First exam essay questions…eight of these will appear on the exam.
1. Describe, in some detail, what is meant by the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis? Give an example to aid
you in your answer.
2. Anthropology has traditionally been the province of the solitary fieldworker. What sorts of
ethical questions can arise when the anthropologist is the only known source of information on
the culture he/she is reporting about? How can the academic community know that the report
is accurate, let alone true?
3. In the case of the Piraha of Brazil, what did Daniel Everett find unique about their language in
terms of their conception of time? In terms of their cultural life, do you find it odd to imagine a
group of people that would not tell stories from their past?
4. Noam Chomsky, as an internationally known scholar, has tremendous influence around the
world, not only in the field of linguistics but in other fields as well. Do you think that Daniel
Everett is right in his interpretation of Piraha language? (If you happened to miss the class, you
should view “The Grammar of Happiness” on Youtube)
5. With reference to Arnold Van Gennep’s three stages of a rite of passage, discuss the concepts of
disorientation and orientation and the experience of university.
6. What is the difference between the British school of Social Anthropology and the American
school of Cultural Anthropology?
7. In the film “Ordinary Lives” we were introduced to a family living in Mumbai in very little space.
How much space do we really need to live? Is it possible that the amount of space we seem to
require is a demand made on us by our culture?
8. How do societies use space to segregate different groups within that society? What is meant by
institutionalized segregation?
9. What is the distinction between a lineal relative and a collateral relative? What do kinship
terminologies do by giving certain biological relations the same term?
10. Explain how cultures may have a different perception of time? How might this come to be?