Answer Key — 走进宁巴人的生活（Inside the Life of the Ningba People）

Open-Ended Questions

1. What makes the Ningba people noteworthy?
Answer: The Ningba are a small Himalayan ethnic community of about 1,500 people, scattered across four villages, who preserve an old way of life shaped by farming, harsh geography, and inherited survival rules.
Justification: 原文指出寧巴族只有一千五百餘人，散落在四個村莊裡，生活在印度教、佛教與藏傳文化交匯之地，守著古老的生存法則。
2. What is the traditional Ningba marriage custom?
Answer: The traditional custom described in the passage is fraternal polyandry: brothers in one family marry the same woman and remain together in one household.
Justification: 原文明確說明布倫德村和山谷裡其他村落至今仍保留古老的「兄弟共妻制」，即所有兄弟娶同一個女人。
3. What explanation does the passage give to justify this marriage practice?
Answer: The passage explains that fertile farmland is scarce and the climate is harsh. If property were divided among sons, fields would become too fragmented to farm, so keeping brothers in one household helps preserve land, family strength, and lineage.
Justification: 原文說肥沃耕地太稀少，若把家產分給各個兒子，每塊田都會碎成無法耕種的碎片；因此他們把「分家」變成「合家」。

1. What is the history of the Ningba people?

A. They recently formed near Nepal’s trade routes.

✅ B. They migrated from Tibet and named themselves after the valley.

C. They were founded by Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims.

D. They left farming and became a mountain trading group.

Justification: 原文說寧巴人在15世紀從西藏遷徙而來並在此定居，後來用腳下的山谷為自己命名，成為寧巴族。

2. What is the custom of Ningba traditional marriage?

A. Eldest sons alone choose the family spouse.

B. Several families exchange spouses each winter.

✅ C. Brothers in one family marry the same woman.

D. Each son must form a separate household.

Justification: 原文指出他們保留「兄弟共妻制」，並說「所有兄弟娶同一個女人」，因此選項C最符合文意。

3. What explanation was provided to justify such marriage practice?

A. It improves village trade with outside communities.

B. It follows a religious rule from local temples.

C. It helps young men find work outside the valley.

✅ D. It prevents scarce farmland from being divided.

Justification: 原文解釋說，若像外界那樣分家，每塊田會碎成無法耕種的碎片；兄弟共妻使財產不分散，家族更緊密、強大。