Introduction to Anthropology MCQs

Introduction to Anthropology MCQs

Answer these 100+ Introduction to Anthropology MCQs and assess your grip on the subject of Introduction to Anthropology.
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1: Which of the following attributes distinguishes anthropology from other social sciences?

A.   Direct interaction with human subjects

B.   A holistic approach

C.   A scientific approach

D.   Avoidance of statistical methods

2: Which branch of linguistic anthropology would be likely to investigate the ways that grammatical structures influence the way people think?

A.   Sociolinguistics

B.   Historical linguistics

C.   Structural linguistics

D.   Descriptive linguistics

3: An anthropologist studying the ways that traditional myths influence human interactions with their environment would probably employ which of the following perspectives?

A.   A purely scientific perspective

B.   A purely humanistic perspective

C.   Both a scientific and a humanistic approach

D.   Neither a scientific nor a humanistic approach

4: A cultural anthropologist conducting cross-cultural comparisons of gender hierarchies would be engaging in which of the following?

A.   Ethnology

B.   Ethology

C.   Ethnography

D.   Ethnoarchaeology

5: The cross-cultural perspective of anthropology empowers us to explain patterns of human behavior elsewhere in the world but does little to help us understand our own society.

A.   True

B.   False

6: In which of the following projects would a biological anthropologist most likely be involved?

A.   A study of code-switching among international college students

B.   A study of tool use among chimpanzees

C.   A study of symbolic communication of faith through clothing

D.   A study of class hierarchy as reflected in material artifacts

7: What have anthropologists learned about essentialism through scientific, interdisciplinary research?

A.   Essentialist views are accurate reflections of biological categories.

B.   Essentialist views are cultural constructions, and are therefore not very powerful.

C.   Essentialist views are learned, but not until late adolescence.

D.   Essentialist views are learned, often by the young age of 4–6 years.

8: Anthropologist Scott Atran and his team interviewed Islamic State fighters in Iraq to test the hypothesis that spiritual and cognitive motivations encourage people to become militant insurgents. Which approach to research did they use?

A.   Deductive

B.   Inductive

C.   Reductive

D.   Reflexive

9: Archaeologists study cultures of the past and present by interpreting material remains.

A.   True

B.   False

10: As a rule, anthropologists use the scientific method and do not engage in humanistic or interpretive methods.

A.   True

B.   False

11: The study of _______ is called Anthropology.

A.   Insects

B.   Human kind

C.   Marine life

D.   Animals

12: The use of data gathered from the other subfields of anthropology to find practical solutions to problems in a society is called _______.

A.   Biological anthropology

B.   Cultural anthropology

C.   Applied anthropology

D.   None of these

13: The subfield of _______ that focuses on the study of the material remains of past societies to determine the lifestyles, history, and evolution of those societies is called Archaeology.

A.   Biology

B.   Science

C.   Anthropology

D.   Geology

14: The material products of ______ are called Artifacts.

A.   Present societies

B.   Past societies

C.   Future societies

D.   All of these

15: The subfield of anthropology (also referred to as physical anthropology) that studies the biological characteristics of humanity in the ________ is called Biological Anthropology.

A.   Past

B.   Present

C.   Future

D.   Both a and b

16: Archaeologists who do research on _______ civilizations such as Egypt, Greece, or Rome are called Classical Archeologists.

A.   Modern

B.   Ancient

C.   Traditional

D.   All of these

17: The subfield of anthropology that focuses on the study of _______ societies is called Cultural Anthropology.

A.   Ancient

B.   Historical

C.   Contemporary

D.   Classical

18: A method of investigation in which a scientist begins with a general _______, develops specific hypotheses, and tests them is called deductive method.

A.   Observation

B.   Law

C.   Theory

D.   None of these

19: The view that certain categories or classifications such as specific species, “races,” ethnic groups, genders, animals, plants, objects, or cultures have an underlying reality or true invisible “essence” that one cannot observe directly is called _______.

A.   Essentialism

B.   Vitalism

C.   Realism

D.   None of these

20: ________ who study material artifacts of the past along with the observation of modern peoples who have knowledge of the use and symbolic meaning of those artifacts are called Ethnoarchaeologists.

A.   Ethnologist

B.   Archaeologist

C.   Anthropologist

D.   All of these

21: The practice of judging another society by the values and standards of one’s own is called _______.

A.   Essentialism

B.   Deductive method

C.   Ethnography

D.   Ethnocentrism

22: A description of a society written by an ________ who conducted field research in that society is called Ethnography.

A.   Archaeologist

B.   Ethnologist

C.   Anthropologist

D.   Socialist

23: The study of the history of a particular ethnic group based on _______ is called Ethnohistory.

A.   Written documents

B.   Oral narratives

C.   Both a and b

D.   Symbolic representation

24: The subfield of anthropology that focuses on the cross-cultural aspects of ethnographic studies is called _______.

A.   Ethnography

B.   Ethnohistory

C.   Ethnocentrism

D.   Ethnology

25: The study of musical traditions in different societies is called _______.

A.   Ethnopoetics

B.   Musicology

C.   Ethnomusicology

D.   None of these

26: The study of the poetry _______ in different societies is called Ethnopoetics.

A.   Traditions

B.   Practices

C.   Cultures

D.   Both a and b

27: The remains of bones and living materials preserved from earlier periods are called ______.

A.   Remnant

B.   Impression

C.   Fossils

D.   Deposits

28: Archaeologists who do draw on ________ to investigate the societies of the more recent past.

A.   Documentary records

B.   Oral traditions

C.   Both a and b

D.   None of these

A.   Documentation

B.   Analysis

C.   Collection

D.   Comparison

30: A broad, comprehensive approach to the study of humankind drawing on the four subfields of anthropology and integrating both ________ phenomena is called Holistic.

A.   Biological and cultural

B.   Social and cultural

C.   Physiological

D.   All of these

31: A testable proposition concerning the relationship between different sets of variables within the collected data is called _______.

A.   Law

B.   Theory

C.   Observation

D.   Hypothesis

32: A method of investigation in which a scientist first makes observations and collects data and then formulates a hypothesis is known as______

A.   Inductive Method

B.   Deductive Method

C.   Descriptive Method

D.   Exploratory Method

33: Linguistic Anthropology is a subfield of anthropology that focuses on the study of_____.

A.   Signs

B.   Symbols

C.   Meaning

D.   Language

34: Linguistics is the study of _____

A.   Meaning

B.   Language

C.   Symbols

D.   Sounds

35: Middens refer to_____

A.   Ancient dumps

B.   Trash heaps

C.   Recycled heaps

D.   Both a and b

36: The study of human evolution through the analysis of fossil remains is known as_____

A.   Palaeontology

B.   Anthropology

C.   Palaeoanthropology

D.   None of these

37: The method used by the ethnographer who learns the culture of the group being studied by participating in the group’s daily activities is known as Participant Observation.

A.   True

B.   False

38: Archaeologists who study the artifacts of groups that have no written records to understand the past are known as_____

A.   Classical Archaeologists

B.   Historic Archaeologists

C.   Prehistoric Archaeologists

D.   All of these

39: Primates is a diverse order of mammals, including_____ , that share similar characteristics.

A.   Humans

B.   Monkeys

C.   Apes

D.   All of these

40: Primatology is the study of_____.

A.   Plants

B.   Primates

C.   Both a and b

D.   Fossils

41: Scientific Method is a method used to investigate the natural and social world involving_____

A.   Critical thinking

B.   Logical reasoning

C.   Skeptical thought

D.   All of these

A.   Linguistics

B.   Sociology

C.   Sociolinguistics

D.   Structural Linguistics

43: An area of research that investigates the structure of language patterns as they presently exist is known as Structural Linguistics.

A.   True

B.   False

44: Theories are interconnected _____ that offer general explanations of natural or social phenomena.

A.   Observations

B.   Hypothesis

C.   Laws

D.   Both a and b

45: Variable is a datum that does not vary from case to case.

A.   True

B.   False

46: Compared to modern humans, Neanderthals were short, stocky, and small-brained.

A.   True

B.   False

47: Evolution can be defined as a change in____________ frequency over time.

A.   Mutations, natural selection

B.   Allele

C.   Stochastic (random)

D.   Natural Selection

48: Independent individuals __________.

A.   Live without human interaction

B.   Are irresponsible and controlling

C.   Make confident decisions about their lives

D.   Avoid the complicated relationships of life

49: Play communicates about _____; ritual communicates about _____.

A.   Separation, transition

B.   What can be/what ought to be

C.   Transition, reaggregation

D.   None of these

50: The ratio of brain volume to body mass of homo ergaster is approximately _______.

A.   12 cm3/kg

B.   18 cm3/kg

C.   14 cm3/kg

D.   11 cm3/kg