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1 Cultural Relativism and Anthropological Perspective Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 1 Cultural Relativism and Anthropological Perspective, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions
01
Choose one
1 point

An anthropologist encounters an unfamiliar food-sharing custom. Which first step best applies cultural relativism?

  1. A

    Judge the practice by the researcher’s own cultural standards.

  2. B

    Investigate the practice’s local meanings and social context.

  3. C

    Assume the practice has the same meaning for everyone in the community.

  4. D

    Decide whether the practice should be approved before studying it.

02
Choose one
1 point

A researcher calls an unfamiliar custom inferior simply because it differs from the researcher’s own customs. Which concept best describes this approach?

  1. A

    Treating one’s own culture as the natural standard for evaluating others.

  2. B

    Comparing accounts from participants in different situations.

  3. C

    Considering a practice’s historical and social context.

  4. D

    Acknowledging that a community may include differing perspectives.

03
Choose one
1 point

Which research approach is most likely to reveal how people explain everyday actions in different situations?

  1. A

    Comparing a community’s practices with a universal ranking of cultures.

  2. B

    Interviewing one person and treating that account as representative of everyone.

  3. C

    Spending time with people while observing and possibly participating in everyday activities.

  4. D

    Avoiding interaction so that the researcher’s presence cannot affect observations.

04
Choose all
1 point

Select all statements that accurately describe cultural relativism as an anthropological method.

  1. A

    It helps researchers investigate practices on their own terms.

  2. B

    It requires researchers to approve of every practice they study.

  3. C

    It does not by itself prove that moral judgments are relative to cultural norms.

  4. D

    It makes ethical questions unnecessary once a practice is understood.

05
Choose all
1 point

An ethnographer is writing about a practice for which participants offer differing explanations. Select all approaches that would support a careful account.

  1. A

    Assume the first person interviewed speaks for the whole community.

  2. B

    Compare accounts across people and situations.

  3. C

    Present one participant’s explanation as the definitive meaning.

  4. D

    Make the evidence and interpretive choices clear.

06
True or false
1 point

True or false: An anthropologist can seek to understand a practice in its cultural context without endorsing it.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

07
True or false
1 point

True or false: Once an ethnographer has learned one participant’s explanation, that account can be treated as the community’s definitive and unchanging meaning.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

08
Written response
1 point

What is the name of the anthropological approach that interprets beliefs and practices in their cultural and historical contexts rather than treating the researcher’s standards as universal?

09
Written response
1 point

What research approach involves spending time with people, observing their everyday activities, and possibly taking part in those activities?

10
Fill in the blank
1 point

When a researcher uses their own culture as the default standard for judging another culture, the approach is called .

11
Fill in the blank
1 point

Cultural relativism interprets beliefs and practices in their cultural and contexts.

12
Open ended
1 point

A student argues, “If anthropologists use cultural relativism, they must believe that no practice can be judged ethically.” Explain why this conclusion does not follow, and distinguish cultural relativism from moral relativism.

13
Choose one
1 point

A visitor sees a food-sharing custom as inefficient. Which investigation would best turn that initial reaction into a culturally relativistic interpretation?

  1. A

    Conclude that the practice is inefficient and therefore inferior.

  2. B

    Ask who shares with whom, what obligations are created, and what social meanings the practice expresses.

  3. C

    Assume that all community members understand the practice in the same way.

  4. D

    Avoid considering the practice’s social context to remain objective.

14
Choose one
1 point

When writing an ethnographic account, which practice best addresses the limits of perspective and interpretation?

  1. A

    Present one participant’s explanation as the definitive meaning shared by the entire community.

  2. B

    Make the evidence and interpretive choices clear, while acknowledging limits and differences in perspective.

  3. C

    Avoid discussing the researcher’s limitations so the account appears value-free.

  4. D

    Treat the researcher’s first impression as sufficient evidence of a cultural practice’s meaning.

15
True or false
1 point

An anthropologist can study a practice in its cultural context without automatically approving of it.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

16
Written response
1 point

A researcher treats the standards of their own culture as the natural measure for evaluating another culture. What is this approach called?

17
Choose one
1 point

Why might participant observation help an anthropologist understand an everyday practice better than brief observation alone?

  1. A

    It ensures that everyone in the community gives the same explanation.

  2. B

    It removes the researcher’s influence from the situations being studied.

  3. C

    It can reveal how people explain their actions and how meanings vary by situation.

  4. D

    It replaces the need to consider historical and social context.

18
Choose one
1 point

During fieldwork, two participants offer different explanations of the same custom. What should the ethnographer avoid concluding?

  1. A

    Do not assume one participant speaks for the entire community.

  2. B

    Treat the most confident participant’s explanation as definitive.

  3. C

    Discard accounts that differ from the researcher’s first impression.

  4. D

    Assume the disagreement means the practice has no shared meaning.

19
Written response
1 point

What is the name for the broader philosophical position that asks whether moral judgments are relative to cultural norms or whether moral standards apply across cultures?

20
Choose one
1 point

An anthropologist has developed a contextual understanding of a practice that may cause harm. Which response is consistent with the limits of cultural relativism?

  1. A

    Contextual understanding requires the anthropologist to approve of the practice.

  2. B

    Ethical concerns should be set aside whenever a practice has local significance.

  3. C

    The researcher’s own standards should be the only basis for evaluating the practice.

  4. D

    Consider ethical concerns such as harm and human rights while also recognizing local perspectives.