Exam 2: Culture

Jason was recently demoted at work because of his lack of productivity and reliability. From a sociological perspective, which of the following terms best reflects this cultural practice of demotion in the workplace?

What are the two faces of culture, as presented in the text?

Which of the following statements best reflects moderate cultural relativism?

Which theorist proposed that because of rationalization, life in the modern world is akin to living in an "iron cage"?

According to the text, which of the following is a consumer society strategy intended to tame countercultural rebels?

Which of the following is an example of ethnocentrism?

Brym suggests that postmodern culture can constrain cultural dissent and rebellion. Discuss the weakening role of countercultures within the context of consumerism.

The executives at a factory learn that to be most efficient, its employees must work in 12-hour shifts. However, the work is so physically exhausting that most employees quit after a few months. The executives decide that it is more efficient to hire new employees than to reduce the duration of the shifts. What constraint found in our society is this an example of?

"Everyone at school is wearing Nike running shoes," said Sally. "If I don't have a pair, everyone will make fun of me on the playground." Although Sally is only seven years old, what social practice does she perform in order to obtain the shoes she wants?

According to the text, when is a society sociologically characterized by cooperation?

For most of the past 200 years, throughout the world, consensus was built around Big Historical Projects.

Alex was just given a lecture from his boss about being late for work and his overall lack of motivation. From a sociological perspective, which of the following terms best reflects this example?

When an archeologist finds a piece of pottery from 5000 B.C., he or she is finding direct evidence of what aspect of human activity?

According to the text, what are the three main human survival tools that make culture possible?

According to statistical records, which of the following best characterizes immigration to Canada back in 1961?

On the day Harvey is old enough to legally drink, he and his friends go on a pub crawl and get very inebriated. This is a common way to mark the occasion among many, if not most, Canadian men. What term best describes this normative adolescent celebration?

An international fast-food chain has broken employee tasks into such small component parts that most employees can only last a year at a part-time job because the work is so boring and monotonous. What sociological term best describes the constraining nature of such an employee's work?

According to the text, why are most people in North America likely to be good consumers?

What are the three elements of the Sapir-Whorf thesis? Provide an example.

Maria va a emailiar Juan. What social phenomenon does "emailiar" in this Spanish sentence illustrate?