Characteristics of Culture

1.

Which of the following statements is true concerning

human evolution?

a) The first humans evolved in the cold temperate regions of the world
because of the need to develop culture for survival in those areas.
b) Culture is necessary for survival in the complex industrialized nations,
but it is not in small societies that live by hunting and gathering wild foods.
c)
Culture is an adaptive mechanism for humans.
a) The first humans evolved in warm tropical and sub-tropical regions
of Africa 2.5 million years ago. Cultural skills that made it possible
for our ancestors to live in colder regions were not developed until
around 1/2 million years ago. Please try again.
b) Despite the power that culture has given us, our species is totally
dependent on it for survival. All people need cultural skills to stay
alive regardless of the size of their society and where they get their
food. Please try again.
c) CORRECT --> Culture has been a highly successful adaptive
mechanism for our species. It has given us a selective advantage in
the competition for survival with other life forms. It has made it
possible for our population to grow to more than 6 billion people
today.
2.

Compared to what it was before the end of the last ice age
(about 10,000 years ago), the rate of human culture change is
now _______________ .

a) faster b) slower c) about the same

a) CORRECT --> The time between major cultural inventions has
become steadily shorter, especially since the invention of agriculture
8,000-10,000 years ago. This accelerated rate of culture change
and technological invention has been mirrored by our population
growth.
b) Think again about what you read in this section of the tutorial and
then try again.
c) There has been a major, progressive change in the rate of culture
change since the end of the last ice age. Please try again.

3.

Which of the following statements is true?

a) The fact that cultural evolution can occur faster than biological evolution
has altered the effect of natural selection on humans.
b)
People are pre-adapted by their genes to acquire particular cultures.
c)
none of the above
a) CORRECT --> One consequence of this has been that our bodies
have remained those of warm climate animals. We have not
needed to develop thick fat layers and heavy fur coats in the cold
regions because our culture provided the necessary warmth during
winter times.
b) Newborn babies are genetically predisposed to rapidly learn any
culture. As a result, they can be placed into any family on earth and
grow up to learn their culture and accept it as their own. Please try
again.
c) A is correct.
4.
a)
c)

All human cultures evolve over time. Which of the following

things is most responsible for this?
culture is an adaptive mechanism b)
culture is cumulative

culture is instinctive

a) While culture is our most important adaptive mechanism in the

competition for survival, better adaptations are more of a
consequence of cultural evolution than a cause of it. Please try
again.
b) Culture is entirely non-instinctive. In other words, it is completely
learned.
c) CORRECT --> New cultural skills and knowledge are added onto
what was learned in previous generations. Cultural evolution results
from the invention and accumulation of new knowledge and skills.
5.

a)
b)
c)
d)

Approximately 8,000-10,000 years ago, our ancestors

invented agriculture. Which of the following things was a
consequence of this development?
a more controllable and dependable food supply
the creation of villages, towns, and ultimately cities
the emergence of new kinds of political systems.
all of the above

a) here is a more complete answer. However, it is true that farming

probably was invented in order to assure a larger and more

dependable food supply as our populations grew explosively after

the last ice age. Please try again.
b) There is a more complete answer. However, it is true that our
foraging ancestors were forced to settle down when they began to
farm because of the need to tend and protect their food supply.
Over time, the settlements grew in size. Please try again.
c) There is a more complete answer. However, it is true that the
democratic political systems of foragers gave way to centralized
kingdoms and empires when our populations grew explosively as a
result of agricultural success and trade. Please try again.
d) CORRECT --> Look at the feedback for the other answers to see
explanations.

6.
a)
b)
c)
d)

Which of the following is a likely consequence of cultural

evolution?
culture loss
better health
greater intelligence
all of the above

a) CORRECT --> As new knowledge and skills are acquired, societies

regularly forget old ones that are no longer of value to them. This is
the reason most contemporary city dwellers no longer have the
wilderness survival skills of their distant ancestors.
b) While the health of people in the rich nations of our time has
generally gotten better, that has not always been a consequence of
cultural evolution. In the past, there often was a decrease in health
as city populations became larger. Please try again.
c) While cultural evolution has resulted in a growth of our knowledge,
there is no indication that it has made us more intelligent.
Intelligence is a consequence of our biological evolution. Please try
again.
d) A is correct

7.
a)
b)
c)
d)

Culture change occurs as a result of ________________ .

diffusion
invention
both of the above
neither of the above

a) While there is a more complete answer, you are right that diffusion
is one possible cause of change in a culture. It is the movement of
cultural traits and ideas from one society or ethnic group to another.
Please try again.
b) While there is a more complete answer, you are correct that the
invention of new ideas and skills by members of one`s own society
can and usually does result in culture change. Please try again.
c) CORRECT --> Cultures change as a result of the invention of new
ideas and skills as well as the diffusion of traits from other societies.
d) C is correct
8.
a)
b)
c)

Ethnocentrism refers to the fact that _________________ .

some cultures are actually better than others

people usually believe that their way of life is superior, and they are
somewhat condescending or even hostile toward other cultures
the technologically simpler societies usually feel that their cultures
are inferior
a) This is a highly subjective judgment that would be difficult to
defend except with someone who shared the same biases.
Answer (a) is a product of ethnocentrism, but it is not the
meaning of it. Please try again.
b) CORRECT --> The common response in all societies to other
cultures is to judge them in terms of the values and customs
of their own familiar culture. Alien culture traits are often
viewed as being not just different but inferior, less sensible,
and even unnatural.
c) This is not the meaning of ethnocentrism. In fact, people in
all societies, including those with relatively simple
technologies, commonly believe that their cultures are
superior, at least in some ways. Please try again.

9.

a)
b)
c)

When anthropologists study other societies, they need to

suspend their own culture-based judgments. What is this kind
of approach called?
cultural relativity
ethnocentric
diffusion

a) CORRECT --> Anthropologists try to understand the various aspects

of the culture they are studying in reference to that culture rather
than to their own. Without suspending their own ethnocentrism, it
would be difficult to comprehend the other culture.
b) Their ethnocentrism is what anthropologists try to put aside in the
process of adopting the approach that you are looking for. Please
try again.
c) Diffusion has nothing to do with an anthropological approach to
studying other cultures. Rather, it is the movement of cultural traits
from one culture to another. Please try again.
10.

Which of the following statements is true?

a) People usually are unconscious of their culture in their daily lives.

b) There are always a few people in small-scale societies who know all
of their culture.
c)
In most societies, boys and girls are taught the same things about
their culture.
a) CORRECT --> The way that we interact and do things in our
everyday lives seems natural to us. We are unconscious or
unaware of our culture because we are so close to it and know it so
well. For most people, it is as if their learned behavior was genetic.
b) No one knows everything about his or her own culture. In all
societies, there are bodies of specialized cultural knowledge that are
known only by part of the society, such as the men or the women.
Please try again.
c) Boys and girls to some extent are treated differently in all societies.
While there may be a great deal overlap in what they are taught,
there are some things that are gender specific. Please try again.

11.

Which of the following statements is true?

a) The range of permissible ways of dressing and acting as a man

orwoman are relatively unlimited in traditional Muslim societies.
b) It is likely that there still are some societies existing in total cultural
isolation from the outside world.
c) Cultures usually allow a range of permissible behavior patterns.
a)

It is just the opposite. Societies that are strongly dominated by

fundamental Moslem, Jewish, Christian, or Hindu religious traditions
usually allow only a narrow path for male and female dress and
behavior. Please try again.

b)

Even small, little known indigenous societies are now being

integrated into the global economy whether they want to be or not.
However, there were still a few societies not in contact with the
outside world 50-75 years ago. Please try again.

c)

CORRECT --> All cultures allow some variation in the way men
can be men and women can be women. Culture also tells use how
different activities should be conducted, such as how one should act
as a husband or wife. The rules are usually flexible to some degree.