In Conjunction with Cultural Anthropology - Touro Institute

s. the trend in which women comprise a major and growing proportion of the world's
poor today
t. system by which people obtain or produce, distribute, and consume material goods
and services
u. non-farm manual laborers
v. goods produced by each family for its own consumption
w. service-providing occupations such as clerical, sales, managerial, and administrative
jobs
x. standard medium of exchange that has a mutually agreed-upon value
y. the right to use property and the right to deny use rights to others as long as one owns
the property
z. contribution of commodities by all members of a group to a common pool from which
they will be distributed to those who will use them
True/False - Chapter 12: The Economic System
True
False
1. Buying and selling is a component of all economic systems.
2. Cultures may define intangibles as commodities.
3. In most societies, the contributions of children add to the productive abilities
of their families.
4. Reciprocity is found in all societies.
5. Big men are the same as chiefs.
6. Specialization by group is more common in food-producing societies than
among foragers.
7. Markets are especially developed in sedentary societies with large
populations.
8. A subsistence economy is one in which people regularly consume only a
small fraction of what they produce.
9. Horticulturists typically may not be able to sell the land they control without
permission from their kinship group.
10. In most societies, the herding of small animals is typically the work of men.
Short Essay Questions - Chapter 12: The Economic System
1.Illustrate the role of culture in determining what is considered to be a commodity and in
determining the value that a commodity has.
2. Why must the phrase "profit motive" be understood as meaning much more than simply the
desire to maximize monetary gain in transactions if it is to be considered a valid principle? What
motives do people have besides economic profit when they make exchanges with each other?