Test Bank

Chapter 2: Culture and people

Multiple choice questions

1. In addition to their shared values, beliefs and patterns of behaviours, members of a particular culture share ______.

a. a common history

b. the same dialect

c. a common racial background

d. a common food preference

2. Culture has been defined differently by scholars from different disciplines, such as philosophy, anthropology, cultural studies and communication. However, scholars tend to agree on some common characteristics of culture. They are ______.

a. Culture is pervasive

b. culture is changing

c. culture is learned

d. all of these

3. Which of the following is NOT true of cultural identity?

a. Identity bounds people from the same cultural group together.

b. Identity bridges boundaries between ingroups and outgroups.

c. Identity presents the link between individuals and the society in which they live.

d. Identity is formed through cultural processes.

4. Some beliefs are seen as very likely to be true; others are seen as less probable. Beyond what is merely truth, cultures have concepts of ultimate significance and long-term importance, known as ______.

a. values

b. worldview

c. cultural beliefs

d. assumptions

5. In Japan, people of junior position bow to people of senior position when greeting. What point does this example best illustrate?

a. how culture generates a dynamic of role

b. how cultural rules are similar in different contexts

c. how culture defines norms of behaviour for people

d. how culture generates a dynamic of role and how culture defines norms of behaviour for people

6. During the 1800s tango was understood as a primitive dance, too sexual and it was banned in Argentina. Nowadays, it is accepted as part of our social life. This example best illustrates culture is ______.

a. ethnocentric

b. changing

c. shared

d. pervasive

7. We could build a city in Africa similar in appearance to New York, but it would still not be New York. What does this example tell us about culture?

a. Culture is ethnocentric.

b. Elements of culture may not change at the same speed.

c. Culture is dynamic.

d. Our beliefs and values are more subject to change.

8. Kenneth Pike (1967) identified two approaches that may be employed when investigating culture. Which of the following best describes the etic approach?

a. Each culture can only be examined through immersion.

b. Culture may be examined by applying predetermined categories.

c. Culture is learned through socialization.

d. Each culture is unique.

9. Which of the following statements is a function of a subculture membership?

a. It creates a sense of identification.

b. It sets boundaries between ingroups and outgroups.

c. It provides its members with a set of values and norms for behaviour.

d. all of these

10. Which of the following is NOT true of organizational culture?

a. Employees hold beliefs and values governing their behaviour.

b. Employees develop shared interpretation of organizational reality.

c. Subsidiaries of the same organization operating in different countries have exactly same values.

d. Organizational culture gives employees a sense of identity.

11. Erving Goffman (1969) argued that identity is a theatrical performance. His model offers insights into how ______.

a. cultures and identities are discursive constructions

b. cultures and identities are essentialist

c. cultures and identities are regional first

d. we learn our cultural rules and norms only from our parents

12. The power of heritage demonstrates the continuity of a culture from generation to generation. Pre-colonial Maori society (New Zealand today) was ______.

a. individualistic

b. fragmented

c. communal

d. divided

Short answer questions

1. What does ‘digital culture’ involve and what is its characteristics?

2. Which layer of culture, according to Dodd’s model, do economy systems belong to? Give an example to illustrate how the economic system of a society can reflect its culture.

3. How could organizational culture influence its employees?

4. Why is identity considered a product of social construction?

5. What is ethnography as a research method employed to study culture?