Deck 3: Culture and Society

Question 1

France passed legislation in 2004 prohibiting the wearing of conspicuous religious attire by students in government-operated schools. Muslims were angered and protested the law. In this scenario, the difference in social practices is an example of a conflict of:

A) values
B) cultural capital
C) norms
D) civilizations

Answer 1

C

Question 2

There is some evidence indicating that as Facebook interaction increases:

A) self-esteem increases
B) self-esteem decreases
C) social interaction decreases
D) closer relationships decrease

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Features that are found in virtually all societies are called:

A) values
B) signifiers
C) cultural universals
D) countercultures

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The Sapir-Whorf linguistic relativity hypothesis is important in how:

A) children learn their gender roles in American society
B) family members play a critical role in personality development
C) language shapes our perceptions and ways of thinking
D) world languages develop over time

Question 5

Josefina sees a man wearing a wedding ring. Although she finds him interesting, she does not attempt to engage in flirtation with him because of the value that married people are not available as romantic partners. In this scenario, the idea that married people are not available is an example of __________.

A) material culture
B) a cultural universal
C) semiotics
D) nonmaterial culture

Question 6

Marriage is a cultural universal, which means that:

A) marriage always involves a man and a woman, but other norms may differ across societies
B) marriage is present in all societies, but norms related to marriage may differ across societies
C) norms related to marriage are the same in all societies
D) the increase in divorce in Western societies will spread to other societies

Question 7

The way that a person dresses, holds a knife and fork, and drives a car are examples of:

A) tools
B) symbols
C) signifiers
D) cultural universals

Question 8

Jody's daughter has been preparing for a school spelling bee by studying several hours a day. Jody feels that by encouraging this behavior, she is instilling a sense of competition in her children. Competition is an example of an American:

A) belief
B) ritual
C) symbol
D) value

Question 9

Which of the following is an example of the globalization of material culture?

A) American businesses manufacture goods in other countries.
B) Japanese people are embracing individualism.
C) McDonald's restaurants are found around the world.
D) University attendance is increasing globally.

Question 10

Values are:

A) laws that a society creates
B) modes of behavior shared by all human cultures
C) concrete rules of behavior
D) abstract ideals about what is good and bad

Question 11

Semiotics is the:

A) analysis of nonverbal cultural meanings
B) study of language
C) analysis of verbal cultural meanings
D) of culture's role in everyday life

Question 12

The physical objects a society creates are known as:

A) nonmaterial culture
B) symbols
C) material culture
D) cultural universals

Question 13

Body adornments, incest taboos, and the presence of a grammatically complex language are all examples of __________.

A) cultural universals
B) nonmaterial culture
C) material culture
D) values

Question 14

The idea that you should not cheat during this exam is an example of a:

A) cultural universal
B) material good
C) norm
D) symbol

Question 15

Which of the following norms is a cultural universal?

A) competition
B) individualism
C) personal space between two people
D) prohibition against incest

Question 16

Most sociologists agree that the effect of social media on young adults' sense of themselves is:

A) always positive
B) more often positive than negative
C) more often negative than positive
D) always negative

Question 17

Definitive principles or rules of behavior that people are expected to observe are called:

A) values
B) signifiers
C) norms
D) culture

Question 18

The linguistic relativity hypothesis was developed by:

A) Chomsky and Vidal
B) Durkheim and Weber
C) Picard and Riker
D) Sapir and Whorf

Question 19

The components of a cultural system that are not actual physical objects are called _________.

A) norms
B) nonmaterial culture
C) assimilation
D) cultural capital

Question 20

A society is:

A) an abstract ideal about what is good and bad
B) an enduring system of interrelationships that connects individuals
C) guidelines of behavior for interacting with other people
D) a set of concrete rules of behavior, usually codified into law

Question 21

According to sociologist Ann Swidler, we all possess cultural "tool kits," which:

A) are the same over the course of an individual's life
B) are the same for all members of society
C) are independent of the circumstances individuals find themselves in
D) include a variety of social scripts that we can draw on

Question 22

The emergence of machine production, based on the use of inanimate power sources, is known as:

A) agriculture
B) civilization
C) industrialization
D) pastoralism

Question 23

Which type of society saw the advent of the nation-state?

A) agrarian
B) hunting and gathering
C) industrial
D) postindustrial

Question 24

Early humans fashioned stone tools to hunt and gather for their subsistence. Another important accomplishment is that they figured out a way to manage fire. This reinforces the idea that early humans were:

A) capable of abstract thought
B) clever scavengers
C) superior to apes intellectually
D) unable to compensate for physical limitations

Question 25

What makes it possible for culture to be transmitted across time and space?

A) cultural universals
B) norms
C) subcultures
D) writing

Question 26

A surplus of goods, like a more reliable food supply, allows for the development of more pronounced inequality in a society. This helps explain why the transition to a(n) _________ society introduced much more inequality than the primary type of society that preceded it.

A) agrarian
B) industrial
C) hunting and gathering
D) emerging

Question 27

Which of the following best explains why different groups of people created different cultures?

A) People are born with distinctive DNA patterns that vary by location.
B) People learned to adapt to their physical surroundings.
C) Some groups of people are genetically less intelligent than other groups.
D) Certain peoples were more technologically and culturally advanced than others.

Question 28

What type of society is described as having very little inequality, no divisions of rich and poor, few differences in power, emphasis on cooperation rather than competition, participatory decision making, and an elaborate ceremonial life?

A) agrarian
B) industrial
C) horticultural and pastoral
D) hunting and gathering

Question 29

In which type of society do most people live and work on the land, growing crops for food and to sell?

A) horticultural and pastoral
B) industrial
C) hunting and gathering
D) agrarian

Question 30

For most of our existence as a species, humans have lived in what type of societies?

A) agrarian
B) industrial
C) horticultural and pastoral
D) hunting and gathering

Question 31

Based on his or her view of the modern world, which sociological theorist most likely agrees with the following statement about industrial society: Increased specialization in a growing division of labor will benefit industrial society by increasing the bonds of social cohesion?

A) Max Weber
B) Karl Marx
C) Ann Swidler
D) Émile Durkheim

Question 32

_________ societies relied mainly on domesticated animals, while _________ societies grew crops for their livelihood.

A) Agrarian; horticultural
B) Horticultural; industrial
C) Hunting and gathering; pastoral
D) Pastoral; agrarian

Question 33

There was little difference among members of hunting and gathering societies, and differences in position or rank were based on the:

A) amount and type of food gathered during the growing season
B) gender and age of the community members
C) size of the family or household
D) length of time in which a family resided with the community

Question 34

In ancient cities, the religious temple was placed in the highest or most central location; in modern cities, skyscrapers occupy that position. What method of analysis allows us to compare symbolic cultural meanings of such physical structures?

A) cultural relativism
B) linguistic relativity
C) multiculturalism
D) semiotics

Question 35

The first archaeological evidence of humanlike culture dates back:

A) 12,000 years
B) 100,000 years
C) 2 million years
D) 6 million years

Question 36

Most of what sociologists term civilizations were empires-settled agricultural cities. We call them civilizations due to:

A) their larger-than-normal trade networks
B) the presence of writing, science, and art
C) the presence of a large military force
D) their ability to conquer other cities

Question 37

Which type of society is known for its rapid pace of discoveries, inventions, and technological innovations; a population densest in cities and working primarily in factories, offices, or shops; a social life that is impersonal with many encounters with strangers; and predominately large-scale organizations?

A) agrarian
B) hunting and gathering
C) industrial
D) pastoral

Question 38

Because of the recent so-called cultural turn in sociology, most sociologists now agree that:

A) culture has nothing to do with day-to-day behavior
B) different people have different scripts in any encounter
C) the idea of a script is inapplicable to social analysis
D) there is one most accurate interpretation of reality in social encounters

Question 39

Two sociologists are an interaction in which an older woman and a young man have a mild verbal altercation over the one remaining empty seat on a train. The first sociologist interprets their disagreement as an indication that cultural norms around age have shifted, while the second sociologist sees their conflict as evidence that the older woman and younger man are operating from different social scripts. The perspective of the second sociologist is an example of ___________.

A) the cultural turn
B) nonmaterial culture
C) cultural lag
D) assimilation

Question 40

Political communities with clearly defined borders (rather than vague frontiers) in which the governments have extensive power over citizens' lives are known as:

A) civilizations
B) empires
C) nation-states
D) traditional states

Question 41

Which of the following societies is the best example of multiculturalism?

A) one in which two groups with different languages hold similar political and economic power
B) one in which multiple languages are spoken and customs are practiced, although most schools teach in English
C) one in which the language and customs are the same across many groups
D) one in which a few groups hold equal power and resources, although one additional group has relatively few resources

Question 42

The salad bowl metaphor is used to describe:

A) assimilation
B) cultural relativism
C) subcultures
D) multiculturalism

Question 43

Judging other cultures by the standards of one's own is known as:

A) assimilation
B) cultural relativism
C) ethnocentrism
D) multiculturalism

Question 44

About one-third of the world's poor and two-thirds of the world's hungry live in:

A) Brazil
B) China
C) Russia
D) South Asia

Question 45

Which of the following is an informal method of social control enacted when a person fails to conform?

A) library fine
B) gossip
C) detention
D) arrest

Question 46

Assessing a society by its own cultural standards is known as:

A) ethnocentrism
B) cultural universals
C) multiculturalism
D) cultural relativism

Question 47

According to sociologists, why would "rooting" be considered an instinct?

A) Rooting is a type of behavior that evolved over time.
B) Rooting behaviors differ across societies.
C) It is a biologically fixed pattern of action.
D) This instinct developed as a result of how individuals experience stress.

Question 48

Which of the following best illustrates the relationship between nature and nurture?

A) In some societies, women grow most of the food; in other societies, men are the primary food growers.
B) Men are genetically programmed never to ask anyone for directions, whereas women are naturally more likely to ask for directions rather than be lost on a highway.
C) Men's interest in having sexual relations with multiple partners is biologically programmed into the Y chromosome.
D) A woman's concern for her newborn is partly influenced by the hormonal changes of pregnancy but, more importantly, by the cultural norms of gender and motherhood.

Question 49

A central process shaping the social geography of the modern world was:

A) agriculture
B) colonialism
C) pastoralism
D) industrialism

Question 50

An example of assimilation would be which of the following?

A) A young man who immigrated to the United States from Japan speaks English but also meets weekly with a group of Japanese Americans to eat traditional Japanese food.
B) A group of students at a local college start a club for immigrants from South Korea.
C) A family from Mexico moves to the United States and adopts mainstream U.S. cultural practices but at the same time loses many of its Mexican cultural practices.
D) After immigrating to the United States, a young woman from China adopts some American cultural practices but still closely identifies with her country of origin.

Question 51

Those societies in the global south that have begun to successfully develop industrial systems are known as:

A) impoverished countries
B) emerging economies
C) more developed countries
D) neo-economies

Question 52

Smaller segments of a society with distinct values and norms and their own unique patterns of behavior are called:

A) individualistic
B) multiculturalists
C) nonconformists
D) subcultures

Question 53

Sociobiologists argue that:

A) genes determine all human behavior
B) gender roles in society are completely determined by culture
C) reproductive strategy shapes the relations between the sexes
D) social life is mostly rooted in culture, not genes

Question 54

Conditions in countries in the global south today are largely a result of their:

A) adherence to outdated modes of government
B) historical relationships with Western industrialized societies
C) lack of natural resources
D) inability to "keep up" with worldwide industrialism

Question 55

The disorientation everyone might experience if you took your nieces and nephews to a nude beach to boogie board is called:

A) assimilation
B) cultural relativism
C) culture shock
D) multiculturalism

Question 56

Most nations in the global south became independent states only after:

A) the Cold War
B) they industrialized
C) the spread of information technology
D) World War II

Question 57

According to sociobiologists, what has led to female chastity and male promiscuity?

A) a reproductive strategy
B) genetic hegemony
C) biological instinct
D) the decline of cultural values

Question 58

Trying to understand the social context of a cultural practice (for example, Muslim women wearing burkas in public) before judging it is called:

A) cultural relativism
B) multiculturalism
C) cultural universals
D) ethnocentrism

Question 59

Which of the following is an example of an instinct?

A) wearing clothes
B) smiling at strangers
C) sleeping
D) crying during a sad film

Question 60

An Amish farmer tilling his fields with a horse and plow might be considered backward by some. This reaction to the farmer is an example of:

A) cultural relativism
B) culture shock
C) cultural identity
D) ethnocentrism

Question 61

MATCHING
a. Signifier
b. Norm
c. Ethnocentrism
d. Sociobiology
e. Cultural universal
f. Colonialism
When someone gives a gift, it is customary in the United States to say "thank you."

Question 62

Provide three examples of how norms and values change over time. Do all cultures around the world evolve?

Question 63

MATCHING
a. Signifier
b. Norm
c. Ethnocentrism
d. Sociobiology
e. Cultural universal
f. Colonialism
This approach focuses on factors like reproductive strategies to explain human behavior.

Question 64

Define two key characteristics of agrarian societies and two of hunting and gathering societies. Which had the larger impact on modern societies today?

Question 65

Although most societies today are organized into nation-states, industrialized societies were the first nation-states.

Question 66

List three of the components of culture, as used by sociologists.

Question 67

MATCHING
a. Signifier
b. Norm
c. Ethnocentrism
d. Sociobiology
e. Cultural universal
f. Colonialism
Deeply held values are sometimes perceived as superior to other standards of what is good or bad.

Question 68

MATCHING
a. Signifier
b. Norm
c. Ethnocentrism
d. Sociobiology
e. Cultural universal
f. Colonialism
Some societies have different rules about marriage, but basically all societies have marriage.

Question 69

MATCHING
a. Signifier
b. Norm
c. Ethnocentrism
d. Sociobiology
e. Cultural universal
f. Colonialism
Some nation-states have accumulated power by taking control of resources beyond their home territories.

Question 70

The variety of products available from around the world on store shelves in American grocery stores indicates the degree to which the world has become:

A) dominated by countries in the global south
B) dominated by Western culture
C) separated into isolated nation-states
D) a global social system

Question 71

The fact that all societies have incest taboos as a cultural universal means all societies have the same norms regarding sexual regulation.

Question 72

The resurgence of local cultures is a response to:

A) global poverty
B) a fear that global culture will corrupt them
C) stricter immigration laws
D) worldwide economic crisis

Question 73

Human behavior and cultural beliefs:

A) are based on instinct common to all societies
B) are the result of natural selection
C) are only slightly different in different societies
D) vary widely across societies

Question 74

Which of the following illustrates how nationalism has arisen in response to globalization?
a. the American government's decision to cut aid to foreign countries
b. extreme Islamist movements in the Middle East
c. refusal of recent immigrants to the United States to assimilate
d. spread of the Internet into previously isolated countries, such as China

Question 75

Describe three different subcultures that stand apart from the rest of society.

Question 76

According to your text, the world has become a single social system reinforced by continually growing economic and social ties. Because of this, sociologists understand globalization to:

A) be a negative phenomenon that needs to be stopped
B) encourage the growth of world unity
C) function only as an economic system
D) mean we are increasingly affected by worldwide events

Question 77

Autonomous vehicles ("self-driving" cars) will likely give rise to new questions about liability from automobile accidents. This is an example of cultural lag.

Question 78

Define the "cultural turn" in sociology, and provide two examples.

Question 79

MATCHING
a. Signifier
b. Norm
c. Ethnocentrism
d. Sociobiology
e. Cultural universal
f. Colonialism
Form of dress, sounds of speech, and modes of eating are all elements used to communicate.

Question 80

Unlike sociobiology, sociology does not recognize any influence of biology on human behavior.