Anthropology MCQs

1. The term “ethnology” refers to the comparative study of:
a) Ancient civilizations
b) Cultural practices within a single society
c) Cultures and societies
d) Biological evolution
Answer: c) Cultures and societies

2. Which anthropological perspective emphasizes the ways in which culture shapes and influences individual behavior and perceptions?
a) Psychological anthropology
b) Economic anthropology
c) Structural anthropology
d) Symbolic anthropology
Answer: d) Symbolic anthropology

3. The study of how humans use and modify their environments is a focus of:
a) Cultural anthropology
b) Ecological anthropology
c) Linguistic anthropology
d) Psychological anthropology
Answer: b) Ecological anthropology

4. Which anthropological approach investigates how rituals and ceremonies contribute to social cohesion and identity?
a) Symbolic anthropology
b) Economic anthropology
c) Structural anthropology
d) Feminist anthropology
Answer: a) Symbolic anthropology

5. Which anthropological perspective emphasizes the study of human adaptation to different environments and climates?
a) Ecological anthropology
b) Medical anthropology
c) Evolutionary anthropology
d) Economic anthropology
Answer: a) Ecological anthropology

6. The study of how individuals acquire and transmit cultural knowledge and practices within societies is known as:
a) Ethnology
b) Cultural diffusion
c) Socialization
d) Ethnography
Answer: c) Socialization

7. Which anthropological approach examines the ways in which power dynamics and inequalities shape social structures?
a) Political anthropology
b) Economic anthropology
c) Feminist anthropology
d) Kinship anthropology
Answer: a) Political anthropology

8. The concept of “cultural relativism” suggests that:
a) All cultures are equal in value and should be judged based on their own standards
b) Some cultures are inherently superior to others
c) Cultural practices should be universally standardized
d) Cultures should be studied only through objective scientific methods
Answer: a) All cultures are equal in value and should be judged based on their own standards

9. Which anthropological perspective focuses on understanding human behavior through the analysis of economic systems and practices?
a) Economic anthropology
b) Symbolic anthropology
c) Structural anthropology
d) Evolutionary anthropology
Answer: a) Economic anthropology

10. The study of how societies create and maintain social order and stability is a concern of:
a) Structural anthropology
b) Psychological anthropology
c) Functional anthropology
d) Historical anthropology
Answer: c) Functional anthropology

11. Which anthropological approach examines how cultural practices change over time and across different societies?
a) Evolutionary anthropology
b) Historical anthropology
c) Structural anthropology
d) Cognitive anthropology
Answer: b) Historical anthropology

12. The concept of “adaptation” in anthropology refers to:
a) Genetic changes in populations over time
b) The process of cultural change within societies
c) How organisms adjust to their environments
d) The transmission of cultural traits between societies
Answer: c) How organisms adjust to their environments

13. Which anthropological perspective emphasizes the study of how individuals perceive and interpret their social worlds?
a) Cognitive anthropology
b) Materialist anthropology
c) Structural anthropology
d) Symbolic anthropology
Answer: a) Cognitive anthropology

14. The study of how food production and consumption practices shape societies is a focus of:
a) Ecological anthropology
b) Economic anthropology
c) Political anthropology
d) Medical anthropology
Answer: b) Economic anthropology

15. Which anthropological approach examines how cultural beliefs and practices influence health and illness?
a) Medical anthropology
b) Psychological anthropology
c) Archaeology
d) Ethnology
Answer: a) Medical anthropology

16. The term “subsistence strategies” in anthropology refers to:
a) Cultural practices related to death and burial
b) Methods used by societies to obtain food and resources
c) Rituals and ceremonies performed during harvest seasons
d) Kinship structures within agricultural societies
Answer: b) Methods used by societies to obtain food and resources

17. Which anthropological perspective focuses on understanding how individuals develop and maintain social identities within societies?
a) Identity anthropology
b) Kinship anthropology
c) Psychological anthropology
d) Structural anthropology
Answer: c) Psychological anthropology

18. The study of how cultural beliefs and practices shape gender roles and relations is central to:
a) Feminist anthropology
b) Kinship anthropology
c) Political anthropology
d) Evolutionary anthropology
Answer: a) Feminist anthropology

19. Which anthropological approach investigates how societies classify and understand the natural world through language and cultural practices?
a) Ethnography
b) Linguistic anthropology
c) Materialist anthropology
d) Cognitive anthropology
Answer: b) Linguistic anthropology

20. The term “ritual” in anthropology refers to:
a) Traditional dances performed during cultural festivals
b) Everyday activities and routines within societies
c) Ceremonial actions performed in a prescribed order
d) Religious beliefs and practices
Answer: c) Ceremonial actions performed in a prescribed order