shape research
D. Critically thinking about how one’s position, assumptions, and interactions shape research
“Ethnocentrism” is best described as:
A. The belief that one’s own way of life is the most natural or correct
B. A synonym for cultural relativism
C. A method of cross-cultural research
D. Understanding practices in their own cultural terms
A. The belief that one’s own way of life is the most natural or correct
Reciprocity with no specified time or value for return is called:
A. Balanced reciprocity
B. Negative reciprocity
C. Generalized reciprocity
D. Market exchange
C. Generalized reciprocity
James Scott’s “everyday forms of resistance” include:
A. Class action lawsuits
B. Referendums
C. The use of farming tools as weapons in armed struggle
D. Foot-dragging and small acts of noncompliance
D. Foot-dragging and small acts of noncompliance
Cultural anthropology’s critique of “barter” in colonial encounters (e.g., Niue) stresses that Indigenous acceptance of items often signaled:
A. Maximizing profit
B. Environmental conservation
C. Relationship-making and diplomacy
D. Legal transfer of land
C. Relationship-making and diplomacy
In many anthropological discussions, “power” most broadly means:
A. Survival of the fittest
B. Capacity to shape actions, meanings, and outcomes
C. A government title earned through elections
D. A personal attitude that influences others
B. Capacity to shape actions, meanings, and outcomes
Negative reciprocity most often involves:
A. Trying to get something for as little as possible from a stranger
B. Open-ended giving exclusively among kin
C. Expenditure in a potlatch ceremony
D. State-regulated price controls
A. Trying to get something for as little as possible from a stranger
Redistribution is a mode of exchange in which:
A. Goods circulate as private commodities
B. Gifts are forbidden
C. A central organizer gathers resources and reallocates them
D. Two parties bargain for maximum gain
C. A central organizer gathers resources and reallocates them
The disciplined, long-term, immersive method of cultural anthropology is called:
A. Ethnology
B. Participant observation
C. Anthropometry
D. A combination of all of the above
B. Participant observation
Unilineal cultural evolutionism framed societies as moving through stages such as:
A. Pre-modern → modern → postmodern
B. Feudalism → socialism → capitalism
C. Savagery → barbarism → civilization
D. Order → disorder → equilibrium
C. Savagery → barbarism → civilization
Which list correctly matches a mode of exchange to its core logic?
A. Reciprocity—balancing relations over time; Redistribution—central pooling; Market—price mechanisms
B. Market—kin-based gifting; Reciprocity—anonymous prices
C. Reciprocity—state taxation; Redistribution—barter; Market—gift prestige
D. All of the above
A. Reciprocity—balancing relations over time; Redistribution—central pooling; Market—price mechanisms
A recurring ethical issue in Nancy Scheper-Hughes' organ-trade ethnography is the tension between:
A. Privacy and laboratory replication
B. Theory and bibliography
C. Participant protection and exposing criminal networks
D. Her lack of medical expertise
C. Participant protection and exposing criminal networks
A “moral economy” argument most often highlights:
A. Shared expectations about fairness and obligation in exchange
B. Indigenous beliefs in the afterlife
C. Emerging from relations among humans, other species, and built systems
D. Morality as unrelated to material wealth
A. Shared expectations about fairness and obligation in exchange
In Mauss’ framework, a key difference between a gift and a commodity is:
A. Gifts are always free and never entail obligation
B. Commodities remain tied to the seller through “hau”
C. Gifts carry obligations; commodities sever social ties via sale
D. Gifts require fixed prices; commodities use open-ended return
C. Gifts carry obligations; commodities sever social ties via sale
An example of neocolonialism highlighted in lecture is:
A. Former colonies’ reliance on foreign loans tied to policy conditions favoring creditor nations
B. Local barter in rural markets as a basis for international trade relations
C. The fallout of the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States
D. The federal government's interference in Alberta's energy sector
A. Former colonies’ reliance on foreign loans tied to punishing policy conditions favoring creditor nations
In studying resistance, a key risk of analysis for anthropologists is:
A. Treating all compliance as genuine agreement
B. Assuming domination is always visible and dramatic
C. Ignoring how unequal power relations shape what counts as “political”
D. All of the above can distort interpretation
D. All of the above can distort interpretation
In a hegemonic order, “common sense” most often functions as:
A. A natural truth outside history and politics
B. A private belief that guides group action
C. A historically produced view that feels self-evident
D. A scientific law proven by controlled experiments
C. A historically produced view that feels self-evident
A rigorous approach to “culture” avoids treating it as:
A. Dynamic, contested, and historically situated
B. Produced through practice and social relations
C. A bounded thing that causes behaviour by itself
D. Lived through meaning, materiality, and power
C. A bounded thing that causes behaviour by itself
What was the primary purpose of the Canadian residential school system as implemented by church and state?
A. To provide bilingual, community-based education chosen by Indigenous families
B. To revitalize Indigenous languages and ceremonial practices as Christian ones
C. To train teachers from Indigenous communities to lead local schools
D. To assimilate Indigenous children into settler society
D. To assimilate Indigenous children into settler society
Which scenario best demonstrates how “spheres” of exchange can shift (Mauss/Polanyi synthesis)?
A. A bartender refuses tips, saying “friendship shouldn’t be priced,” and offers free drinks to regulars
B. A student uses a $20 bill to buy groceries, then later gives the same $20 as a wedding envelope gift
C. A landlord accepts rent only in cash, insisting “money has no social meaning here”
D. A store tags a handmade family heirloom with a fixed price to erase its sentimental value
B. A student uses a $20 bill to buy groceries, then later gives the same $20 as a wedding envelope gift
Which scenario best demonstrates how “spheres” of exchange can shift (Mauss/Polanyi synthesis)?
A. A bartender refuses tips, saying “friendship shouldn’t be priced,” and offers free drinks to regulars
B. A landlord accepts rent only in cash, insisting “money has no social meaning here”
C. A student uses a $20 bill to buy groceries, then later gives the same $20 as a wedding envelope gift
D. A store tags a handmade family heirloom with a fixed price to erase its sentimental value
C. A student uses a $20 bill to buy groceries, then later gives the same $20 as a wedding envelope gift
The Two Row Wampum’s key political principle is best summarized as:
A. A single, uniform planetary condition
B. Parallel coexistence without steering each other’s vessel
C. Involves only trade agreements (i.e, is only about securing advantageous economic relations)
D. Areas protected from any human contact
B. Parallel coexistence without steering each other’s vessel
In Caitlin Zaloom’s discussion of student debt, what does “a right to the future” most nearly mean?
A. An individual duty to take on debt as an investment in your own future
B. A guarantee of a specific job after graduation
C. A collective commitment to let young people pursue education and plan adult life without crippling indebtedness
D. Complete freedom from all financial obligations in return for community service
C. A collective commitment to let young people pursue education and plan adult life without crippling indebtedness
The Pass System functioned most like:
A. Optional travel permits for settlers crossing reserve boundaries
B. Internal passports restricting First Nations mobility off-reserve
C. A market mechanism to prevent unfair trade in livestock
D. A welfare policy allocating relief in years of famine
B. Internal passports restricting First Nations mobility off-reserve