Medical Anthropology MCQs
1. What is Medical Anthropology?
A. The study of ancient medical practices
B. The study of health and illness within human cultures
C. The study of medical technology
D. The study of the human body
Answer: B
2. Which term describes the beliefs and practices regarding health and illness in a particular culture?
A. Biomedicine
B. Ethnomedicine
C. Epidemiology
D. Pharmacology
Answer: B
3. Who is considered the founder of Medical Anthropology?
A. Edward Burnett Tylor
B. Claude Lévi-Strauss
C. Margaret Mead
D. Rudolf Virchow
Answer: D
4. What does the term “biocultural approach” in Medical Anthropology refer to?
A. The study of biological aspects of culture
B. The study of the interaction between biology and culture
C. The study of cultural rituals related to health
D. The study of ancient biological practices
Answer: B
5. Which of the following concepts is central to the practice of Medical Anthropology?
A. Cultural relativism
B. Technological determinism
C. Social Darwinism
D. Structuralism
Answer: A
6. What is “ethnographic fieldwork”?
A. Laboratory-based research
B. Clinical trials
C. Immersive study of people and cultures
D. Statistical analysis of health data
Answer: C
7. Which branch of Medical Anthropology focuses on how socioeconomic factors influence health?
A. Physical Anthropology
B. Cultural Epidemiology
C. Ethnomedicine
D. Critical Medical Anthropology
Answer: D
8. The “explanatory model” in Medical Anthropology refers to:
A. The biomedical explanation of a disease
B. The model explaining the spread of diseases
C. The patient’s understanding and explanation of their illness
D. The model used to explain cultural practices
Answer: C
9. Which of the following is NOT a method commonly used in Medical Anthropology?
A. Participant observation
B. Clinical trials
C. Interviews
D. Surveys
Answer: B
10. The term “medical pluralism” refers to:
A. The integration of multiple medical professionals in patient care
B. The coexistence of different medical systems within a society
C. The combination of various medical technologies
D. The study of multiple diseases simultaneously
Answer: B
11. What is “applied Medical Anthropology”?
A. Theoretical study of health cultures
B. The practical application of anthropological methods to health issues
C. Laboratory research in Medical Anthropology
D. The study of ancient medical texts
Answer: B
12. Which of the following best describes “biomedical hegemony”?
A. Dominance of traditional medicine
B. Dominance of cultural beliefs in medicine
C. Dominance of Western biomedicine over other medical systems
D. Equal standing of various medical systems
Answer: C
13. Which anthropologist is known for his work on the concept of “embodiment”?
A. Claude Lévi-Strauss
B. Marcel Mauss
C. Paul Farmer
D. Arthur Kleinman
Answer: D
14. The study of how health and illness are influenced by social, political, and economic contexts is known as:
A. Ethnomedicine
B. Biomedicine
C. Social Medicine
D. Critical Medical Anthropology
Answer: D
15. The “social determinants of health” include:
A. Genetic factors
B. Diet and exercise
C. Socioeconomic status, education, and environment
D. Medical technology
Answer: C
16. What does “structural violence” refer to in Medical Anthropology?
A. Physical violence in medical settings
B. Harm caused by social structures and inequalities
C. Violence against medical personnel
D. Structural damage in healthcare facilities
Answer: B
17. The practice of using herbal remedies in a particular culture is an example of:
A. Biomedicine
B. Ethnobotany
C. Ethnomedicine
D. Pharmacology
Answer: C
18. Who is a prominent figure in the development of Critical Medical Anthropology?
A. Margaret Mead
B. Nancy Scheper-Hughes
C. Bronisław Malinowski
D. Franz Boas
Answer: B
19. Which of the following best describes “disease” from a biocultural perspective?
A. A purely biological malfunction
B. A cultural belief
C. A deviation from cultural norms
D. A condition resulting from the interaction of biology and culture
Answer: D
20. Which method involves researchers living within a community to understand their health practices?
A. Clinical trials
B. Participant observation
C. Laboratory experiments
D. Data mining
Answer: B
21. What does “medicalization” refer to?
A. The process of adopting traditional healing methods
B. The expansion of biomedical categories into everyday life
C. The privatization of healthcare
D. The study of medical history
Answer: B
22. Which of the following is a focus of Medical Anthropology?
A. DNA sequencing
B. Health disparities among different populations
C. Development of new medical devices
D. Drug efficacy testing
Answer: B
23. The concept of “holistic health” in Medical Anthropology includes:
A. Only physical health
B. Physical, mental, and social well-being
C. Only mental health
D. Spiritual health alone
Answer: B
24. What is the “therapeutic process” in Medical Anthropology?
A. The development of new medications
B. The treatment plan prescribed by doctors
C. The cultural practices and beliefs surrounding healing
D. The process of diagnosing diseases
Answer: C
25. Which term refers to the way a person experiences and talks about their illness?
A. Disease
B. Illness narrative
C. Symptomatology
D. Pathology
Answer: B
26. “Folk illness” in Medical Anthropology refers to:
A. Diseases found only in rural areas
B. Illnesses that are recognized within a specific culture but not by biomedicine
C. Illnesses with no known cure
D. Common colds and flus
Answer: B
27. Which of the following is a key theme in Medical Anthropology?
A. Technological advancement in healthcare
B. Globalization and its impact on health
C. Genetic engineering
D. Space medicine
Answer: B
28. What does “ethnopharmacology” study?
A. The biochemical properties of drugs
B. Traditional uses of plants and substances in healing
C. The cultural rituals surrounding medication
D. The economic aspects of pharmaceuticals
Answer: B
29. Which term describes health interventions that incorporate the patient’s cultural beliefs and practices?
A. Holistic medicine
B. Integrated medicine
C. Cultural competence
D. Complementary medicine
Answer: C
30. “Susto” is an example of:
A. A biomedical condition
B. A folk illness
C. A genetic disorder
D. A viral infection
Answer: B
31. What does “cross-cultural comparison” in Medical Anthropology involve?
A. Comparing health systems across different species
B. Comparing health outcomes across different cultures
C. Comparing medical technologies across countries
D. Comparing genetic traits across populations
Answer: B
32. The term “biopower” in Medical Anthropology, coined by Michel Foucault, refers to:
A. The influence of biological research on policy
B. The control of populations through medical and biological means
C. The use of biotechnology in healthcare
D. The empowerment of patients through medical knowledge
Answer: B
33. What is “ethnopsychiatry”?
A. The study of psychiatric conditions in ethnically diverse populations
B. The comparison of psychiatric treatments across cultures
C. The study of cultural concepts of mental illness and healing
D. The application of psychiatric methods in ethnographic research
Answer: C
34. Which term refers to the cultural interpretation of symptoms and suffering?
A. Pathogenesis
B. Disease ecology
C. Health belief model
D. Sickness idiom
Answer: D
35. What does “cultural competence” in healthcare mean?
A. Providing care based on universal standards
B. Recognizing and respecting cultural differences in healthcare settings
C. Standardizing medical treatments
D. Ignoring cultural differences in clinical practice
Answer: B
36. In Medical Anthropology, “emic” perspectives refer to:
A. Outsider’s view on a culture
B. Insider’s view and understanding of their own culture
C. General scientific perspective
D. Ethnographic fieldwork notes
Answer: B
37. Which concept involves the integration of traditional and modern medical practices?
A. Medicalization
B. Medical pluralism
C. Biomedicine
D. Ethnocentrism
Answer: B
38. Which of the following best describes the focus of Critical Medical Anthropology?
A. Analysis of medical equipment
B. Examination of how power and inequality affect health
C. Study of ancient medical practices
D. Development of new pharmaceuticals
Answer: B
39. What does “global health” encompass in Medical Anthropology?
A. Health issues that affect only wealthy countries
B. Health issues that are universal across different regions
C. Local health issues and solutions
D. Technological innovations in health
Answer: B
40. What is the primary goal of “applied medical anthropology”?
A. To conduct theoretical research
B. To address real-world health problems using anthropological methods
C. To develop new medical technologies
D. To study ancient health practices
Answer: B