Anthropology MCQs

  • What is the term for the study of human societies and cultures and their development?
    a) Sociology
    b) Archaeology
    c) Anthropology
    d) Psychology
    Answer: c) Anthropology
  • Which subfield of anthropology focuses on the analysis of human bones to understand past societies?
    a) Cultural Anthropology
    b) Linguistic Anthropology
    c) Biological Anthropology
    d) Archaeology
    Answer: c) Biological Anthropology
  • What term refers to the study of ancient human societies through the excavation of artifacts and structures?
    a) Ethnography
    b) Ethnology
    c) Archaeology
    d) Sociolinguistics
    Answer: c) Archaeology
  • Which term describes a society in which the inheritance of property and descent are traced through the mother?
    a) Patrilineal
    b) Matrilineal
    c) Bilateral
    d) Unilineal
    Answer: b) Matrilineal
  • What concept refers to the cultural beliefs and practices that contribute to the variation and diversity among human societies?
    a) Ethnocentrism
    b) Cultural Relativism
    c) Cultural Evolution
    d) Cultural Diffusion
    Answer: b) Cultural Relativism
  • Which anthropological approach involves immersive and long-term fieldwork to understand a culture from an insider’s perspective?
    a) Survey Research
    b) Participant Observation
    c) Historical Analysis
    d) Comparative Method
    Answer: b) Participant Observation
  • What term describes the practice of evaluating other cultures according to the standards of one’s own culture?
    a) Cultural Relativism
    b) Ethnography
    c) Ethnocentrism
    d) Cultural Diffusion
    Answer: c) Ethnocentrism
  • Which subfield of anthropology focuses on language and its use within different cultures?
    a) Archaeology
    b) Biological Anthropology
    c) Cultural Anthropology
    d) Linguistic Anthropology
    Answer: d) Linguistic Anthropology
  • What is the term for the process by which cultural traits are spread from one society to another?
    a) Cultural Relativism
    b) Cultural Evolution
    c) Cultural Diffusion
    d) Cultural Assimilation
    Answer: c) Cultural Diffusion
  • Which concept refers to the belief that one’s own culture is superior to others?
    a) Cultural Relativism
    b) Ethnocentrism
    c) Cultural Evolution
    d) Cultural Integration
    Answer: b) Ethnocentrism
  • What is the term for the method of studying cultures through detailed, often long-term, observation and documentation?
    a) Ethnography
    b) Ethnology
    c) Archeological Excavation
    d) Sociolinguistics
    Answer: a) Ethnography
  • Which anthropological theory suggests that cultural practices evolve in response to the needs and challenges faced by societies?
    a) Historical Particularism
    b) Functionalism
    c) Cultural Materialism
    d) Symbolic Interactionism
    Answer: b) Functionalism
  • What is the term for the study of human prehistory and early history through excavation and analysis of artifacts?
    a) Ethnography
    b) Archaeology
    c) Sociolinguistics
    d) Cultural Anthropology
    Answer: b) Archaeology
  • Which term describes the transmission of cultural elements, such as language or customs, from one generation to another within a society?
    a) Socialization
    b) Acculturation
    c) Enculturation
    d) Diffusion
    Answer: c) Enculturation
  • What concept refers to the cultural practice of giving a person from a higher social status more authority or respect than others?
    a) Egalitarianism
    b) Hierarchical Society
    c) Social Stratification
    d) Matriarchy
    Answer: b) Hierarchical Society
  • Which anthropological approach examines cultures through the lens of the social roles and relationships that exist within them?
    a) Structural Functionalism
    b) Symbolic Interactionism
    c) Cultural Materialism
    d) Feminist Anthropology
    Answer: a) Structural Functionalism
  • What term refers to the traditional practices, beliefs, and values that are passed down through generations within a culture?
    a) Cultural Heritage
    b) Cultural Innovation
    c) Cultural Diffusion
    d) Cultural Relativism
    Answer: a) Cultural Heritage
  • Which concept refers to the adaptation of a minority culture to the dominant culture, often leading to the loss of original cultural traits?
    a) Assimilation
    b) Acculturation
    c) Integration
    d) Segregation
    Answer: a) Assimilation
  • What is the term for a social system in which men hold primary power and authority?
    a) Matriarchy
    b) Egalitarianism
    c) Patriarchy
    d) Socialism
    Answer: c) Patriarchy
  • Which concept refers to the way in which societies organize themselves and their institutions to maintain social order?
    a) Social Structure
    b) Social Stratification
    c) Social Interaction
    d) Social Norms
    Answer: a) Social Structure
  • What is the term for the practice of analyzing cultural phenomena from multiple perspectives to gain a comprehensive understanding?
    a) Comparative Method
    b) Participant Observation
    c) Historical Analysis
    d) Symbolic Interactionism
    Answer: a) Comparative Method
  • Which anthropological theory focuses on the material aspects of culture, such as technology and economy, and their impact on social structures?
    a) Cultural Materialism
    b) Symbolic Interactionism
    c) Functionalism
    d) Postmodernism
    Answer: a) Cultural Materialism
  • What term describes a society where power and resources are distributed equally among its members?
    a) Egalitarian Society
    b) Stratified Society
    c) Hierarchical Society
    d) Class Society
    Answer: a) Egalitarian Society
  • Which term refers to the study of the relationship between language and social life, including how language reflects and shapes cultural practices?
    a) Sociolinguistics
    b) Ethnography
    c) Ethnology
    d) Archaeology
    Answer: a) Sociolinguistics
  • What concept describes the variation and changes in cultural practices and beliefs as a result of contact between different societies?
    a) Cultural Diffusion
    b) Cultural Assimilation
    c) Cultural Relativism
    d) Cultural Adaptation
    Answer: a) Cultural Diffusion
  • Which anthropological method involves living among and participating in the daily life of the people being studied?
    a) Surveys
    b) Case Studies
    c) Participant Observation
    d) Historical Analysis
    Answer: c) Participant Observation
  • What term describes the social and cultural significance of rituals and ceremonies within a society?
    a) Symbolic Interaction
    b) Ritual Analysis
    c) Cultural Symbolism
    d) Social Ritualism
    Answer: c) Cultural Symbolism
  • Which concept refers to the process by which cultural groups maintain their unique cultural identities while interacting with other cultures?
    a) Integration
    b) Cultural Pluralism
    c) Assimilation
    d) Enculturation
    Answer: b) Cultural Pluralism
  • What is the term for the study of how human societies change over time and the factors that drive these changes?
    a) Social Evolution
    b) Cultural Change
    c) Historical Anthropology
    d) Cultural Dynamics
    Answer: a) Social Evolution
  • Which term describes the classification of societies based on their level of technological and economic development?
    a) Societal Stratification
    b) Cultural Evolution
    c) Social Development
    d) Societal Classification
    Answer: b) Cultural Evolution
  • What is the term for the way cultural practices and beliefs are expressed through artistic and creative forms, such as music and dance?
    a) Cultural Expression
    b) Artistic Anthropology
    c) Ritual Performance
    d) Symbolic Culture
    Answer: a) Cultural Expression
  • Which concept refers to the study of how people create, maintain, and transmit cultural meanings through their interactions and social practices?
    a) Symbolic Interactionism
    b) Structural Functionalism
    c) Cultural Materialism
    d) Feminist Anthropology
    Answer: a) Symbolic Interactionism
  • What term describes the process by which individuals learn and adapt to the norms and values of their society from an early age?
    a) Socialization
    b) Enculturation
    c) Assimilation
    d) Integration
    Answer: b) Enculturation
  • Which term refers to a society in which resources and power are distributed based on social class or status?
    a) Egalitarian Society
    b) Class Society
    c) Patriarchal Society
    d) Egalitarian Society
    Answer: b) Class Society
  • What concept refers to the study of how cultural practices and social structures affect individuals’ health and well-being?
    a) Medical Anthropology
    b) Environmental Anthropology
    c) Economic Anthropology
    d) Applied Anthropology
    Answer: a) Medical Anthropology
  • Which term describes the blending of cultural elements from different societies to create new cultural forms?
    a) Cultural Hybridization
    b) Cultural Assimilation
    c) Cultural Diffusion
    d) Cultural Adaptation
    Answer: a) Cultural Hybridization
  • What is the term for a society where the lineage and inheritance of property are traced through both the mother and father?
    a) Bilateral Descent
    b) Unilineal Descent
    c) Matrilineal Descent
    d) Patrilineal Descent
    Answer: a) Bilateral Descent
  • Which concept refers to the belief that cultural practices should be understood and evaluated in their own context rather than judged by external standards?
    a) Cultural Relativism
    b) Ethnocentrism
    c) Cultural Assimilation
    d) Cultural Diffusion
    Answer: a) Cultural Relativism
  • What term describes the social process by which cultural groups adapt to new environments or situations?
    a) Cultural Adaptation
    b) Cultural Change
    c) Social Evolution
    d) Cultural Diffusion
    Answer: a) Cultural Adaptation
  • Which anthropological approach focuses on the practical application of anthropological knowledge to solve real-world problems?
    a) Applied Anthropology
    b) Theoretical Anthropology
    c) Historical Anthropology
    d) Cultural Anthropology
    Answer: a) Applied Anthropology
  • What is the term for a social system where women hold primary power and authority?
    a) Matriarchy
    b) Patriarchy
    c) Egalitarianism
    d) Gender Equality
    Answer: a) Matriarchy
  • Which concept involves the examination of how global processes impact local cultures and societies?
    a) Globalization
    b) Localization
    c) Cultural Exchange
    d) Social Change
    Answer: a) Globalization
  • What term refers to the anthropological study of the ways in which economic activities influence cultural practices and social relations?
    a) Economic Anthropology
    b) Cultural Economics
    c) Political Economy
    d) Social Economics
    Answer: a) Economic Anthropology
  • Which anthropological concept examines how cultural norms and practices influence social behavior and relationships?
    a) Social Structure
    b) Cultural Norms
    c) Social Interaction
    d) Social Role
    Answer: b) Cultural Norms
  • What term describes the anthropological study of how environmental factors affect human societies and their cultural practices?
    a) Environmental Anthropology
    b) Ecological Anthropology
    c) Biological Anthropology
    d) Social Ecology
    Answer: a) Environmental Anthropology
  • Which term refers to the process of integrating and adapting to new cultural norms and practices while maintaining one’s original cultural identity?
    a) Acculturation
    b) Assimilation
    c) Integration
    d) Enculturation
    Answer: a) Acculturation
  • What concept refers to the use of anthropological methods and theories to address contemporary social issues and challenges?
    a) Applied Anthropology
    b) Theoretical Anthropology
    c) Cultural Anthropology
    d) Biological Anthropology
    Answer: a) Applied Anthropology
  • Which term describes the analysis of how different social institutions and cultural practices contribute to the stability and function of society?
    a) Functionalism
    b) Conflict Theory
    c) Symbolic Interactionism
    d) Postmodernism
    Answer: a) Functionalism
  • What is the term for the anthropological study of human genetic variation and its relation to cultural practices?
    a) Genetic Anthropology
    b) Biocultural Anthropology
    c) Evolutionary Anthropology
    d) Medical Anthropology
    Answer: b) Biocultural Anthropology
  • Which concept involves the anthropological study of how cultural practices and social behaviors are shaped by historical events and processes?
    a) Historical Anthropology
    b) Cultural History
    c) Social History
    d) Historical Sociology
    Answer: a) Historical Anthropology