Famous Anthropologists and Their Theories – MCQs

1. Who is known as the “Father of Modern Anthropology”?
(A) Charles Darwin
(B) Franz Boas
(C) Bronisław Malinowski
(D) Claude Lévi-Strauss

2. What theory is Claude Lévi-Strauss most famous for?
(A) Structuralism
(B) Functionalism
(C) Cultural relativism
(D) Evolutionary theory

3. Which anthropologist is associated with the theory of cultural relativism?
(A) Alfred Radcliffe-Brown
(B) Margaret Mead
(C) Franz Boas
(D) Bronisław Malinowski

4. What is Bronisław Malinowski best known for?
(A) Cultural evolution theory
(B) Functionalism and ethnographic fieldwork
(C) Structural anthropology
(D) The study of fossil remains

5. Which anthropologist wrote “Coming of Age in Samoa”?
(A) Franz Boas
(B) Margaret Mead
(C) Edward Burnett Tylor
(D) Ruth Benedict

6. Edward Burnett Tylor is associated with which concept?
(A) Structuralism
(B) The concept of culture
(C) Participant observation
(D) Linguistic anthropology

7. What is the main focus of Ruth Benedict’s work?
(A) Patterns of culture and cultural configurations
(B) Biological anthropology
(C) Human linguistic patterns
(D) Ancient artifacts

8. Who developed the theory of cultural materialism?
(A) Marvin Harris
(B) Claude Lévi-Strauss
(C) Bronisław Malinowski
(D) Margaret Mead

9. What theory is associated with Leslie White?
(A) Evolutionary anthropology
(B) Cultural materialism
(C) Neo-evolutionism and the energy capture theory
(D) Functionalism

10. Who is known for the theory of unilinear cultural evolution?
(A) Lewis Henry Morgan
(B) Franz Boas
(C) Alfred Radcliffe-Brown
(D) Marvin Harris

11. What is Alfred Radcliffe-Brown’s main contribution to anthropology?
(A) Structural-functionalism
(B) Linguistic anthropology
(C) Cultural relativism
(D) Symbolic anthropology

12. Clifford Geertz is associated with which approach in anthropology?
(A) Interpretive anthropology
(B) Structuralism
(C) Functionalism
(D) Evolutionary anthropology

13. What is Emile Durkheim’s contribution to anthropology?
(A) The concept of totemism in religion
(B) Cultural materialism
(C) Functionalism
(D) Ethnography

14. Who proposed the “Sapir-Whorf hypothesis”?
(A) Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf
(B) Franz Boas and Ruth Benedict
(C) Bronisław Malinowski and Claude Lévi-Strauss
(D) Margaret Mead and Leslie White

15. What is the focus of the “Sapir-Whorf hypothesis”?
(A) The evolution of language
(B) The influence of language on thought and perception
(C) The historical development of linguistic systems
(D) The functional role of language in societies

16. Who is known for their ethnographic work in the Trobriand Islands?
(A) Franz Boas
(B) Margaret Mead
(C) Bronisław Malinowski
(D) Ruth Benedict

17. What is Marvin Harris’ theory of cultural materialism based on?
(A) Ideology and belief systems
(B) Material conditions and their impact on culture
(C) Evolutionary biology
(D) The structure of language

18. Margaret Mead’s work primarily focused on which area?
(A) Industrial societies
(B) The role of culture in adolescence and gender roles
(C) Ancient civilizations
(D) Religious practices in modern societies

19. What concept did E.E. Evans-Pritchard contribute to anthropology?
(A) Structural-functionalism in African tribal societies
(B) Cultural relativism
(C) Symbolic interactionism
(D) The concept of energy capture

20. What is Claude Lévi-Strauss’ most notable work?
(A) “The Elementary Structures of Kinship”
(B) “Patterns of Culture”
(C) “The Golden Bough”
(D) “Coming of Age in Samoa”