Q&A Hero

Q: ________ refers to the manipulation of the supernatural to accomplish specific goals. A. Animism B. Magic C. Religion D. Rite of passage E. Pantheism

Q: The cargo cults of Melanesia predated the arrival of Europeans in the region.

Q: The cargo cults of Melanesia paved the way for the unified political action of indigenous communities.

Q: Totems are animals, plants, or geographical features from which members of a totemic group claim to be descended.

Q: Compared to the 1960s, only 15% of working wives presently make more money than their husbands.

Q: Domestic violence against women is prevalent in patrilineal-patrilocal societies because women are isolated from their supportive kin.

Q: In the United States, attitudes regarding the role of women in the workplace have varied according to economic need.

Q: Women head more than half of the households in America that have incomes below the poverty.

Q: Single-parent families headed by women are becoming increasingly common because of male migration, divorce, abandonment, and the idea that child care is women's responsibility.

Q: According to the 2014 World Gender Gap Index, Saudi Arabia ranks last in reducing its gender gap.

Q: Patriarchy only occurs in such tribal societies as the Yanomami.

Q: Some nations legally recognize more than two genders.

Q: All anthropologists agree that a true matriarchy has never existed. FALSE

Q: Belief in mana, or mana-like forces, is a primitive form of religion found only among tribal societies.

Q: During the liminal phase of a rite of passage, participants occupy ambiguous social positions.

Q: Cross-cultural studies of foraging societies indicate that women never hunt or fish.

Q: Homosexual practices among the Etoro demonstrate that homosexuality is more pronounced in matrilocal societies.

Q: Male-female avoidance among the Etoro was linked to beliefs about the cycle of birth, physical growth, maturity, old age, and death.

Q: Gender stratification tends to be extreme in patrilineal-patrilocal societies.

Q: Countries with the greatest female labor force participation also ranked among the least happy, according to a 2010 Gallup poll.

Q: Cross-culturally, women's activities tend to be associated with the home, while men are generally more active in the public domain.

Q: The specific roles assigned to each gender vary from culture to culture.

Q: Intersex can result from such unusual chromosome combinations as X0.

Q: Cross-culturally, there are only two specific genders.

Q: Yanomami society is one of the few matriarchies that have been documented by anthropologists.

Q: Women's status tends to be high in matrilineal-matrilocal societies.

Q: The worldwide increase in female-headed households does NOT stem from A. decreasing divorce rates. B. male migration. C. unwed adolescent parenthood. D. civil strife. E. the idea that child care is a woman's responsibility.

Q: The fact that chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates engage in masturbation and same-sex sexual activity suggests that A. human sexuality is completely determined by biology. B. it is immoral for humans to engage in such activities. C. flexibility in sexual expression is part of humans' primate heritage. D. heterosexual sex is more common among humans than among other primates. E. human sexuality is completely determined by culture.

Q: A matrilineal-matrilocal society is most likely to emerge when A. population pressure is high. B. a shift to agriculture has recently taken place. C. men's hunting activities are more important than women's gathering. D. polygyny is common. E. warfare is infrequent.

Q: Compare two of the following in terms of gender roles and stratification: (a) foraging societies, (b) matrilineal-matrilocal societies, (c) patrilineal-patrilocal societies, and (e) industrial societies.

Q: Define the domestic-public dichotomy. Identify the kinds of societies where it is more pronounced and less pronounced. Explain how it relates to gender stratification.

Q: Define a matriarchy. If anthropologists have encountered one, describe it. If not, provide a description of the closest approximation, and compare it to a patriarchy.

Q: Discuss whether or not certain sexual preferences are more natural than others. Use cross-cultural evidence to substantiate the argument.

Q: List differences between sex and gender. Explain why it is important to understand this distinction.

Q: Explain the difference between intersex individuals and self-identified transgender individuals. Give at least two examples of each.

Q: Identify social, political, and economic conditions that influence gender stratification and violence against women.

Q: Explain how industrialism affected gender roles and stratification. Discuss the reasons that poverty is becoming feminized.

Q: Gender roles are the instinctual behaviors associated with each sex.

Q: Oversimplified ideas about the characteristics of males and females are known as gender roles.

Q: Gender stratification refers to an unequal distribution of socially valued resources, power, prestige, and personal freedom between men and women.

Q: Recent cross-cultural studies of gender roles demonstrated that A. the gender roles of men and women are largely determined by their biological capabilities. B. women are subservient to men in nearly all societies because their subsistence activities contribute much less to the total diet than do those of men. C. the relative status of women is variable, depending on factors such as subsistence strategy, the importance of warfare, and the prevalence of a domestic-public dichotomy. D. foraging, horticultural, pastoral, and industrial societies all have similar attitudes regarding gender roles. E. changes in the gender roles of men and women are usually associated with social decay and anarchy.

Q: In general, societies with the patrilineal-patrilocal complex are NOT characterized by A. scarce resources. B. inheritance of land and prestige through female lines. C. a strongly developed domestic-public dichotomy. D. male control of prestige goods. E. increased inter-village warfare.

Q: Which of these statements is NOT true? A. "Anthropologists view sexual orientation as learned, malleable, and culturally constructed." B. "Culture plays a role in molding individual sexual urges toward a collective norm." C. "Individuals differ in every society on the nature, range, and intensity of their sexual interests." D. "Sexual orientation is genetically predetermined; culture plays no role in its expression." E. "Four forms of sexual orientationheterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, and asexualityare found throughout the world."

Q: ________ contributed to the emergence of the American notion that "a woman's place is in the home." A. European immigration around 1900 B. World War II C. Voting rights for women D. Inflation E. The Women's Rights Movement

Q: Gender differences among tropical and semitropical foragers shows that A. the status of women is much lower than it is among northern foragers like the Inuit. B. women's work usually contributes more to the diet than does men's work; consequently, there is less gender stratification. C. the distinction between public and domestic spheres of activity is much sharper than it is in most horticultural societies. D. there is no sex-based division of labor. E. women never take part in hunting.

Q: In patrilineal-patrilocal societies, A. men control the prestige hierarchy. B. men work harder at food production and manufacturing than do women. C. men are in short supply due to the practice of male infanticide. D. men and women enjoy approximately equal status. E. men trade subsistence goods but not prestige items.

Q: The domestic-public dichotomy A. is significant because public activities often have greater prestige than domestic ones do. B. tends to be more pronounced in foraging societies where gathering is the main subsistence activity. C. is not significant in urban industrial societies. D. is reinforced in American society by women working both inside and outside the home. E. is not present in the industrial states of the Western world.

Q: The domestic-public dichotomy is defined as a strong differentiation between A. spheres of exchange. B. the secular and the sacred. C. elite and commoners. D. the home and the outside world. E. local and international trade.

Q: Cross-cultural studies indicate that A. men contribute much more to subsistence than women do. B. a gender-based division of labor is very uncommon. C. in most societies, women tend to be the primary child caregivers. D. women generally are less restricted than men are with respect to premarital and extramarital sex. E. men never contribute to child care.

Q: The ________ is/are an example of a matrilineal-matrilocal society. A. United States B. Yanomami C. Betsileo D. Etoro E. Minangkabau

Q: More than half of American households with incomes below the poverty line are A. patrilocal. B. extended. C. headed by men. D. headed by women. E. headed by grandparents.

Q: A political system ruled by men in which women have inferior status is a(n) A. matriarchy. B. patriarchy. C. patrilocality. D. patrilineality. E. anarchy.

Q: ________ is NOT part of the patrilineal-patrilocal complex. A. Patrilineality B. Patrilocality C. Warfare D. Reduced gender stratification E. Male supremacy

Q: Which of these statements about the Etoro is NOT true? A. "Among the Etoro, heterosexual intercourse was believed to sap a man's vitality." B. "Among the Etoro, women who wanted too much heterosexual intercourse were viewed as witches." C. "Among the Etoro, heterosexual intercourse was permitted only about 100 days a year." D. "Among the Etoro, heterosexual intercourse was permitted only in a couple's residence." E. "Among the Etoro, heterosexual intercourse was seen as a necessary sacrifice that would eventually lead to a man's death."

Q: In general, the status of women A. rises as dependence on food production intensifies. B. is higher in societies in which males do most of the work in food production. C. is higher among agriculturalists than it is among foragers. D. is higher in matrilineal societies than it is in patrilineal societies. E. is higher in Yanomami society than it is among the Betsileo of Madagascar.

Q: The term ________ refers to the tasks and activities that a culture assigns to the sexes. A. sex roles B. sex stereotypes C. gender stereotypes D. gender roles E. gender duties

Q: Exogamy is the practice of seeking a mate within one's own group.

Q: In tribal societies, unlike industrial ones, marriage entails only an agreement between the people getting married; descent groups play only a minor role.

Q: Marriage markets are similar between industrialized and nonindustrialized countries.

Q: People over 40 are more likely to use online dating services.

Q: Among foragers A. men excel under harsh living conditions and therefore accrue vastly more prestige than women accrue. B. warfare makes men dominant over women. C. the status of women declines when they provide most of the food. D. men and women are equal; there is no gender inequality. E. the lack of a clear domestic-public dichotomy contributes to reduced gender inequality.

Q: In many highland Papua New Guinea patrilineal-patrilocal societies, A. women are the primary producers of subsistence crops. B. women govern the public distribution of prestige items. C. women fear contacts, including sexual intercourse, with men. D. polygyny decreases household productivity because a man must provide for more than one wife. E. the domestic-public dichotomy is minor or nonexistent.

Q: The term intersex describes A. gender stratification processes. B. homosexual practices of the Etoro. C. a discrepancy between external and internal genitals. D. a castrated man. E. sexual practices of chimpanzees.

Q: Gender stratification A. is less pronounced among agriculturalists. B. is includes societies where women control all the strategic resources. C. is generally reduced when the domestic and public spheres are not sharply separated. D. allows women to become more powerful as they contribute more to the domestic sphere. E. allows women to become more powerful as they contribute less to the domestic sphere.

Q: ________ is/are NOT culturally constructed. A. Race B. Gender C. Kinship D. Sex E. Sexual norms

Q: Biological differences between males and females, other than contrasts in breasts and genitals, is A. sex. B. sexual dimorphism. C. gender. D. gender dimorphism. E. sexual bifurcation.

Q: In a(n) ________, women's status should be highest. A. pastoral society B. agricultural society C. horticultural society experiencing considerable population pressure D. tropical foraging society E. industrial state with high unemployment

Q: Divorce is more common in matrilineal/matrilocal societies than it is in patrilineal/patrilocal societies.

Q: The caste system of India is an extreme example of exogamy.

Q: If a man marries his deceased brother's widow, it is a levirate marriage.

Q: Restrictions against incest prevent it from ever occurring in human societies.

Q: In rural Greece, some brides receive a wealth transfer from their mothers as a kind of trust fund for her marriage.

Q: Polygynous marriages often serve important economic and political functions; for instance, the number of wives a man has may be an indicator of his wealth, prestige, and status.

Q: Tarawad is the Nayar word for nuclear family.

Q: In industrialized nations, extended families are more common among the lower class than among the upper class.

Q: Lobola is insurance against divorce.

Q: Industrialization increases mobility, which has played a major role in the decline of extended families in the United States.

Q: After reaching an all-time low in the 1970s, the frequency of nuclear families in North America has been steadily increasing.

Q: Detail how divorce can vary cross-culturally. List factors that affect the ease (or difficulty) and frequency of divorce.

Q: A descent group consists of a married couple and their children.