Social Anthropology MCQs
What is social anthropology?
a) The study of ancient civilizations
b) The study of human cultures and societies
c) The study of individual psychology
d) The study of physical anthropology
Answer: b) The study of human cultures and societies
Which of the following is a key concept in social anthropology?
a) Microeconomics
b) Ethnography
c) Organic chemistry
d) Astrophysics
Answer: b) Ethnography
Which of the following is NOT a method commonly used in social anthropology research?
a) Participant observation
b) Surveys and questionnaires
c) Genetic sequencing
d) Interviews and oral histories
Answer: c) Genetic sequencing
Cultural relativism is the principle that:
a) All cultures are fundamentally the same
b) Cultural practices should be judged by the standards of the observer’s own culture
c) Cultural practices can only be understood through scientific analysis
d) Cultures can only be compared based on their technological advancements
Answer: b) Cultural practices should be judged by the standards of the observer’s own culture
Social Anthropology MCQs
Which of the following is an example of a social institution?
a) A religious ritual
b) A personal belief
c) A genetic trait
d) A physical landscape
Answer: a) A religious ritual
In social anthropology, what does the term “kinship” refer to?
a) The study of the kinematics of human movement
b) The study of political systems
c) The study of human genetics
d) The study of relationships based on blood or marriage ties
Answer: d) The study of relationships based on blood or marriage ties
Which of the following is NOT a major theoretical perspective in social anthropology?
a) Functionalism
b) Structuralism
c) Marxism
d) Capitalism
Answer: d) Capitalism
What is the term used to describe the process by which cultural traits or practices spread from one society to another?
a) Ethnocentrism
b) Diffusion
c) Segregation
d) Assimilation
Answer: b) Diffusion
Social Anthropology MCQs
Which of the following is an example of a rite of passage?
a) A traditional wedding ceremony
b) A daily prayer ritual
c) An annual festival
d) A scientific experiment
Answer: a) A traditional wedding ceremony
Which of the following is NOT a subfield of social anthropology?
a) Economic anthropology
b) Medical anthropology
c) Linguistic anthropology
d) Archaeological anthropology
Answer: d) Archaeological anthropology
What is the term used to describe the study of how language and culture influence each other?
a) Sociolinguistics
b) Ethnobotany
c) Political anthropology
d) Cognitive anthropology
Answer: a) Sociolinguistics
Which of the following is an example of a cultural universal?
a) Marriage
b) Democracy
c) Capitalism
d) Internet
Answer: a) Marriage
Social Anthropology MCQs
What is the term used to describe a society that relies primarily on hunting and gathering for subsistence?
a) Pastoral society
b) Agricultural society
c) Industrial society
d) Hunter-gatherer society
Answer: d) Hunter-gatherer society
Which of the following is an example of a matrilineal descent system?
a) Inheritance of property through the female line
b) Inheritance of property through the male line
c) Inheritance of property through both the male and female lines
d) No inheritance of property
Answer: a) Inheritance of property through the female line
Which of the following terms refers to a cultural group within a larger society that maintains its unique cultural practices?
a) Subculture
b) Counterculture
c) Multiculturalism
d) Assimilation
Answer: a) Subculture
What is the term used to describe the transmission of cultural knowledge from one generation to the next?
a) Enculturation
b) Acculturation
c) Transculturation
d) Assimilation
Answer: a) Enculturation
Which of the following is NOT a factor contributing to cultural change?
a) Migration
b) Diffusion
c) Innovation
d) Cultural relativism
Answer: d) Cultural relativism
Social Anthropology MCQs
What is the term used to describe the belief in the existence of spirits or supernatural beings?
a) Animism
b) Monotheism
c) Polytheism
d) Atheism
Answer: a) Animism
Which of the following is an example of a cultural symbol?
a) A traffic sign
b) A genetic mutation
c) A natural resource
d) A physical landmark
Answer: a) A traffic sign
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a band-level society?
a) Small, kin-based groups
b) Egalitarian social structure
c) Centralized political authority
d) Nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle
Answer: c) Centralized political authority
Which of the following terms refers to the process of analyzing and interpreting cultural meanings?
a) Ethnography
b) Ethnology
c) Hermeneutics
d) Humanism
Answer: c) Hermeneutics
What is the term used to describe the exchange of goods and services between two or more groups?
a) Trade
b) Barter
c) Redistribution
d) Reciprocity
Answer: d) Reciprocity
Social Anthropology MCQs
Which of the following is an example of a cultural relativist perspective?
a) Judging other cultures based on one’s own cultural norms
b) Believing that all cultures are fundamentally the same
c) Advocating for the preservation of cultural diversity
d) Considering one’s own culture as superior to others
Answer: c) Advocating for the preservation of cultural diversity
What is the term used to describe the process by which individuals learn and adopt the cultural norms and values of their society?
a) Enculturation
b) Acculturation
c) Transculturation
d) Assimilation
Answer: b) Acculturation
Which of the following is an example of a cultural taboo?
a) Greeting someone with a handshake
b) Eating certain foods during religious ceremonies
c) Wearing traditional clothing on special occasions
d) Playing sports for recreation
Answer: b) Eating certain foods during religious ceremonies
Which of the following is NOT a key factor influencing social change in societies?
a) Technological advancements
b) Economic systems
c) Cultural values and beliefs
d) Genetic inheritance
Answer: d) Genetic inheritance
Social Anthropology MCQs
What is the term used to describe the process of viewing and analyzing a culture from the perspective of its members?
a) Cultural relativism
b) Ethnographic perspective
c) Reflexivity
d) Cultural imperialism
Answer: b) Ethnographic perspective
Which of the following is an example of a cultural artifact?
a) A religious belief
b) A social norm
c) A piece of pottery
d) A genetic trait
Answer: c) A piece of pottery
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a state-level society?
a) Centralized political authority
b) Social stratification
c) Permanent settlement
d) Egalitarian social structure
Answer: d) Egalitarian social structure
What is the term used to describe the tendency to view one’s own culture as superior to others?
a) Cultural relativism
b) Ethnocentrism
c) Cultural diffusion
d) Multiculturalism
Answer: b) Ethnocentrism
Social Anthropology MCQs
Which of the following is a key concept in cultural anthropology?
a) Evolutionary biology
b) Political ideology
c) Cultural relativism
d) Quantum mechanics
Answer: c) Cultural relativism
What is the term used to describe the study of human physical characteristics, such as bones and DNA?
a) Archaeology
b) Linguistics
c) Primatology
d) Biological anthropology
Answer: d) Biological anthropology
Which of the following is NOT a method commonly used in ethnographic research?
a) Participant observation
b) Survey research
c) Laboratory experiments
d) Interviews
Answer: c) Laboratory experiments
What is the term used to describe the process by which individuals or groups adapt to new cultural practices?
a) Cultural diffusion
b) Cultural assimilation
c) Cultural revitalization
d) Cultural relativism
Answer: b) Cultural assimilation
Which of the following is an example of a cultural symbol?
a) A social norm
b) A religious belief
c) A flag representing a nation
d) A genetic mutation
Answer: c) A flag representing a nation
Social Anthropology MCQs
Which of the following is a subfield of social anthropology that focuses on the study of economic systems and practices?
a) Medical anthropology
b) Economic anthropology
c) Linguistic anthropology
d) Political anthropology
Answer: b) Economic anthropology
What is the term used to describe the social and cultural changes that occur when two or more cultures come into contact?
a) Cultural relativism
b) Cultural diffusion
c) Cultural imperialism
d) Cultural adaptation
Answer: b) Cultural diffusion
Which of the following is an example of a cross-cultural universal?
a) Gender roles
b) Political systems
c) Religious beliefs
d) Food preferences
Answer: a) Gender roles
What is the term used to describe the process of understanding and interpreting cultural meanings from an insider’s perspective?
a) Ethnography
b) Ethnology
c) Emic perspective
d) Etic perspective
Answer: c) Emic perspective
Which of the following is a key contribution of social anthropology to understanding human societies?
a) Studying celestial bodies
b) Developing new medical treatments
c) Analyzing economic markets
d) Examining cultural diversity and social dynamics
Answer: d) Examining cultural diversity and social dynamics
Social Anthropology MCQs
What is the term used to describe the study of the ways in which power and authority are distributed and exercised within a society?
a) Political anthropology
b) Linguistic anthropology
c) Economic anthropology
d) Archaeological anthropology
Answer: a) Political anthropology
Which of the following is an example of a cultural practice?
a) Genetic inheritance
b) Cultural relativism
c) Arranged marriages
d) Mathematical equations
Answer: c) Arranged marriages
What is the term used to describe the belief that human behavior is primarily shaped by cultural factors rather than biological or genetic factors?
a) Cultural materialism
b) Social constructionism
c) Biological determinism
d) Structural functionalism
Answer: b) Social constructionism
Which of the following is an example of a cultural boundary?
a) A river
b) A mountain range
c) A language barrier
d) A cultural artifact
Answer: c) A language barrier
What is the term used to describe the study of how people make and use tools, technology, and material objects?
a) Cultural anthropology
b) Biological anthropology
c) Material culture
d) Linguistic anthropology
Answer: c) Material culture
Social Anthropology MCQs
Which of the following is an example of a social institution?
a) A religious ceremony
b) A personal belief
c) A genetic trait
d) A physical landmark
Answer: a) A religious ceremony
What is the term used to describe a system of beliefs and practices centered around the worship of one or more deities?
a) Polygamy
b) Polytheism
c) Monogamy
d) Monotheism
Answer: b) Polytheism
Which of the following is an example of a cultural adaptation?
a) Building a dam for irrigation
b) Genetic mutation
c) Formation of a new language
d) Geological formation
Answer: a) Building a dam for irrigation
What is the term used to describe a social hierarchy based on the unequal distribution of resources, wealth, and power?
a) Egalitarianism
b) Social stratification
c) Cultural relativism
d) Ethnography
Answer: b) Social stratification
Which of the following is a method used in social anthropology to collect data through in-depth interviews and conversations?
a) Surveys and questionnaires
b) Participant observation
c) Excavation and artifact analysis
d) Oral history interviews
Answer: d) Oral history interviews
Social Anthropology MCQs
What is the term used to describe a social group composed of individuals who share a common geographic origin and cultural identity?
a) Tribe
b) Clan
c) Nation
d) Community
Answer: a) Tribe
Which of the following is an example of a cultural practice associated with the concept of “rites of passage”?
a) Celebrating national holidays
b) Observing religious rituals
c) Practicing traditional medicine
d) Engaging in political debates
Answer: b) Observing religious rituals
What is the term used to describe the exchange of cultural traits and practices between different societies?
a) Cultural adaptation
b) Cultural relativism
c) Cultural diffusion
d) Cultural assimilation
Answer: c) Cultural diffusion
Which of the following is a key concept in symbolic anthropology?
a) Cultural relativism
b) Ethnography
c) Rituals and symbolism
d) Social stratification
Answer: c) Rituals and symbolism
What is the term used to describe the study of human communication systems, including language and nonverbal communication?
a) Linguistic anthropology
b) Economic anthropology
c) Political anthropology
d) Medical anthropology
Answer: a) Linguistic anthropology
Social Anthropology MCQs
Which of the following is an example of a cultural trait?
a) Genetic predisposition to a disease
b) Traditional gender roles
c) Geological formation
d) Economic system
Answer: b) Traditional gender roles
What is the term used to describe the process by which cultural practices and ideas are transformed when they come into contact with other cultures?
a) Cultural diffusion
b) Cultural adaptation
c) Cultural assimilation
d) Cultural transformation
Answer: b) Cultural adaptation
Which of the following is NOT a method commonly used in archaeological anthropology?
a) Excavation
b) Artifact analysis
c) Participant observation
d) Dating techniques
Answer: c) Participant observation
What is the term used to describe a complex set of social rules and expectations that guide human behavior within a society?
a) Cultural relativism
b) Social norms
c) Cultural relativism
d) Ethnocentrism
Answer: b) Social norms
Which of the following is a subfield of social anthropology that focuses on the study of health, illness, and healing practices in different cultures?
a) Medical anthropology
b) Economic anthropology
c) Linguistic anthropology
d) Political anthropology
Answer: a) Medical anthropology