Anthropology (ANTH) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The term "maladaptive" best describes cultural traits that may threaten a group's survival. Maladaptive traits refer to behaviors or practices that are detrimental to the survival or well-being of a group. In an anthropological context, these traits can hinder a community's ability to adapt to their environment, potentially leading to negative consequences such as resource depletion, social conflict, or failure to respond effectively to environmental changes.

For instance, cultural practices that exploit resources unsustainably can deplete those resources, endangering the group's survival over time. Similarly, social norms that promote exclusion or conflict among community members can weaken social cohesion and resilience, further threatening the group's ability to endure.

In contrast, "adaptive" traits enhance a group's survival by fostering resilience and effective response to environmental or social challenges. "Universal" traits are those common across all human cultures and do not inherently imply any threat to survival. "Cognitive" traits relate to mental processes and understanding, which may not directly indicate a threat to survival in the same way that maladaptive traits do. Thus, "maladaptive" is the most appropriate choice in this context.