Economic Systems: Practice Quiz for Distribution and Exchange

Practice Quiz for
Distribution and Exchange

No. of Questions= 13

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1. Which of the following things are usually considered to be important gifts in small-scale societies with non-market economies?

a) songs, dances, and speeches

b) women and children

c) all of the above

d) none of the above

2. Which of the following statements is true of reciprocal gift exchanges in all societies?

a) Participants in a gift exchange agree to receive a gift and repay it with another.

b) Reciprocal exchanges usually redistribute the wealth of a society in a way that causes some people to become richer than others.

c) Reciprocity requires that a gift be returned that has close to the same economic value.

3. Marshall Sahlins observed that there are three distinct types of reciprocity that occur in human societies around the world. Which of the following statements is a description of what he described as generalized reciprocity?

a) an economic exchange in which there is an explicit expectation of immediate return.

b) an attempt to get someone to exchange something he or she may not want to give up or an attempt to get a more valued thing than you give in return

c) gift giving without the expectation of an immediate return

4. Which of the following would fit the definition of balanced reciprocity in North America today?

a) giving a birthday present to a member of your family

b) exchanging Christmas gifts with your best friend at an office party

c) buying your friend's lunch

5. Which of the following would fit the definition of negative reciprocity in North America today?

a) buying lunch at an inexpensive fast food restaurant and paying for it with money

b) selling flashlight batteries at triple the normal price during a prolonged blackout caused by a widespread electrical power failure

c) none of the above

6. Some economic exchanges are intended to distribute a society's wealth in a different way than exists at present. These are called _________________ .

a) redistributive exchanges

b) reciprocal exchanges

c) Kwakiutl exchanges

7. Which of the following are examples of economic redistributive systems?

a) rich people giving substantial amounts of money to charities

b) rich people paying a higher income tax rate than poor people

c) potlatch ceremonies of the Kawakiutl and some of their Indian neighbors

d) all of the above

8. Which of the following were intended functions of the Kwakiutl potlatch ceremonies in the 19th century?

a) to celebrate major life events in a family

b) to dispose of worthless surplus property that could not be bartered or sold to others

c) to reinforce the fact that no one had the right to special economic and ceremonial privileges

d) all of the above

9. Which of the following things occurred at traditional Kwakiutl potlatches?

a) high ranking, influential guests were seated according to their relative status

b) the host made speeches and dramatically gave gifts to the guests

c) the host destroyed things of value

d) all of the above

10. Men in indigenous societies of New Guinea wanting to increase their personal status and influence over others organized large ceremonies similar to the Kwakiutl potlatch. The most important things that were given away during these ceremonies in New Guinea were ____________ .

a) pigs

b) money

c) rare sea shells

d) none of the above

11. Which of the following things resulted from international commerce during the last two centuries?

a) There has been a redistribution of wealth from the rich nations to the poor ones so that the economic disparity between them is now less than it was two centuries ago.

b) There has been an enormous redistribution of wealth to the industrialized nations located mostly in the Northern Hemisphere

c) There is now a balance in trade between the richest and the poorest nations in the world.

12. Which of the following statements is true of commerce between small-scale societies in the past?

a) It involved more institutionalized balanced reciprocity than is found generally in the international trade system today.

b) It involved far less social gain than is the case of international trade today.

c) Neither of the above statements is true because there was no commerce between small-scale societies in the past.

13. The Kula Ring was ____________________________________________ .

a) a closed trading system among the Trobriand Islanders in which only recognized senior male trading partners from each island could be expedition leaders

b) a trading system in which senior trading partners always ceremonially gave each other long necklaces of red shells

c) both of the above

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This page was last updated onFriday, March 16, 2007.
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1.	Which of the following things are usually considered to be important gifts in small-scale societies with non-market economies?


	a)	songs, dances, and speeches
	b)	women and children
	c)	all of the above
	d)	none of the above


2.	Which of the following statements is true of reciprocal gift exchanges in all societies?


	a)	Participants in a gift exchange agree to receive a gift and repay it with another.
	b)	Reciprocal exchanges usually redistribute the wealth of a society in a way that causes some people to become richer than others.
	c)	Reciprocity requires that a gift be returned that has close to the same economic value.


3.	Marshall Sahlins observed that there are three distinct types of reciprocity that occur in human societies around the world. Which of the following statements is a description of what he described as generalized reciprocity?


	a)	an economic exchange in which there is an explicit expectation of immediate return.
	b)	an attempt to get someone to exchange something he or she may not want to give up or an attempt to get a more valued thing than you give in return
	c)	gift giving without the expectation of an immediate return


4.	Which of the following would fit the definition of balanced reciprocity in North America today?


	a)	giving a birthday present to a member of your family
	b)	exchanging Christmas gifts with your best friend at an office party
	c)	buying your friend's lunch


5.	Which of the following would fit the definition of negative reciprocity in North America today?


	a)	buying lunch at an inexpensive fast food restaurant and paying for it with money
	b)	selling flashlight batteries at triple the normal price during a prolonged blackout caused by a widespread electrical power failure
	c)	none of the above


6.	Some economic exchanges are intended to distribute a society's wealth in a different way than exists at present. These are called _________________ .


	a)	redistributive exchanges
	b)	reciprocal exchanges
	c)	Kwakiutl exchanges


7.	Which of the following are examples of economic redistributive systems?


	a)	rich people giving substantial amounts of money to charities
	b)	rich people paying a higher income tax rate than poor people
	c)	potlatch ceremonies of the Kawakiutl and some of their Indian neighbors
	d)	all of the above


8.	Which of the following were intended functions of the Kwakiutl potlatch ceremonies in the 19th century?


	a)	to celebrate major life events in a family
	b)	to dispose of worthless surplus property that could not be bartered or sold to others
	c)	to reinforce the fact that no one had the right to special economic and ceremonial privileges
	d)	all of the above


9.	Which of the following things occurred at traditional Kwakiutl potlatches?


	a)	high ranking, influential guests were seated according to their relative status
	b)	the host made speeches and dramatically gave gifts to the guests
	c)	the host destroyed things of value
	d)	all of the above


10.	Men in indigenous societies of New Guinea wanting to increase their personal status and influence over others organized large ceremonies similar to the Kwakiutl potlatch. The most important things that were given away during these ceremonies in New Guinea were ____________ .


	a)	pigs
	b)	money
	c)	rare sea shells
	d)	none of the above


11.	Which of the following things resulted from international commerce during the last two centuries?


	a)	There has been a redistribution of wealth from the rich nations to the poor ones so that the economic disparity between them is now less than it was two centuries ago.
	b)	There has been an enormous redistribution of wealth to the industrialized nations located mostly in the Northern Hemisphere
	c)	There is now a balance in trade between the richest and the poorest nations in the world.


12.	Which of the following statements is true of commerce between small-scale societies in the past?


	a)	It involved more institutionalized balanced reciprocity than is found generally in the international trade system today.
	b)	It involved far less social gain than is the case of international trade today.
	c)	Neither of the above statements is true because there was no commerce between small-scale societies in the past.


13.	The Kula Ring was ____________________________________________ .


	a)	a closed trading system among the Trobriand Islanders in which only recognized senior male trading partners from each island could be expedition leaders
	b)	a trading system in which senior trading partners always ceremonially gave each other long necklaces of red shells
	c)	both of the above