Deck 3: Culture and Media

Question 1

Galileo's discovery that the earth revolves around the sun rather than standing at the center of the universe is an example of:

A) cultural relativism.
B) a dialectic.
C) the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.
D) a shifting ideology.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Some African Americans shift between Standard American English and African American Vernacular English,depending on the situation.This ability is called:

A) culture.
B) cultural lag.
C) code switching.
D) linguistic ambidexterity.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

If ________ are abstract cultural beliefs,then ________ are how they are put into play.

A) values; norms
B) norms; values
C) subcultures; countercultures
D) countercultures; subcultures

Answer 3

A

Question 4

One of the two main categories of culture that includes values,beliefs,norms,and behaviors is known as:

A) subculture.
B) counterculture.
C) nonmaterial culture.
D) material culture.

Question 5

An example of nonmaterial culture is:

A) money.
B) books.
C) values.
D) cars.

Question 6

Which of the following is always a cultural behavior?

A) blinking
B) waving good-bye
C) breathing
D) sleeping

Question 7

During the 1800s,culture was defined by Matthew Arnold as "the pursuit of perfection and broad knowledge of the world." Sociologists today define culture as:

A) the sum total of beliefs,behaviors,and practices that humans create to adapt to the environment around them.
B) only the nonmaterial aspects of people's lives,like values and norms.
C) only the material aspects of people's lives,those things created by humans to adapt to the environment around them.
D) an ideal,something opposed to the real world in which we live.

Question 8

An example of material culture is:

A) values.
B) money.
C) norms.
D) behavior.

Question 9

Juan is a college student who loves poetry and art and says he is becoming more cultured as he pursues a broad and pure knowledge of the world.His way of using the culture concept is no longer used by sociologists today.Whose view of culture is Juan emulating?

A) Matthew Arnold
B) Émile Durkheim
C) Dalton Conley
D) Karl Marx

Question 10

Acronyms and emoticons,such as LOL,;-),and LMAO,demonstrate that:

A) language,like other ideas,is universally understood.
B) kids will do anything to keep secrets from their parents.
C) language is the direct result of technological and cultural constraints.
D) technology itself can generate ideas and concepts.

Question 11

Subcultures:

A) can always be easily differentiated from the dominant culture.
B) don't exist in most cultures because in most cultures,everybody is the same.
C) are hard to definitively define.
D) exist only in cultures where power differences between classes exists.

Question 12

Ideologies are:

A) systems that change only when massive revolutions take place in particular societies.
B) systems that remain constant over time.
C) often brought into question when certain aspects of that ideology are challenged.
D) no longer existent in modern societies.

Question 13

Norms are to ________ as values are to ________.

A) attitudes; behavior
B) behavior; attitudes
C) consistency; change
D) change; consistency

Question 14

The word culture derives from the Latin word colere,which means:

A) cult.
B) ideology.
C) to cultivate.
D) a plan of action.

Question 15

Crystal is camping in the woods with her dog and her friends.If she interprets her experience through a sociological lens,she will see culture in everything around her except for:

A) the food.
B) her pet.
C) nature.
D) the nonverbal cues used by her friends.

Question 16

The various musical genres and the groups inspired by them,such as post-punk music and goths,are examples of which of the following?

A) high cultures
B) subcultures
C) socialization
D) postmodernism

Question 17

Everything in our constructed environment,including technology,buildings,furniture,clothing,and books,is part of our:

A) subculture.
B) counterculture.
C) nonmaterial culture.
D) material culture.

Question 18

Goth culture tends to exist:

A) only in the United Kingdom.
B) only in the United States.
C) cross-culturally.
D) no more; it died out in the 1990s.

Question 19

After an exciting first week in the United States,Bryan,an international student from Malaysia,begins to feel exhausted,anxious,and confused about life in the United States.This is:

A) cultural lag.
B) code switching.
C) material culture.
D) culture shock.

Question 20

The study of culture tells us that:

A) the way "our" culture lives tends to be the most efficient.
B) there are many ways to view the same symbol.
C) most foreign cultures are primitive.
D) most cultures don't understand the meaning of morals.

Question 21

Which of the following is true regarding the value of high versus low culture?

A) High culture is more valuable than low culture.
B) Low culture is more valuable than high culture.
C) It is difficult to debate the worth of high and low culture.
D) Popular culture is preferred over both high and low culture.

Question 22

A group of protestors blocking the entrance to the campus administration building refuse to leave.When the police begin spraying them with tear gas,Antonio Gramsci would say that the police are practicing:

A) socialization.
B) hegemony.
C) domination.
D) rebellion.

Question 23

The first form of mass media was the:

A) television.
B) book.
C) silent film.
D) billboard.

Question 24

According to Herbert Gans,what determines the content of news stories?

A) journalistic standards,including "the facts,just the facts"
B) market forces and what the public wants to see
C) powerful boards of directors
D) the time and space constraints inherent in various media

Question 25

Antonio Gramsci coined the term hegemony to mean that a dominant group wins "consent" of the masses through "moral and intellectual leadership." His thoughts are closely related to those of:

A) Auguste Comte.
B) Karl Marx.
C) Herbert Gans.
D) Max Weber.

Question 26

A group of children are playing a game called "telephone," in which one child whispers a message to another,who then passes it along,until the last child announces the message to the whole group.Usually,by the end,someone has misheard the message and changed it.Does the children's game of telephone count as media?

A) Yes,because the game relays information.
B) Yes,but only if the message is fairly accurately conveyed.
C) No,because it is just a game.
D) No,because it must use technology to count as media.

Question 27

Ruth Benedict,in her Patterns of Culture (1934),coined the term cultural relativism,which means:

A) creating culture that is similar to other cultures.
B) that groups will become more similar as they mature.
C) taking into account the differences across cultures without passing judgment or assigning value.
D) that individuals will ignore the behavior of others if it is not consistent with the values of their own group.

Question 28

The experience of internalizing a culture's norms,values,and the like is known as:

A) socialization.
B) ideology.
C) hegemony.
D) reflection.

Question 29

Although some criticize rap music for its violent lyrics,many rappers defend it by saying it emerges directly from their experiences.Those rappers who make these claims are invoking:

A) hegemony.
B) a defense mechanism.
C) reflection theory.
D) functionalism.

Question 30

Which of the following took a new historical role when it fueled the civil rights and antiwar movements?

A) the written word
B) the telephone
C) television
D) talkie movies

Question 31

Part of what we learn in elementary school is to obey authority,follow the rules,and be on time.Because these values are important to the functioning of the capitalist system,Antonio Gramsci would call this:

A) hegemony.
B) discrimination.
C) the American way.
D) dominance.

Question 32

The term "media" refers to:

A) digital means of mass communication such as the Internet.
B) any format or vehicle used to carry,present,or communicate information.
C) print means of mass communication such as newspapers.
D) the impact that television has on society.

Question 33

Research questions such as why fairy tales often begin with a mother's death are an example of the analysis of media content stemming from Antonio Gramsci's work.What is this kind of analysis known as?

A) functional analysis
B) psychoanalysis
C) meta-analysis
D) textual analysis

Question 34

When your friend returns from a study abroad,he reports back to you on the very different foods that people in his host country ate.He explains that to them it's normal,that people in different cultures do things differently,and that he learned not to make value judgments.This is known as:

A) ethnocentrism.
B) high culture.
C) counterculture.
D) cultural relativism.

Question 35

Antonio Gramsci's concept for the historical process in which a dominant group exercises moral and intellectual leadership by voluntarily receiving the approval and consent of the masses is known as:

A) socialization.
B) hegemony.
C) domination.
D) rebellion.

Question 36

Deliberate,long-term media campaigns such as Smokey the Bear,which began in 1944 and is still with us today,are examples of ads used by nonprofit organizations to educate the public.They are commonly known as:

A) hegemonies.
B) mass-media services.
C) public service announcements.
D) fireside chats.

Question 37

During the 1960s and 1970s,academic studies of media shifted from focusing on ________ to also include ________.

A) texts; audiences
B) radio; TV
C) adults; children
D) society; culture

Question 38

Reflection theory is limited because it:

A) fails to take into account why some cultural products have staying power and others fall by the wayside.
B) looks only at American culture.
C) tends to state that culture has no impact on society.
D) is limited to a specific time in history.

Question 39

If a person judges another group by his or her own standards,he or she is being:

A) culturally relative.
B) realistic.
C) symbolic.
D) ethnocentric.

Question 40

Karl Marx asserted that culture:

A) is a reflection of the means of production at a particular time.
B) creates the way we survive in a particular environment.
C) is nonexistent in socialist societies.
D) exists only in capitalist societies.

Question 41

Stanley Lieberson's research on first names in the United States focused on which phenomenon?

A) the increase of unique names among blacks starting during the 1960s
B) the increase of unique names for girls starting during the 1960s
C) the increase of unique names for boys starting during the 1960s
D) the increase of unique names among whites starting during the 1960s

Question 42

You see an advertisement on television for a new burger at McDonald's.The next day,you are riding by McDonald's and decide to drive in and give it a try.This would be called a:

A) long-term deliberate media effect.
B) short-term unintended media effect.
C) long-term unintended media effect.
D) short-term deliberate media effect.

Question 43

What is Jean Kilbourne's critique of an advertisement that shows a pair of women's legs with expensive high-heeled shoes on them popping out of a garbage can?

A) It demonstrates how consumerism makes it too easy to throw away functional items that aren't fashionable.
B) It promotes,even implicitly,violence against women.
C) It is a sexist strategy to promote recycling.
D) The legs are white,and the ad reflects the relative neglect of nonwhites in the media.

Question 44

During the Olympics,people often compile media quotes and images to show how female athletes are treated differently than male athletes.This strategy of using media to critique media is called:

A) culture jamming.
B) hegemony.
C) domination.
D) reflection theory.

Question 45

In the United States,six major companies,including Disney and Time Warner,own slightly more than ________ percent of the media.

A) 30
B) 60
C) 75
D) 90

Question 46

Most broadcasting companies are privately owned in the United States and are supported financially by advertising.This means they are likely to reflect the biases of their owners and backers.Knowing that the press is not free suggests that there is a:

A) political economy of the media.
B) liberal media.
C) media controlled by antitrust laws.
D) cooperative economy.

Question 47

Legitimate advertisers tend to view culture jamming as:

A) a boost to sales of their products.
B) negative.
C) another way to increase competition.
D) a way to bring attention to the positive aspects of their products.

Question 48

Stanley Lieberson and Kelly Mikelson gave subjects a list of unique names they found in the Illinois database to see if the subjects could correctly identify the gender of the actual child.What were their findings?

A) The vast majority could correctly identify the gender of the actual child.
B) Most subjects were unable to correctly identify the gender of the actual child.
C) Female subjects were better able to identify the gender of the actual child.
D) Male subjects were better able to identify the gender of the actual child.

Question 49

List two definitions of culture discussed in Chapter3.Which definition is better,and which is worse? Why? Justify why one way of looking at culture is better than the other.

Question 50

Why was the Production/Hays Code abolished in 1967?

A) The power of the code decreased due to the influence of television,foreign films,and the fact that being condemned as immoral did not deter the film's success.
B) The effect of the media on the public was no longer a concern to anyone.
C) Being condemned as immoral increased a film's chances of success,making the Production/Hays Code counterproductive.
D) The power of the code decreased due to the influence of other media platforms,such as television and the radio.

Question 51

How was Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty a response to feminist critiques of the media's messages to girls and women?

A) It embraced those critiques and was among the first to feature women with cellulite and frizzy hair.
B) It rejected the critiques and was among the first to airbrush its models and create unattainable images of beauty.
C) It showed women in a variety of occupations,thus rejecting feminist arguments that women should aspire to only predominantly male positions.
D) It created unrealistic images of beauty in order to sell Dove products.

Question 52

James sees an advertisement in a fashion magazine that pictures two beautifully dressed white women in a crashed car with blood on their faces and arms and legs dangling limp.If he uses Jean Kilbourne's film Killing Us Softly to interpret this advertisement,what might he conclude?

A) Race is more important than gender as an interpretive lens.
B) Women are associated with vehicles; men are associated with nature.
C) Women are misrepresented in advertising,but men are accurately portrayed.
D) Sexism and misogyny are prevalent in advertising and media.

Question 53

According to research,because low-income parents cannot give their children every toy and gadget they want,the parents engage in:

A) symbolic deprivation.
B) deferred gratification.
C) symbolic indulgence.
D) symbolic consumerism.

Question 54

Which of the following is part of the "three general principles" of the movie industry's Production Code?

A) No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it.Hence,the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime,wrongdoing,evil,or sin.
B) Female homosexual characters may be portrayed,but only as objects of male desire and never actively involved in a same-sex romantic relationship.
C) Language such as the seven words you can never say on television shall not be broadcast before 11:00 P.M.
D) The market shall determine standards of decency.If customers become unwilling to patronize film and live performances that they deem inappropriate,such performances will be unable to continue.

Question 55

Many Americans believe that shark attacks happen more frequently than they actually do.Assuming that this is due to the way these rare events are covered by the media,this would be considered:

A) an intentional,long-term effect of the media.
B) an unintentional,long-term effect of the media.
C) an intentional,short-term effect of the media.
D) an unintentional,short-term effect of the media.

Question 56

In 1941,Time magazine ran an article on how to distinguish between Chinese and Japanese people.These descriptions reflected:

A) true biological differences in the two groups.
B) the state of mind of many Americans at the time.
C) true depictions of Chinese but not of Japanese.
D) true depictions of Japanese but not of Chinese.

Question 57

Media centralization refers to:

A) the fact that,as digital devices become more common,fewer and fewer people who can afford all of them are granted access to the media.
B) the movement of the media production industry to California in the mid-twentieth century.
C) the fact that fewer and fewer groups own more and more of the media.
D) the role of the computing cloud in making data and information increasingly accessible from remote locations.

Question 58

When Malcolm gets upset,he shops.Though it never delivers on the promise fully,he can't stop believing that new possessions will give him a new outlook on the upsetting situation.Malcolm's belief that happiness and fulfillment can be achieved through the acquisition of material possessions is known as:

A) consumerism.
B) asceticism.
C) buyerism.
D) code switching.

Question 59

One major concern with restricted ownership of major media outlets is that:

A) fewer entertainment options will be available.
B) the incentives for quality media programs will be reduced as competition declines.
C) fewer people will be able to consume media products,threatening the industry's viability.
D) de facto censorship may occur because it becomes easier to suppress messages that media owners don't support.

Question 60

The O.J.Simpson murder case and Hurricane Katrina are examples of which of the following?

A) two recent U.S.natural disasters
B) how the media reflect racist ideology
C) Gramsci's concept of hegemony
D) cultural scripts in news media

Question 61

Describe an example of a cultural lag.Explain how it fits the definition of a cultural lag.Distinguish between the material and the nonmaterial aspects of this instance of culture.

Question 62

Choose either racism or sexism as your topic for this question.How is racism or sexism present in media? How do these media shape culture? In your answer,use two of the following concepts: consumerism,media effects,hegemony,reflection theory.

Question 63

What are media and how do they affect our values and norms? Offer one example of a media effect that you believe benefits society.Offer one example of a media effect that you believe damages society.

Question 64

Identify two examples of ideologies,one that was supported over time and one that was disproved over time.What factors contribute to ideologies being supported or disproved?

Question 65

When studying culture,it is important to remain culturally relative.Who defined this concept and what does it mean? What is an important difference between ethnocentrism and cultural relativism? Offer an example of an instance where cultural relativism might be difficult to utilize.

Question 66

Identify two subcultures within your society,one that you belong to and one that you do not.In your answer,use two of the following terms to describe how people think and behave within these subcultures: code switching,culture shock,material culture,nonmaterial culture.

Question 67

Evaluate the Dove Beauty Campaign as an attempt to influence culture.What is the Dove Beauty Campaign and what are its goals? Discuss the culture-changing potential of corporate campaigns like this one versus culture jamming.In your discussion,include an example of culture jamming.