Multiple Choice Questions Chapter 1 1. Yanomam men explain their identity as fierce warriors: A.

by reference to their creation myth B. as the result of taking hallucinogenic drugs C. by reference to their tropical rainforest environment D. as resulting from their living on the surface of the third layer of their cosmos Answer: A 2. Anthropologists explain the Yanomam creation story about the origin of men from drops of blood as: A. a result of the Yanomam recognizing that blood is crucial to life B. a reflection of the reddish tint of their skin C. justifying their identity as fierce warriors D. indicating that the Yanomam are biologically distinct from other races Answer: C 3. The Hebrew creation stories were originally written down to: A. convert the Babylonians to Judaism B. foster literacy among the Hebrew people C. provide a scientific explanation for human origins D. establish the unique identity and formalize the heritage of the Jewish people Answer: D 4. The Hebrew creation myth is fundamentally different from other creation myths in that: A. it is the only one recognizing a single god B. it is unrelated to the creation myth of any other group C. it is the only one that includes a flood story D. the Hebrew creation myth is not fundamentally different from other creation myths Answer: D 5. In the Maya creation myth, the similarities between monkeys and people are explained in this way: A. monkeys are the descendants of an unsuccessful attempt by the gods of creating human beings B. monkeys were created by evil spirits who wished to be like gods C. monkeys and humans descended from a common ancestor D. monkeys are the reincarnation of dead Maya Answer: A 6. In the Maya creation myth, the gods ultimately succeed in creating human beings from: A. monkeys

B. mud C. wood D. corn meal Answer: D 7. Which is NOT a function of creation myths? A. tells the story of a peoples beginnings and history B. rationalizes and justifies a social system C. determines a societys cultural system D. provides an account of the origin of the world Answer: C 8. While science and myth may provide explanations for the same thing, they differ fundamentally since: A. scientific explanations are always right B. mythology is never grounded in reality C. myth is common only among primitive people, while science is the method of advanced cultures D. science calls for testing of its conclusion Answer: D 9. In science, the process of generalizing from observation is called: A. induction B. deduction C. theorizing D. prediction Answer: A 10. In science, the testing of a hypothesis by predicting the specific data that must be found if the hypothesis is to be upheld is called: A. induction B. deduction C. theorizing D. prediction Answer: B 11. In the Maya creation myth, why did the gods create people? A. because they were lonely B. because they wanted worshippers C. it was an accident D. to tend the gardens of earth Answer: B 12. In the Yanomam creation myth, why did the gods create people? A. because they were lonely B. because they wanted worshippers

C. it was an accident D. to tend the gardens of earth Answer: C 13. The Hebrew creation myth was first put into writing: A. about 3000 years ago B. about 2000 years ago C. about 1000 years ago D. about 500 years ago Answer: A 14. The account of a six-day creation by an all-powerful god: A. is unique to the Bible B. occurs in the creation myths of cultures all over the globe C. does not appear in the Old Testament of the Bible D. is found in a Babylonian creation myth older than the Bible Answer: D 15. A hypothesis that holds up under rigorous testing eventually may be elevated to the level of a: A. rule B. theory C. plan D. tenet Answer: B 16. Anthropologists study people much in the way that: A. archaeologists study sites B. physical anthropologists study skeletons C. zoologists study animals D. geologists study the earth Answer: C 17. Anthropology is defined as: A. the holistic study of humanity B. the study of human evolution C. the study of culture D. the study of life since the Bible was written Answer: A 18. Anthropologists define culture as being: A. all of those things people have invented and passed down B. behaviors that are genetically controlled C. characteristic only of civilized societies D. those aspects of ancient societies that differentiated them from animals

Answer: A 19. The subfield of anthropology that focuses on human language is: A. archaeology B. ethnology C. anthropological linguistics D. ethnography Answer: C 20. Archaeology is best defined as being: A. a field separate from, but related to, anthropology B. the study of pre-Biblical cultures C. the study of prehistoric cultures D. the study of the human cultural past Answer: D 21. Physical anthropologists study: A. the physical remainsartifacts and toolsof culture B. human biology C. fossils D. archaeology Answer: B 22. The focus of paleoanthropologists is: A. ancient cultures B. prehistoric cultures C. human skeletal remains D. the skeletal remains of animals hunted by prehistoric people Answer: C 23. A theory is an explanation: A. about which scientists are uncertain B. about which scientists are quite certain C. only in the physical, not the social sciences (anthropology is a social science) D. before it has been tested in the deductive approach Answer: B 24. We know about the creation myth of the Yanamam through the analysis of which of the subfield(s) of anthropology: A. cultural anthropology B. archaeology C. primatology D. all of the above Answer: A

25. Mythic explanations of human origins: A. are not testable B. do not require creativity C. are constantly refined as new information becomes available D. are based on the presumption of the existence of an all-powerful god Answer: A Essay Questions 26. How does the creation myth of the Yanomam (or Maya or ancient Hebrew) reflect that societys environment and history? 27. Discuss the role of creation myth within a cultural system. What functions does it perform? 28. What are the most significant differences in the approaches of science and myth? 29. Describe the scientific method. 30. Anthropologists who study the human species are, like all scientists, members of a particular cultural tradition. Describe how this complicates their research. Does the fact that anthropologists are themselves products of their place and time prevent them from an objective analysis of the places and times of other human groups? 30. Explain how anthropology is distinguished from other disciplines that focus on some aspect of the human species. 31. Briefly define the major subfields within anthropology.