Chapter 1: OPENING THE CONVERSATION - Studying Intercultural Communication

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following is true about globalization?

a. Globalization has hindered interaction and interconnection between people from diverse cultures.

b. Globalization has created greater equality and access to resources for all.

c. Globalization has slowed down due to advances in communication and transportation technologies.

d. Globalization is deeply rooted in European colonization and Western imperialism.

Learning Objective: 1-1: Identify the opportunities and challenges of intercultural communication in the context of globalization

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Opening the Conversation
Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Which of the following is true about the field of cultural studies?

a. It is a unidisciplinary field of study.

b. It aims to develop objective approaches to the study of culture in everyday life.

c. It examines the broader historical and political context within which cultural practices are situated.

d. It does not aim to critique social inequalities, but instead just describes them.

Learning Objective: 1-2: Describe three definitions of culture that influence intercultural communication in the global context

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Cultural Studies Definition: Culture as a Site of Contested Meaning
Difficulty Level: Medium

3. When studying culture using an anthropological definition of culture, you would explore:

a. how a group of people use symbols to create a shared meaning.

b. how power is passed down from generation to generation.

c. how meanings assigned to a symbol are negotiated and contested.

d. how culture is used as a resource for economic development and social change.

Learning Objective: 1-2: Describe three definitions of culture that influence intercultural communication in the global context

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Anthropologic Definition: Culture as a Site of Shared Meaning
Difficulty Level: Medium

4. The cultural studies definition of culture assumes that

a. culture is a shared system of meaning.

b. culture is shared by everyone.

c. culture is an apparatus of power and system of domination.

d. culture is a means for achieving social, economic, and cultural goals.

Learning Objective: 1-2: Describe three definitions of culture that influence intercultural communication in the global context

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Cultural Studies Definition: Culture as a Site of Contested Meaning
Difficulty Level: Easy

5. Which of the following is true of hegemony?

a. It is defined as domination through consent by Antonio Gramsci.

b. It is dominance with the explicit use of force and forms of coercion.

c. It operates when the goals, ideas, and interests of the middle class are normalized and institutionalized.

d. It ensures power is shared equally by all members of society.

Learning Objective: 1-2: Describe three definitions of culture that influence intercultural communication in the global context

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Cultural Studies Definition: Culture as a Site of Contested Meaning
Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Myra is interested in understanding how people associate various and sometimes opposing meanings to the American flag, from the symbol of patriotism, proud national history, to the critique of U.S. hegemony around the world. Which approach to culture would Myra find most useful?

a. Anthropologic approach

b. Cultural Studies approach

c. Globalization approach

d. Semiotic approach

Learning Objective: 1-2: Describe three definitions of culture that influence intercultural communication in the global context

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Cultural Studies Definition: Culture as a Site of Contested Meaning
Difficulty Level: Hard

7. Abed is interested in understanding how people who practice Hinduism construct a shared worldview through the use of symbols, images, and scriptures. Which approach to culture would he find most useful?

a. Anthropologic approach

b. Cultural studies approach

c. Globalization approach

d. Semiotic approach

Learning Objective: 1-2: Describe three definitions of culture that influence intercultural communication in the global context

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Anthropologic Definition: Culture as a Site of Shared Meaning
Difficulty Level: Hard

8. Which area defines culture as a resource?

a. cultural studies.

b. globalization.

c. anthropological definition of culture.

d. intercultural definition of culture.

Learning Objective: 1-2: Describe three definitions of culture that influence intercultural communication in the global context

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Globalization Definition: Culture as a Resource
Difficulty Level: Easy

9. Despite the fact the United States is described as a “melting pot,” the definition of American culture and who is considered an “American” are constantly disputed and negotiated. This is an example of culture as ______.

a. a site of shared meaning.

b a site of contested meaning.

c. a resource.

d. globalization.

Learning Objective: 1-2: Describe three definitions of culture that influence intercultural communication in the global context

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Cultural Studies Definition: Culture as a Site of Contested Meaning
Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Which of the following is TRUE about cultural identity?

a. People from the dominant culture are very clear about their identity.

b. Our cultural identity is shaped by our cultural experiences and social locations.

c. People from nondominant groups are typically less aware of their identity.

d. Cultural identity is always subjective and individual based.

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how our social location and standpoint shape how we see, experience, and understand the world differently.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Studying Intercultural Communication
Difficulty Level: Medium

11. In European societies, literature, opera, and ballet were considered ______ culture.

a. high

b. low

c. real

d. false

Learning Objective: 1-2: Describe three definitions of culture that influence intercultural communication in the global context.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Definitions of Culture
Difficulty Level: Medium

12. ______ refers to one’s social location within an intersecting web of socially constructed hierarchical categories, such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, and physical abilities,

a. Culture

b. Stance

c. Positionality

d. Rationality

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how our social location and standpoint shape how we see, experience, and understand the world differently.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Positionality
Difficulty Level: Easy

13. When Kim tries to understand her ___________, she pays attention to what advantages and disadvantages she has in relation to others as a woman of European descent, who comes from working class background, is educated, and is an American citizen.

a. individuality

b. positionality

c. collectivity

d. identity

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how our social location and standpoint shape how we see, experience, and understand the world differently.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Positionality
Difficulty Level: Medium

14. Which of the following is true of ethnocentrism?

a. Ethnocentrism is natural and useful for protection of culture in the global context.

b. Ethnocentrism is the belief that all groups ways of thinking are equal.

c. Ethnocentric views held by people/groups in positions of power have combined to justify dehumanizing practices historically.

d. Ethnocentrism is useful and necessary to create group cohesion and loyalty.

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how our social location and standpoint shape how we see, experience, and understand the world differently.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Ethnocentrism
Difficulty Level: Medium

15. Positionality refers to:

a. one’s social location within an intersecting web of socially constructed hierarchical categories.

b. one’s specific geographic location in terms of latitude and longitude.

c. one’s sense of belonging and security within a matrix of social groups.

d. one’s orientation to context within socially constructed systems.

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how our social location and standpoint shape how we see, experience, and understand the world differently.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Positionality
Difficulty Level: Easy

16. Which of the following is true of Standpoint Theory?

a. refers to the gap between female and male culture.

b. proposes that individuals of different genders, races, ages, ethnic groups, languages, and cultural groups cannot get along.

c. claims that the social groups to which we belong shape what we know and how we view the world.

d. demonstrates how ethnocentric view is sometimes useful and necessary.

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how our social location and standpoint shape how we see, experience, and understand the world differently.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Standpoint Theory
Difficulty Level: Medium

17. Standpoint theory is beneficial for intercultural communication because it helps us ______.

a. see that we all, regardless of culture, experience and understand the world similarly.

b. see that we experience and understand the world quite differently based on our different standpoints and positionalities.

c. understand that knowledge is universal.

d. see that knowledge exists independent from issues of power.

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how our social location and standpoint shape how we see, experience, and understand the world differently.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Standpoint Theory
Difficulty Level: Easy

18. Laura is a Black American woman. Because of her experiences of both racism and sexism in the United States, she is likely able to see and understand issues of race and gender from her own perspective and the perspective of those in power. This is an example of ______.

a. viewpoint theory.

b. perspective theory.

c. standpoint theory.

d. bilocation theory.

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how our social location and standpoint shape how we see, experience, and understand the world differently.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Standpoint Theory
Difficulty Level: Medium

19. Brandon believes that American culture is superior to other cultures. This is a form of ______.

a. cultural universalism.

b. sexism.

c. cultural relativism.

d. ethnocentrism.

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how our social location and standpoint shape how we see, experience, and understand the world differently.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Ethnocentrism
Difficulty Level: Medium

20. The purpose of engaging in intercultural praxis is ____

a. to sustain cultural dominance.

b. to maintain and protect our existing worldview.

c. to criticize and evaluate cultures different from our own.

d. to develop our socially responsible action in regard to our intercultural interactions in the context of globalization.

Learning Objective: 1-4: Describe the goals and six points of entry into intercultural praxis.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Intercultural Praxis in the Context of Globalization
Difficulty Level: Easy

True/False

1. Globalization is characterized by the interconnectedness of people’s lives through communication technology, global capitalism, and international political institutions.

Learning Objective: 1-1: Identify the opportunities and challenges of intercultural communication in the context of globalization.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Opening the Conversation
Difficulty Level: Easy

2. Culture from an anthropological perspective, is a system of shared meanings that are passed from generation to generation through symbols that direct human beings’ approach to life.

Learning Objective: 1-2: Describe three definitions of culture that influence intercultural communication in the global context.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Anthropologic Definition: Culture as a Site of Shared Meaning
Difficulty Level: Easy

3. Culture in the age of globalization has come to be understood as an experience.

Learning Objective: 1-2: Describe three definitions of culture that influence intercultural communication in the global context.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Globalization Definition: Culture as a Resource
Difficulty Level: Easy

4. Hegemony can be thought of as domination through consent.

Learning Objective: 1-2: Describe three definitions of culture that influence intercultural communication in the global context.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Cultural Studies Definition: Culture as a Site of Contested Meaning
Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Inquiry refers to a desire and willingness to know, to ask, to find out, and to learn.

Learning Objective: 1-4: Describe the goals and six points of entry into intercultural praxis.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Inquiry
Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Framing, as a point of entry into intercultural praxis invites us to consider how our geographic positioning is related to social and political positions

Learning Objective: 1-4: Describe the goals and six points of entry into intercultural praxis.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Positioning
Difficulty Level: Easy

7. Melissa believes that American culture is superior to other cultures because of the values placed on freedom and individuality. This is a form of ethnocentrism.

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how our social location and standpoint shape how we see, experience, and understand the world differently.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Ethnocentrism
Difficulty Level: Hard

8. To engage in “praxis” means that you take action based on your careful reflection, and also you critically reflect after taking action.

Learning Objective: 1-4: Describe the goals and six points of entry into intercultural praxis.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Intercultural Praxis in the Context of Globalization
Difficulty Level: Medium

9. Globalization is positive because the gap between the wealthy and the poor is decreasing within countries and around the world.

Learning Objective: 1-1: Identify the opportunities and challenges of intercultural communication in the context of globalization.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Opening the Conversation
Difficulty Level: Easy

10. Sia is an Asian American woman. Because of her experience of both racism and sexism in the United States, she is able to see things differently and understand the issues of race and gender more clearly. This is an example of standpoint theory.

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how our social location and standpoint shape how we see, experience, and understand the world differently.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Standpoint Theory
Difficulty Level: Medium

Essay

1. Identify the six points of entry into intercultural praxis and explain how you can use them for more effective intercultural interactions and relationships.

Learning Objective: 1-4: Describe the goals and six points of entry into intercultural praxis.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Intercultural Praxis in the Context of Globalization
Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Briefly explain anthropologic, cultural studies, and globalization definitions of culture. For each definition, provide an example.

Learning Objective: 1-2: Describe three definitions of culture that influence intercultural communication in the global context.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Definitions of Culture
Difficulty Level: Hard

3. Explain hegemony, discuss how it functions as a form of power, and provide an example.

Learning Objective: 1-2: Describe three definitions of culture that influence intercultural communication in the global context.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Definitions of Culture
Difficulty Level: Hard

4. Briefly explain ethnocentrism, and discuss why it is important to consider when studying intercultural communication.

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how our social location and standpoint shape how we see, experience, and understand the world differently.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Ethnocentrism
Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Briefly define positionality and discuss how your positionality shapes how you communicate in culturally diverse contexts.

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how our social location and standpoint shape how we see, experience, and understand the world differently.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Positionality
Difficulty Level: Medium

6. Briefly explain standpoint theory and discuss why this concept is important for intercultural communication.

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how our social location and standpoint shape how we see, experience, and understand the world differently.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Standpoint Theory
Difficulty Level: Medium