Anthropology Final Exam

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Historical archaeology

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begins with written history

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Prehistoric archaeology

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how ancient people lived, nonrenewable cultural resources, and excavations with great care

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overall goal of archaeology

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reconstruction of past cultural systems

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When we interpret some archaeological data by observing similar artifacts in use among living cultures, we call it:

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Ethnographic analogy

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Test pits are used to:

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determine if a potential site is a site and to decide exactly where to dig

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In terms of anthropological value, the single most important aspect of an archaeological dig is:

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complete and accurate record-keeping

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Which of the following is used to establish horizontal control at a site?

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grid system

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Non-removable artifacts, such as, hearts, pits, & walls are referred to by archaeologists as?

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Features

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An artifact is defined as?

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An object made or modified by humans

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Modern archaeologists' most fundamental desires are to?

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Understand the human past

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Historical archaeologists in American focus on?

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Immigrants who arrived in the last 500 years

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The first steps taken in most archaeological excavation is to:

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Establish a datum & grid pattern system

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"Middens" are an archaeological term for:

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Ancient trash piles

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Most of the artifacts that make up the archaeological record are

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garbage

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Which refers to a kind of artifact, but is differentiated because they cannot be easily removed from an archaeological site?

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features

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Pits are by far the most common

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features

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What do archaeologists and paleoanthropologists usually restrict their search to?

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sites

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What is created when the remnants of human activity are covered or buried by some natural process?

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sites

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What allows archaeologists to recover a full range of artifacts and other materials while only excavating a small portion of a site?

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sampling

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The "reading" of the archaeological record is called

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analysis

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What refers to the relationship between and among artifacts and other materials?

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context

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In anthropology, the term "culture" refers to

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all the learned behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, values and ideals that are characteristic of a particular society or population

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The anthropological attitude that a society's customs and ideas should be described objectively and understood in the context of that society's problems and opportunities is called

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cultural relativism

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The opinion that one's own way of life is natural or correct and the only true way of being fully human is _______________.

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ethnocentrism

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An extended period during which the anthropologist gathers data is called __________________________.

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fieldwork

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A society's techniques for acquiring food resources it its:

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Subsistence Pattern

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science is:

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a method of inquiry

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In science, a proposed explanation for some natural phenomenon is called a(n):

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hypothesis

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To refer to something as a theory means that it:

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has been well supported by scientific testing

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A unique research strategy of anthropologists which involves learning the language and culture of a group by participating in the group's daily activities is called

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participant observation

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The systematic study of the material remains of human behavior in the past is conducted by:

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archaeology

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The portable material products of former societies are known as:

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artifacts

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_____ dating techniques place artifacts and sites in a general chronological order, though the exact date can be often unknown.

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Archaeological

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The context of an artifact is important for an archaeologist to know because:

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context can reveal valuable information about the artifact's use, age, and relationship to other artifacts and features

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Which of the following is not a Hollywood stereotype of archaeologists?

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Archaeologists are trained professionals who try to reconstruct human behavior in the past

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Although most anthropologists agree on where Native Americans originated, they disagree about:

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when the population migrations actually took place

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The site of Meadowcroft Rock Shelter has provided evidence to suggest that:

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people were living in what is now the eastern US (near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) earlier than the well-dated "Clovis" people lived in North America

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The durable aspects of culture such as tools, structures, and art are known as _______________.

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material culture

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Because it is something someone made, archaeologists like to say that a(n) _______________ is a product of human behavior.

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artifact

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The purpose of a grid system is _______________.

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to record the exact location of an artifact accurately, both horizontally and vertically

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Which of the following statements is incorrect?

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none of the above is incorrect (all are correct)

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A place that indicates the presence of human occupants in the past (for example, evidence of a temporary hunting camp or more permanent village) is called an archaeological _______________.

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site

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A system for recording the excavation of artifacts in which the excavation area is divided into squares and the contents of each square are carefully recorded is called _______________.

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a grid system

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Archaeologists get clues about how an artifact was used by _______________.

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analyzing its shape and signs of wear and tear

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Which of the following is not true of science?

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It always provides the right answer to a question.

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It is essential that archaeologists take abundant, accurate, and detailed field notes during excavations because:

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Archaeology destroys data as it is gathered; once a site is excavated it cannot be re-excavated.

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A test excavation would be most appropriate in which of the following situations?

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When trying to determine a site's potential for answering a research question.

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When archaeologists dig excavation units, they are concerned with:

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all of the above

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Why do archaeologists use a datum point rather than simply measuring from the ground surface?

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The datum point provides a universal reference point that can be used across any archaeological site, allowing archaeologists to easily compare data between excavations.

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The reading of the archaeological record is

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analysis