Exam Prep Culture Chapter.3 - The Real World Sociology 7e Test Bank by Kerry Ferris. DOCX document preview.
Chapter 3 Culture
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The definition of “culture”
a. | involves reactions to the ways in which people follow or disobey norms in society. |
b. | is limited to rules or guidelines about what kind of behavior is acceptable and appropriate within a particular situation. |
c. | is the principle of evaluating another group or individual as abnormal or inferior. |
d. | is the entire way of life of a group of people, and it acts as a lens through which we view the world. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.1 What Is Culture?
MSC: Remembering
2. What is the difference in how sociologists and anthropologists study culture?
a. | Sociologists usually study a society to which they belong. |
b. | Anthropologists often study societies inside the United States. |
c. | Sociologists never “other” the group they are studying. |
d. | Anthropologists only study societies from the past. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.1 What Is Culture?
MSC: Analyzing
3. Although many people believe that expectations for personal space are inborn, members of many cultures are accustomed to noticeably less personal space than those of others. This helps demonstrate that people’s expectations for personal space are
a. | the direct result of hormonal differences in the limbic system. |
b. | usually negotiable and not all that difficult to change. |
c. | a part of our culture and, as such, are learned rather than inborn. |
d. | something that is inborn and more of an instinct than something learned. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.1 What Is Culture?
MSC: Applying
4. What is it called when an individual uses their group’s way of doing things as the standard for judging others?
a. | ethnocentrism |
b. | culture shock |
c. | cultural relativism |
d. | self-centeredness |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.1 What Is Culture?
MSC: Remembering
5. Ethnocentric people tend to view other cultures as abnormal because
a. | they have values and beliefs that are universally recognized. |
b. | they use their own culture as a standard of judgment. |
c. | they are practicing cultural relativism. |
d. | they are part of a counterculture. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.1 What Is Culture?
MSC: Remembering
6. The famous anthropologist Margaret Mead said that the United States of America is the best place to raise a female child. Her assertion is an example of
a. | preferring high culture to popular culture. |
b. | ethnocentrism. |
c. | cultural relativism. |
d. | participating in culture wars. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.1 What Is Culture?
MSC: Applying
7. What is it called when someone has the ability to understand another culture in terms of that culture’s own norms and values without reference to any other culture’s standards?
a. | ethnocentrism |
b. | cultural relativism |
c. | cultural lag |
d. | culture shock |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.1 What Is Culture?
MSC: Remembering
8. How is culture transmitted and internalized?
a. | We are born with these values and beliefs. |
b. | We learn values and beliefs slowly and incrementally. |
c. | It is human nature to accept one’s own culture as superior. |
d. | Values and beliefs are only taught in school. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.1 What Is Culture?
MSC: Remembering
9. Why is the article “Body Ritual among the Nacirema” useful to sociologists?
a. | It presents a striking example of an exotic culture. |
b. | It challenges people’s inability to observe their own cultures. |
c. | It demonstrates proper fieldwork techniques for studying a different culture. |
d. | It demonstrates how different other cultures are from American culture. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.1 What Is Culture?
MSC: Remembering
10. The controversy surrounding North Carolina’s 2016 HB2 law is an example of which of the following concepts?
a. | cultural diffusion |
b. | cultural leveling |
c. | cultural imperialism |
d. | culture wars |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.1 What Is Culture? | InQuizitive
MSC: Understanding
11. An example of something that would be part of the material culture of an individual or society would be
a. | weapons of war. |
b. | democracy as a political system. |
c. | belief in a supreme being. |
d. | preference to have health rather than wealth. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Applying
12. Examples of ________ are designer labels on purses and logos on shirts.
a. | values |
b. | material culture |
c. | counterculture |
d. | cultural essentials |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
13. Curators at museums have recently experienced problems with the preservation of plastic objects, almost all of which disintegrate over time. The Smithsonian collection contains the first-ever plastic toothbrush, which soon will be nothing more than a pile of plastic particles. This problem is leading many historians to worry that we will lose the history of our
a. | symbolic culture. |
b. | signs and gestures. |
c. | linguistic relativity. |
d. | material culture. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Applying
14. ________ is an example of something that would be part of an individual’s or society’s symbolic culture.
a. | Navajo jewelry |
b. | Imported French wine |
c. | A Rembrandt painting |
d. | Belonging to a political party |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Applying
15. One of the functions of symbolic culture is that
a. | it provides a history of physical objects. |
b. | it enables people to communicate. |
c. | it facilitates the distribution of Western products. |
d. | it aids the proliferation of Western media. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
16. ________ is the sociological term for signs people make with their bodies.
a. | Language |
b. | Gestures |
c. | Sanctions |
d. | Values |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
17. The widespread use of plastic in American culture is no accident; plastic offers consumers convenience and disposability. A researcher documenting plastic objects commonly found in American households is researching
a. | folkways. |
b. | the development of the self. |
c. | material culture. |
d. | the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Applying
18. Jill is visiting her boyfriend’s family in China. She points at him with her index finger during a conversation, which his family doesn’t seem to like. Her boyfriend later explains that she should point with an open hand instead of using a finger. Why is this instruction needed?
a. | The meaning of gestures is not universal. |
b. | Jill was attempting to be rude to his family. |
c. | Sanctions exist in China, but not in the United States where Jill is from. |
d. | The action of pointing does not have symbolic meaning. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Applying
19. What does the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis propose?
a. | All humans share the same sense of social perception, although we have different labels for things. |
b. | Nonverbal communication is as powerful as language in social interaction. |
c. | Language can structure our perception of reality. |
d. | We relate to each other on a symbolic rather than a literal level. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
20. Who studied the Hopi of the southwestern United States and concluded that language not only allows us to express our thoughts, but also shapes the way we think?
a. | Horace Miner |
b. | Eric Schlosser |
c. | Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf |
d. | Bob Luitweiler and William Gibson |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
21. In the movie Mean Girls, students identify each other using categories like “jocks,” “cheerleaders,” “skaters,” and “nerds.” These classifications of different groups represent what aspect of culture?
a. | cultural relativism |
b. | subculture |
c. | the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis |
d. | cultural imperialism |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
22. The slogan “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” is an example of
a. | a moral escape. |
b. | a moral holiday. |
c. | mores. |
d. | a sanction. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
23. A married man in the United States with several mistresses is violating a ________, but he is violating a ________ if he is married to more than one woman at the same time.
a. | set of mores; law |
b. | law; taboo |
c. | norm; folkway |
d. | folkway; more |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Understanding
24. ________ is taboo in American society.
a. | Divorce |
b. | Bankruptcy |
c. | Drinking blood |
d. | Drunkenness |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Applying
25. ________ are informal rules and guidelines for behavior that are considered acceptable within a group.
a. | Folkways |
b. | Mores |
c. | Taboos |
d. | Laws |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
26. Norms are enforced in everyday settings by
a. | multiculturalism. |
b. | sanctions. |
c. | signs. |
d. | culture wars. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
27. Unlike folkways, mores are closely related to
a. | the core values of a group. |
b. | formal but not informal norms. |
c. | the dominant culture of a group. |
d. | culture wars between groups. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
28. Coca-Cola was first marketed in the 1860s as a patient medicine, which was designed to offer the energy boost of cocaine without the vices of alcohol. The new beverage was invigorating and popular. Today, however, cocaine is not just banned, but widely demonized. This is an example of
a. | mainstream culture once approving of behaviors that are now considered deviant. |
b. | the tendency of the United States to become more regulatory. |
c. | the emergence of a counterculture. |
d. | conflict between the economically powerful and the rest of society. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Applying
29. Informal norms are different from formal norms, in that
a. | informal norms are always followed. |
b. | informal norms are legislated by the government. |
c. | informal norms involve dress and etiquette. |
d. | informal norms are implied and unwritten. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
30. Which of the following sequences lists norms in the correct order, from the most strictly enforced to the least?
a. | mores, taboos, folkways |
b. | folkways, taboos, mores |
c. | taboos, mores, folkways |
d. | folkways, mores, taboos |
DIF: Difficult REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
31. A ________ is a kind of norm so deeply ingrained in that the very thought of violating it evokes feelings of disgust or horror.
a. | federal law |
b. | taboo |
c. | folkway |
d. | more |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
32. In 2005, the Northwestern University women’s lacrosse team won an NCAA championship and was invited to the White House to receive congratulations from the president. Controversy erupted after the team’s visit when the official photograph revealed that several team members were wearing flip-flops. Despite the outcry, the athletes took the criticism in stride by talking about it on The Today Show and auctioning the offending footwear for charity. What kind of norm did the athletes break by wearing flip-flops to the White House, given the reaction and the team’s response?
a. | a folkway |
b. | a more |
c. | a taboo |
d. | a negative sanction |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Applying
33. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, some people placed signs with crudely painted skeletons holding cell phones near roadways, usually facing freeway ramps. These signs indicated disapproval of using cell phones while driving, which is a practice some states have now made illegal. As a result of this social movement,
a. | almost no one violates the norm of not talking on a cell phone while driving. |
b. | talking on a cell phone while driving is taboo. |
c. | there are no formal sanctions that can be used to enforce the norm of not talking on a cell phone while driving. |
d. | an informal norm has become a law. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Applying
34. Many people in the United States express disgust at the idea of people snacking on grasshoppers and crickets despite the fact that people do so in places such as Thailand. This suggests that, in the United States, eating insects is a
a. | folkway. |
b. | crime. |
c. | taboo. |
d. | sanction. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Applying
35. Monetary fines, harsh words, and shaking one’s fist are examples of
a. | negative sanctions. |
b. | positive feedback. |
c. | cultural universals. |
d. | situational norms. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
36. It’s all too common to see someone driving a car on a busy freeway while cursing and gesturing at another motorist whose poor driving has upset them. Cursing and gesturing are an individual’s attempt at
a. | negative sanctions. |
b. | positive sanctions. |
c. | multiculturalism. |
d. | taboos. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Applying
37. A man is listening to loud music and singing along in public. The people around him glare and frown at him in hopes that he will stop. The man ignores them, which indicates that he
a. | doesn’t know that some activities are taboo. |
b. | must be part of the dominant culture. |
c. | is engaged in a culture war. |
d. | doesn’t seem to care about negative sanctions. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Applying
38. Which of the following is an example of the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis?
a. | An indigenous people’s word for coffee is “cacha.” |
b. | A non-English speaking group learns English as a second language at a very high rate due to the worldwide popularity of English. |
c. | An indigenous people have no equivalent words for planet, Earth, or world. They do not view a macro picture of multiple planets. |
d. | A non-English speaking group adopts particular English words, such as coffee and Earth, into their own language. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.2 Components of Culture | InQuizitive
MSC: Applying
39. The slogan “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” is an example of what cultural concept?
a. | taboo |
b. | moral holiday |
c. | mores |
d. | folkway |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.2 Components of Culture | InQuizitive
MSC: Applying
40. Identify the means of enforcing norms that include positive and negative versions.
a. | taboos |
b. | mores |
c. | sanctions |
d. | folkways |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.2 Components of Culture | InQuizitive
MSC: Understanding
41. Which of the following is a characteristic of otaku culture?
a. | Otaku culture is an example of the East influencing the West. |
b. | Otaku culture is limited to Asian countries. |
c. | Otaku culture is limited to a very specific subset of people. |
d. | Otaku culture has been around for a long time in secret. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.2 Components of Culture | InQuizitive
MSC: Understanding
42. Which term describes a policy of honoring diverse racial, ethnic, national, and linguistic backgrounds?
a. | cultural imperialism |
b. | high culture |
c. | multiculturalism |
d. | cultural relativism |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Remembering
43. Many American colleges and universities require students to take classes on non-Western cultures. Why do these requirements exist?
a. | to demonstrate the value of multiculturalism and to reduce ethnocentrism |
b. | to prepare students who will eventually work in other countries |
c. | to offer international exchange students studying in America classes they will like |
d. | to offer students fascinated by exotic cultures classes they will like |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Applying
44. The values, norms, and practices of the most powerful group within a society are called
a. | cultural leveling. |
b. | symbolic culture. |
c. | dominant culture. |
d. | minority culture. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Remembering
45. ________ occurs when the dominant culture succeeds in imposing its values and ideas on all of society.
a. | Hegemony |
b. | Cultural diffusion |
c. | Cultural relativism |
d. | Cultural leveling |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Remembering
46. When the dominant culture persuades the rest of society that its ideas are the only or best ideas without the use of force, it has achieved
a. | hegemony. |
b. | high culture. |
c. | a culture war. |
d. | a counterculture. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Applying
47. A cultural group that exists harmoniously within a larger, dominant culture is called a
a. | counterculture. |
b. | cultural spin-off. |
c. | subdominant culture. |
d. | subculture. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Remembering
48. Which of the following is a subculture?
a. | terrorists |
b. | bodybuilders |
c. | hacktivists |
d. | street gangs |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Applying
49. Which of the following terms is used to describe a group with values and norms that oppose the dominant culture?
a. | subculture |
b. | mainstream culture |
c. | symbolic culture |
d. | counterculture |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Remembering
50. Which of the following groups is MOST likely to be classified as a counterculture?
a. | a militia group living in Montana |
b. | New York City taxi drivers |
c. | students who belong to a Middle Eastern Studies Club |
d. | members of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Applying
51. Countercultural groups such as the hippies of the 1960s
a. | actually had a lifestyle that was similar to that of the mainstream culture. |
b. | were considered members of the popular culture. |
c. | rejected the norms of the dominant culture. |
d. | are now seen as members of a subculture. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Remembering
52. How is a counterculture different from a subculture?
a. | Members of a counterculture drop out of society, whereas members of a subculture actively protest and fight to change society. |
b. | Both are distinct from mainstream culture, but only members of a subculture actively oppose important aspects of mainstream culture. |
c. | Both are distinct from mainstream culture, but a counterculture actively opposes important aspects of the mainstream. |
d. | Subcultures are not culturally distinct from the mainstream; they just occupy a particular geographic area. |
DIF: Difficult REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Understanding
53. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was an activist organization in the 1960s that protested the Vietnam War, racial injustice, and economic exploitation. The organization largely favored direct action and protest, most of which opposed traditional organizing and politics. What could you say that members of SDS were part of based on this information?
a. | a counterculture |
b. | a subculture |
c. | ideal culture |
d. | a movement for cultural diffusion |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Applying
54. Which of the following is an example of a culture war?
a. | one Democrat and two Republicans serving together as county commissioners |
b. | anti-abortion advocates demonstrating in front of a family planning clinic |
c. | Christians celebrating Easter, Jews celebrating Passover, and Muslims celebrating Ramadan |
d. | the existence of both a football team and a debate team in many high schools |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Applying
55. Clashes over values in the United States, especially as represented by liberals and conservatives in the mass media, have been termed
a. | value contradictions. |
b. | norm violations. |
c. | culture wars. |
d. | partisan politics. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Remembering
56. Conflicts within mainstream society about which values and norms should be upheld are called
a. | culture wars. |
b. | symbolic culture. |
c. | counterculture. |
d. | hegemony. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Remembering
57. President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law in 2010. Fox News and CNN presented vastly different viewpoints of the ACA, appealing to either conservative or liberal viewers, respectively. The media’s handling of this law is an example of
a. | mores. |
b. | ideal culture. |
c. | counterculture. |
d. | culture wars. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Applying
58. Oftentimes, a larger number of people claim that they voted in their recent local elections than the number that actually did vote. This is perhaps because more people believed that they should have voted. This belief is an example of
a. | ideal culture. |
b. | folkways. |
c. | popular culture. |
d. | cultural diffusion. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Applying
59. What do sociologists call the norms and values that people actually follow as opposed to the norms and values that people believe should be followed?
a. | ideal culture |
b. | subculture |
c. | symbolic culture |
d. | real culture |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Remembering
60. Sociologists refer to the norms and values that people aspire to as ________ culture.
a. | ideal |
b. | dominant |
c. | real |
d. | symbolic |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Remembering
61. An employee who has a special relationship with his boss is promoted instead of a more deserving co-worker. This is an example of the
a. | way culture wars begin. |
b. | role of subculture in determining status and rank. |
c. | ideal way to conduct business. |
d. | distinction between ideal culture and real culture. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Applying
62. The Japanese observed soldiers playing baseball during the American occupation of Japan after World War II and later adopted it as one of their pastimes. This is an example of
a. | material culture. |
b. | cultural diffusion. |
c. | counterculture. |
d. | culture war. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture
MSC: Applying
63. Which of the following provides an arena for playing out culture wars?
a. | schools |
b. | media |
c. | workplace |
d. | family |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture | InQuizitive
MSC: Understanding
64. Most large retailers such as Target, H&M, and Old Navy carry similar clothing styles, and thus there is not extreme variation in what most Americans wear. Which sociological concept best explains this phenomenon?
a. | multiculturalism |
b. | ideal culture |
c. | hegemony |
d. | real culture |
DIF: Difficult REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture | InQuizitive
MSC: Applying
65. We occasionally see stories in the media about a high-profile individual, such as a religious or political leader who gets caught doing something the society views as wrong despite the individual often being seen as a moral leader. These are examples of a disconnect between which two cultural concepts?
a. | dominant culture and subculture |
b. | ideal and real culture |
c. | multiculturalism and hegemony |
d. | values and norms |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture | InQuizitive
MSC: Applying
66. The controversy surrounding Colin Kaepernick’s choice to kneel during the National Anthem in protest of racial oppression and inequality is an example of which of the following concepts?
a. | cultural diffusion |
b. | cultural leveling |
c. | cultural imperialism |
d. | culture wars |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture | InQuizitive
MSC: Understanding
67. The increased use of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media by terrorist organizations in other countries to recruit new members is an example of cultural diffusion for which reason?
a. | Twitter and Facebook were originally products of the Western world that have been adopted by people in other countries. |
b. | Terrorist organizations are having a more difficult time spreading their message. |
c. | White nationalist groups are most adept at using these technologies. |
d. | Since the movements are online, they are easy to trace and stop. |
DIF: Difficult REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture | InQuizitive
MSC: Applying
68. There are many sushi restaurants in the United States and many McDonald’s-style fast-food restaurants in Japan. These are examples of
a. | the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis. |
b. | cultural diffusion. |
c. | counterculture. |
d. | a culture war. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.4 Cultural Change
MSC: Applying
69. A space shuttle, graffiti, a new coding language, and a new instrument are all examples of
a. | sanctions. |
b. | technology. |
c. | counterculture. |
d. | cultural imperialism. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.4 Cultural Change
MSC: Applying
70. When Patti Sue took a world tour, she had lunch at McDonald’s in Tokyo, ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hong Kong, purchased clothes at Macy’s in London, and was entertained at a Disney show in Paris. This homogenization of cultures around the world is called
a. | multiculturalism. |
b. | cultural leveling. |
c. | social control. |
d. | folkways. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.4 Cultural Change
MSC: Applying
71. When cultures that were once distinct become increasingly similar, they are experiencing the phenomenon of
a. | cultural imperialism. |
b. | social control. |
c. | cultural diffusion. |
d. | cultural leveling. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.4 Cultural Change
MSC: Remembering
72. The French social theorist Jean-François Lyotard described contemporary culture in this way: “One listens to reggae, watches a Western, eats McDonald’s food for lunch and local cuisine for dinner, wears Paris perfume in Tokyo and ‘retro’ clothes in Hong Kong.” He was writing about postmodernism, but what concept can help explain this mixture of activities?
a. | values |
b. | hegemony |
c. | counterculture |
d. | cultural diffusion |
DIF: Difficult REF: 3.4 Cultural Change
MSC: Applying
73. It is now possible to travel all over the world, especially if you visit major metropolitan areas, without ever having to eat anything but McDonald’s food. This is an example of
a. | dominant culture. |
b. | cultural diffusion. |
c. | cultural leveling. |
d. | counterculture. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.4 Cultural Change
MSC: Applying
74. Western companies are powerful enough to impose their products on markets worldwide because of their economic strength. This phenomenon is known as
a. | material culture. |
b. | cultural relativism. |
c. | cultural diffusion. |
d. | cultural imperialism. |
DIF: Easy REF: 3.4 Cultural Change
MSC: Remembering
75. In the article “Jihad vs. McWorld,” Benjamin R. Barber points out that “in November of 1991 Switzerland’s once insular culture boasted best-seller lists featuring Terminator 2 as the #1 movie, Scarlett as the #1 book, and Prince’s Diamonds and Pearls as the #1 album.” Many people worry that the prominence of American culture goes beyond the media and represents the wholesale imposition of American values on other cultures, which is a process called
a. | culture war. |
b. | ideal culture. |
c. | cultural imperialism. |
d. | counterculture. |
DIF: Difficult REF: 3.4 Cultural Change
MSC: Applying
76. One aspect of a society’s material culture that is the catalyst for cultural change is referred to as
a. | technology. |
b. | cultural diffusion. |
c. | cultural leveling. |
d. | cultural imperialism. |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.4 Cultural Change
MSC: Applying
77. Yoko believes that religion is the basis for moral ethics and that promoting religion in society promotes social order. What perspective best describes Yoko’s views?
a. | structural functionalism |
b. | conflict theory |
c. | symbolic interactionism |
d. | promote a fashion brand |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.5 American Culture in Perspective
MSC: Understanding
78. Obinze thinks that religion is used by powerful people and institutions to control the public. What perspective best describes Obinze’s views?
a. | structural functionalism |
b. | conflict theory |
c. | symbolic interactionism |
d. | radicalization |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.5 American Culture in Perspective
MSC: Understanding
79. Himani thinks that religion consists of meaningful displays of values and norms that are created, maintained, and changed through social interaction. What perspective best describes Himani’s views?
a. | structural functionalism |
b. | conflict theory |
c. | symbolic interactionism |
d. | radicalization |
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.5 American Culture in Perspective
MSC: Understanding
TRUE/FALSE
1. Sociologists claim that culture is the lens through which we perceive and evaluate what is going on in the world around us.
DIF: Easy REF: 3.1 What Is Culture?
MSC: Remembering
2. Sociologists often engage in the process of “othering” the people they study even when they study their own cultures.
DIF: Easy REF: 3.1 What Is Culture?
MSC: Remembering
3. Ethnocentrism has no positive consequences, while cultural relativism has no negative consequences.
DIF: Difficult REF: 3.1 What Is Culture?
MSC: Applying
4. Norms develop out of a culture’s value system.
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
5. Only an authoritative body or formal institution can impose negative sanctions.
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
6. Signs are symbols that stand for or convey an idea.
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
7. Nonmaterial culture and symbolic culture mean the same thing.
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture
MSC: Remembering
SHORT ANSWER
1. Describe cultural relativism.
DIF: Easy REF: 3.1 What Is Culture? MSC: Remembering
2. What is an example of ethnocentrism?
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.1 What Is Culture? MSC: Applying
3. How is culture shock useful in helping sociologists see that even what is most familiar to us can be bizarre?
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.1 What Is Culture? MSC: Remembering
4. What is culture?
DIF: Easy REF: 3.1 What Is Culture? MSC: Remembering
5. List at least four examples of symbolic culture.
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture MSC: Remembering
6. Give an example of a gesture within your culture that may not have the same meaning or translate at all into another culture.
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.2 Components of Culture MSC: Applying
7. Describe the difference between positive sanctions and negative sanctions.
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture MSC: Remembering
8. Describe an example of how mainstream values can change or fall out of favor.
DIF: Difficult REF: 3.2 Components of Culture MSC: Applying
9. The term “culture wars” refers to the extreme clashes in values that occur when there are conflicting viewpoints about efforts to change core values in society. Give an example of how social commentators in the media can facilitate a culture war.
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture MSC: Remembering
10. As a result of Western cultural imperialism, American media companies broadcast shows in other countries that may clash with the traditional cultural values of those countries. What are some examples of American cultural values exported through the media that people in non-Western parts of the world might find distasteful?
DIF: Easy REF: 3.5 American Culture in Perspective
MSC: Remembering
ESSAY
1. Both sociologists and anthropologists study culture. Explain how sociology differs from anthropology and why cultural relativism is important for sociologists.
DIF: Easy REF: 3.1 What Is Culture? MSC: Analyzing
2. What is ethnocentrism and how does it make it more difficult to understand other cultures? What kind of perspective should we adopt instead?
DIF: Easy REF: 3.1 What Is Culture? MSC: Understanding
3. How has ethnocentrism affected your lived experiences? What do you think a more culturally relativist approach to your lived experiences would look like?
DIF: Difficult REF: 3.1 What Is Culture? MSC: Understanding
4. Culture is a broad concept that sociologists typically divide into concepts associated with material culture and symbolic culture. List and describe the major components of symbolic culture.
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture MSC: Remembering | Applying
5. Language is the most important element of symbolic culture, but its role in social life is still hotly debated among sociologists. Describe the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis and its position about the role of language in creating social life.
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture MSC: Remembering
6. Values and norms are symbolic culture in action. Describe the difference between values and norms. Additionally, describe the three different types of norms.
DIF: Easy REF: 3.2 Components of Culture MSC: Analyzing
7. Explain the difference between subcultures and countercultures. Provide an example of each.
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture MSC: Analyzing
8. How are ideal culture and real culture different? Provide an example of a situation in which ideal culture and real culture contradict one another.
DIF: Moderate REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture MSC: Analyzing
9. Define “hegemony” and provide an example of it in contemporary culture. Explain, in detail, what makes your example hegemonic.
DIF: Difficult REF: 3.3 Variations in Culture MSC: Applying
10. Cultures around the world are changing at an increasingly rapid pace. How does a cultural group change through contact with other cultures?
DIF: Easy REF: 3.4 Cultural Change MSC: Understanding