Q.1 What does cultural anthropology primarily study?
Human biology
Cultural beliefs and practices
Planetary systems
Ancient fossils
Explanation - Cultural anthropology focuses on human cultures, their beliefs, practices, symbols, and social structures.
Correct answer is: Cultural beliefs and practices
Q.2 Which method is most commonly used in cultural anthropology?
Excavation
Participant observation
Carbon dating
Laboratory experiments
Explanation - Participant observation allows anthropologists to immerse themselves in a community to better understand its culture.
Correct answer is: Participant observation
Q.3 Who is often considered the founder of modern cultural anthropology?
Charles Darwin
Franz Boas
Émile Durkheim
Clifford Geertz
Explanation - Franz Boas emphasized cultural relativism and fieldwork, shaping modern cultural anthropology.
Correct answer is: Franz Boas
Q.4 What does the term 'cultural relativism' mean?
Judging cultures by universal standards
Viewing cultures from their own perspective
Rejecting all cultural traditions
Promoting one culture over another
Explanation - Cultural relativism means understanding a culture based on its own values and context, without imposing external judgments.
Correct answer is: Viewing cultures from their own perspective
Q.5 What is an ethnography?
A type of fossil
A written description of a culture
A statistical survey
A genetic study
Explanation - Ethnography is a detailed account of a culture based on fieldwork and observation.
Correct answer is: A written description of a culture
Q.6 Which of the following is an example of material culture?
A belief in spirits
A traditional song
A temple
A language
Explanation - Material culture refers to physical objects created by a society, such as temples, tools, or clothing.
Correct answer is: A temple
Q.7 What is the study of kinship important for in cultural anthropology?
Understanding ancient fossils
Analyzing family and social structures
Studying planetary systems
Measuring genetic mutations
Explanation - Kinship studies help anthropologists understand family ties, inheritance, marriage, and social roles.
Correct answer is: Analyzing family and social structures
Q.8 Which anthropologist is famous for symbolic and interpretive anthropology?
Margaret Mead
Bronisław Malinowski
Clifford Geertz
Lewis Henry Morgan
Explanation - Clifford Geertz emphasized symbols and meaning in culture through his interpretive approach.
Correct answer is: Clifford Geertz
Q.9 What is enculturation?
The process of learning one’s own culture
The mixing of two cultures
The rejection of cultural norms
The study of ancient cultures
Explanation - Enculturation is how individuals learn cultural norms, practices, and values from their society.
Correct answer is: The process of learning one’s own culture
Q.10 What do anthropologists mean by 'ritual'?
A casual habit
A structured symbolic practice
An economic activity
A type of artifact
Explanation - Rituals are symbolic, repetitive practices that reinforce cultural beliefs and social cohesion.
Correct answer is: A structured symbolic practice
Q.11 Which anthropologist is famous for her work on gender and adolescence in Samoa?
Margaret Mead
Ruth Benedict
Zora Neale Hurston
Claude Lévi-Strauss
Explanation - Margaret Mead studied adolescence and gender roles in Samoa, showing the influence of culture on personality.
Correct answer is: Margaret Mead
Q.12 What is cultural diffusion?
The destruction of culture
The spread of cultural traits from one society to another
The rejection of culture
The isolation of cultures
Explanation - Cultural diffusion refers to the exchange and adoption of cultural elements across societies.
Correct answer is: The spread of cultural traits from one society to another
Q.13 What do anthropologists call shared ideas about what is right or wrong in a society?
Customs
Norms
Values
Symbols
Explanation - Values are shared cultural beliefs about what is desirable, good, or proper.
Correct answer is: Values
Q.14 Which concept did Bronisław Malinowski emphasize in his fieldwork?
Cultural ecology
Functionalism
Structuralism
Postmodernism
Explanation - Malinowski highlighted functionalism, arguing that cultural practices serve to meet basic human needs.
Correct answer is: Functionalism
Q.15 Which of these is an example of intangible cultural heritage?
A historic monument
A traditional dance
An ancient tool
A ceramic pot
Explanation - Intangible cultural heritage includes practices like music, dance, rituals, and oral traditions.
Correct answer is: A traditional dance
Q.16 What does the term 'ethnocentrism' mean?
Respect for all cultures
Belief in equality of cultures
Judging other cultures by one’s own standards
Refusing to study cultures
Explanation - Ethnocentrism is the tendency to evaluate other cultures based on the standards of one’s own culture.
Correct answer is: Judging other cultures by one’s own standards
Q.17 Which is an example of nonverbal communication studied in cultural anthropology?
Language
Gestures
Writing
Dialects
Explanation - Nonverbal communication includes gestures, facial expressions, and body language, which carry cultural meaning.
Correct answer is: Gestures
Q.18 Claude Lévi-Strauss is associated with which school of thought?
Functionalism
Structuralism
Cultural ecology
Interpretivism
Explanation - Lévi-Strauss developed structuralism, analyzing deep structures of human thought underlying cultural practices.
Correct answer is: Structuralism
Q.19 What is globalization’s impact on culture?
Cultures become more isolated
Cultures remain unchanged
Cultures interact and influence each other more
Cultures disappear completely
Explanation - Globalization increases cultural exchange, hybridization, and interconnectedness worldwide.
Correct answer is: Cultures interact and influence each other more
Q.20 Which of the following is NOT usually studied by cultural anthropologists?
Marriage customs
Economic practices
Political rituals
Rock formations
Explanation - Cultural anthropology studies human societies, not natural geological features.
Correct answer is: Rock formations
Q.21 What is cultural hybridity?
A rejection of all cultures
The blending of cultural elements from different traditions
Living without culture
Preserving culture unchanged
Explanation - Cultural hybridity describes how elements from different cultures mix to form new cultural expressions.
Correct answer is: The blending of cultural elements from different traditions
Q.22 What role does language play in culture?
It is unrelated to culture
It transmits cultural knowledge
It destroys culture
It only exists in literate societies
Explanation - Language is a key medium through which cultural knowledge, values, and traditions are passed on.
Correct answer is: It transmits cultural knowledge
Q.23 What is the main goal of applied cultural anthropology?
Studying fossils
Solving practical problems using anthropological insights
Designing tools
Predicting the weather
Explanation - Applied anthropology uses cultural knowledge to address real-world issues such as health, education, or development.
Correct answer is: Solving practical problems using anthropological insights
Q.24 Which is an example of cultural universals?
Use of smartphones
Marriage practices
Democracy
Industrialization
Explanation - Cultural universals are practices found in all societies, such as marriage, language, or rituals.
Correct answer is: Marriage practices
Q.25 Which type of anthropologist would study how cultural beliefs affect healthcare practices?
Biological anthropologist
Medical anthropologist
Archaeologist
Linguist
Explanation - Medical anthropology explores how cultural beliefs and practices influence health, illness, and healing.
Correct answer is: Medical anthropologist