Do You Know Anthropology? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Biological anthropology

This is such an all-encompassing science: It deals with the biological aspects of humans and our ancestors. This science is helpful not only in our past but in our present as well! One such example is an osteologist. There will be more information on this profession in the next question.

Answer: Osteologist

Osteologists have a very important role to play in the analysis of archaeological remains, but these scientists do not live only in the past; quite a few get jobs in forensics, as coroners or crime scene investigators.

Answer: It functioned as a stellar/solar observatory

Although there is considerable debate as to the actual purpose of this site, none of the incorrect answers above have been given any credence whatsoever. I say this only because there is so much that we do not know about this mysterious landmark.

There is sufficient evidence that it acted as an observatory to record the summer solstice. In fact, it is still fairly accurate today.

Recently archaeological studies have shown that it was also a crematorium for, presumably, very important people

Answer: Radiopotassium dating

Cheers to you if you knew the answer, but to those left confused, I'll explain. Radiopotassium dating is a method used by anthropologists to date (find out how old) volcanic rocks and minerals are. So what does this have to do with dating human remains? To make it simple, there is an element in the minerals of the earth's crust called potassium that has one radioactive isotope. We know from chemistry class that an isotope radioactively decays and has a half-life (in the case of potassium, 1.3 billion years). By measuring how much of the isotope is left in the rock(s) in question, we can determine how much of the isotope has decayed, thereby giving us the amount of time that has passed since that rock was created! And, in knowing how old the rock is, we can find out approximately how old the human remains encased within are too. Amazing what our technology can help us accomplish, isn't it?

Answer: Artifacts without context are nearly useless

Arrowheads are definitely NOT worthless, they do tell us quite a bit about our past, and we cannot assume to have found every arrowhead industry ever made.
Arrowheads can tell us a lot about how humans lived. Depending on the complexity of the manufacture of the arrowhead, it can give us an idea of the complexity of the mind of the human that made it.
As for artifacts sticking out of the ground being new, that is definitely not true. In the rural areas of the world, new sites are often found by farmers dredging up the soil on their properties. The tilling brings the artifacts up to the surface from a site buried underneath the surface.

Answer: Chimpanzee

Chimpanzees share 98% of the same DNA with humans... Amazing. Gorillas are not far behind, though, with about 96% of the same DNA.

Answer: Italy

Pompeii is a site that nearly everyone has heard of: Mount Vesuvius erupting in 79 A.D. ring a bell? A lot of people don't know about the other two listed above, however. Herculaneum was another commercial city not far from Pompeii. While it is not as famous as Pompeii, Herculaneum in my opinion is the better preserved and more interesting of the two sites. Torre Annunziata was once a very wealthy villa; today, it is world-renowned for its preservation of some of the most beautiful paintings of all Italy.

Answer: Displaying human characteristics

The ancient residents of Mehrgarh were not the only people with anthropomorphic figurines. Some of the early Andean peoples worked with anthropomorphic figurines and complicated carvings.

Answer: Linguistics

Anthropological linguists get jobs today in the various world governments, as English as a Second Language teachers, and as pop culturists, just for a few examples. There are so many opportunities in this field.

Answer: Ethnocentrism

Employing cultural relativism is actually what the person in the above example should have done: looking at that part of Peruvian culture in the context of Peruvian culture, not their own. Anthropologists need to constantly check themselves and be sure not to look down on other cultures past or present, as should all people. Ethnocentrism is widespread, but by becoming aware of our tendencies to think of other cultures as less than our own, we can at least help to reduce its occurrence.
If you are interested in any of these areas of anthropology, I suggest going to your local community college and signing up for a few courses; community colleges are relatively inexpensive and have great financial aid programs. It's a fantastic way to learn more about this intriguing science.
Thank you for taking my quiz; I really hope you learned something new today.