Deck 2: Culture

Question 1

Critics of the Sapir-Whorf thesis point out that

A) language does not determine reality.
B) all languages use mostly the same symbols.
C) language is found only in some human cultures.
D) language determines reality more than Sapir and Whorf realized.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The dominant values of U.S. culture share which of the following?

A) a deep respect for the traditions of the past
B) a belief in individuality
C) a belief in equality of condition for all
D) a strong emphasis on collective life

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What is the term for beliefs, values, behavior and material objects that together make up a people's way of life?

A) social structure
B) social system
C) culture
D) society

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Sociologists define a symbol as

A) cultural patterns that cause culture shock.
B) any element of material culture.
C) any gesture that conveys insult to others.
D) anything that carries a meaning to

Question 5

According to scientists, Homo sapiens first appeared on Earth about how long ago?

A) 2,500 years ago
B) 25,000 years ago
C) 250,000 years ago
D) 250 million years ago

Question 6

Cultural transmission refers to the process of

A) judging another culture using our own cultural standards.
B) passing cultural patterns from one generation to another.
C) using the oral tradition.
D) using writing to record cultural patterns.

Question 7

Looking around the world, what we find everywhere is

A) the same ideas about what is beautiful and ugly.
B) people creating cultural systems.
C) people enjoying the same sports.
D) the same ideas about what is right.

Question 8

Sam had unpleasant and even frightening experiences when he encountering a strange way of life while visiting another country over spring break. His experiences can be called

A) value conflict.
B) cultural diffusion.
C) acculturation.
D) culture shock.

Question 9

Which of the following most closely conveys the point of the Sapir-Whorf thesis?

A) People perceive the world through the cultural lens of language.
B) Language involves attaching labels to the real world.
C) Most ideas "feel" the same even if they are expressed in different languages.
D) Each word in English has its counterpart in all other languages.

Question 10

________distinguish between right and wrong;________ distinguish between polite and rude.

A) Mores; folkways
B) Taboos; mores
C) Folkways; mores
D) Prescriptive norms; proscriptive norms

Question 11

The concept "subculture" refers to

A) popular culture.
B) culture of the past.
C) high or elite culture.
D) cultural patterns that set apart a segment of a society's population.

Question 12

Among all forms of life, humans stand out as the only species that

A) has biological instincts.
B) has patterned ways of life.
C) relies on culture to ensure survival.
D) makes use of tools.

Question 13

Sociologists define a symbol as

A) cultural patterns that cause culture shock.
B) any element of material culture.
C) any gesture that involves religious meaning.
D) anything that carries a meaning to people who share a culture.

Question 14

The language spoken as a main or second language in more nations of the world than any other is

A) Spanish.
B) Chinese.
C) Hindi.
D) English.

Question 15

The United States is multicultural because

A) in this country many different languages and ways of life can be found.
B) everyone holds the same values and beliefs.
C) each individual holds many different and conflicting values and beliefs.
D) there are many widely shared values and beliefs.

Question 16

The chapter-opening story of the diversity initiative at investment company Charles Schwab & Co. shows us that

A) various minorities respond to the same advertising in the same way as everyone else.
B) Asian American immigrants prefer English to their native language when doing business.
C) minorities do not have enough income to attract the interest of businesses.
D) learning more about cultural diversity can help a company boost sales.

Question 17

Car, computers, and iPhones are all examples of which of the following?

A) high culture
B) nonmaterial culture
C) material culture
D) norms

Question 18

The United States is now in which of the following stages of technological development?

A) pastoral
B) industrial
C) agrarian
D) postindustrial

Question 19

The practice of understanding another culture on its own terms and using its own standards is called

A) ethnocentrism.
B) cultural diffusion.
C) cultural integration.
D) cultural relativism.

Question 20

Which of the following concepts refers to the beliefs, values, behavior, and material objects that together constitute a people's way of life?

A) social structure
B) social system
C) society
D) culture

Question 21

Industrialization changes society in many ways. All of the following statements except one are changes brought on by industrialization. Which is NOT such a change?

A) There is a rise in overall living standards.
B) Tradition becomes a more powerful part of culture.
C) The pace of social change increases.
D) New forms of transportation and communication make the world seem smaller.

Question 22

________are rules about everyday casual living; ________are rules with great moral significance.

A) Mores; folkways
B) Taboos; mores
C) Folkways; mores
D) Prescriptive norms; proscriptive norms

Question 23

Compared to an industrial society, a postindustrial society is based on

A) a locally based economy.
B) a factory-based economy.
C) a farming-based economy.
D) an information-based economy.

Question 24

Gerhard Lenski claims that the development of more complex technology

A) is entirely positive.
B) is mostly negative in its effects.
C) has both positive and negative effects.
D) is entirely negative.

Question 25

Horticultural and pastoral people have

A) a religious life that includes belief in God as creator of the world.
B) formal churches much as we do today.
C) most of their people working as priests.
D) no conception of religion.

Question 26

Which of the following is true of hunting and gathering societies?

A) population is small; people raise animals
B) population is large; people live in villages
C) population is small; people are nomadic
D) population is large; most people are farmers

Question 27

Today, hunting and gathering societies

A) contain about half the world's population.
B) are close to disappearing from the world.
C) have a longer average lifespan than the U.S. population.
D) are spreading around the world.

Question 28

According to Lenski, the term "sociocultural evolution" refers to

A) changes that occur as a society acquires new technology.
B) changes brought about by new ways of thinking.
C) changes created by ideas coming from other societies.
D) change that results from social conflict.

Question 29

Where in the world did large-scale cultivation or farming first develop?

A) in the Middle East
B) in southeast Asia
C) in North America
D) in Africa

Question 30

The social standing of women and men in hunting and gathering societies is

A) unequal, with men controlling farming.
B) unequal, with women raising the young while men secure food.
C) equal, with women hunting animals and men gathering vegetation.
D) fairly equal, with men and women making vital contributions to survival.

Question 31

Wrong-doing such as an adult forcing a child to engage in sexual activity is an example of violating our culture's

A) folkways.
B) beliefs.
C) mores.
D) symbols.

Question 32

Which of the following statements represent an emerging value in our society?

A) The present is better than the past.
B) Work is important, but I want more time for leisure and personal growth.
C) What was good enough for my parents is good enough for me.
D) It's good to be free.

Question 33

What type of society engages in large-scale farming based on the use of plows drawn by animals or more powerful energy sources?

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

Question 34

Horticultural societies are those in which

A) people use simple hand tools to raise crops.
B) people have learned to raise animals.
C) people hunt animals and gather vegetation.
D) people are nomadic.

Question 35

Gerhard Lenski focused on which of the following factors as having great power to shape a society?

A) social conflict
B) technology
C) social solidarity
D) human ideas

Question 36

Which of the following items might Gerhard Lenski especially highlight as bringing about change in society?

A) conflict between workers and factory owners
B) new religious ideas
C) the telephone
D) the extent to which people share moral values

Question 37

As societies generate a greater material surplus, generally they

A) become more socially equal.
B) become less war-like.
C) develop a ruling elite.
D) become less specialized in their work.

Question 38

Low-income countries have cultures that value which of the following?

A) economic survival
B) equal standing for women and men
C) self expression
D) secular ideology

Question 39

Read the list of values below. Which is NOT one of the values central to U.S. culture, as identified by the sociologist Robin Williams?

A) material comfort
B) equal opportunity
C) belief in tradition
D) racism and group superiority

Question 40

The early U.S. sociologist who described the difference between folkways and mores was

A) Emile Durkheim
B) George Herbert Mead
C) Harriet Martineau
D) William Graham Sumner

Question 41

The concept "counterculture" refers to

A) people living here who were born in another country.
B) cultural patterns that oppose those that are widely held.
C) high culture.
D) popular culture.

Question 42

Other than English, which is the most widely spoken language in the United States?

A) French
B) German
C) Spanish
D) Italian

Question 43

The text states that cultural change is set in motion in three general ways:

A) adaptation, integration, and immigration.
B) invasion, invention, and experimentation.
C) immigration, imagination, and innovation.
D) invention, discovery, and diffusion.

Question 44

About how many adults in the United States speak a language other than English at home.

A) 55 million
B) 35 million
C) 15 million
D) 5 million

Question 45

Which of the following statements is a good example of cultural lag?

A) gaining the ability to modify genetic patterns before understanding the possible social consequences
B) a slowing in the rate of invention in the computer industry
C) older people trying to make younger people respect tradition
D) virtual culture replacing traditional culture

Question 46

The "Seeing Sociology in the News" article in Chapter 2 ("Culture") explains that soldiers training to serve in Afghanistan need to learn

A) how to operate high-tech weapons.
B) about the culture of that nation in order to win the support of the Afghan people.
C) environmentally friendly ways to engage in combat.
D) the history of U.S. military involvement abroad.

Question 47

The concept "cultural integration" refers to the fact that

A) U.S. society contains many cultural patterns.
B) change in one cultural pattern is usually linked to changes in others.
C) European cultural patterns dominate U.S. society.
D) everyone in the United States shares most cultural values.

Question 48

Harley Davidson motorcycle riders, computer nerds, and jazz musicians all display________ patterns.

A) high cultural
B) exactly the same cultural
C) subcultural
D) virtual cultural

Question 49

A century ago, most people who immigrated to the United States came from

A) Africa.
B) Latin America.
C) Europe.
D) Asia.

Question 50

Multiculturalism is defined as

A) efforts to encourage immigration to the United States.
B) efforts to establish English as the official language of the United States.
C) the idea that the United States should have one dominant culture that unites the population.
D) an educational program recognizing the cultural diversity of the United States and promoting equality of all cultural traditions..

Question 51

Due in part to its historical isolation, ________is one of the most monocultural of all high- income nations.

A) Australia
B) Russia
C) Canada
D) Japan

Question 52

Cultural patterns that are widespread among a society's population are referred to as

A) high culture.
B) subculture.
C) popular culture.
D) counterculture.

Question 53

In which region of the United States does the largest share of people speak a language other than English at home?

A) Southwest
B) South
C) Northeast
D) Northwest

Question 54

When immigrants bring new cultural patterns to the United States, the result may be

A) changes to the dominant culture.
B) cultural conflict between dominant and subcultural patterns.
C) changes to the immigrant culture.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 55

Today, most immigrants to the United States arrive from

A) Latin America and Asia.
B) Europe.
C) Africa.
D) Canada.

Question 56

The United States has now entered the________ technological era.

A) agrarian
B) horticultural
C) postindustrial
D) industrial

Question 57

Compared with college students of the late 1960s, today's students are much more concerned with

A) changing the world.
B) helping others in difficulty.
C) making money.
D) keeping up with political affairs.

Question 58

If you were to attend a New York City Ballet performance, you would experiencing

A) popular culture.
B) high culture.
C) subculture.
D) counterculture.

Question 59

The claim that U.S. culture is dominated by European and especially English ways of life asserts that our culture is

A) culturally relativistic.
B) Afrocentric.
C) androcentic.
D) Eurocentric.

Question 60

________refers to the recognition and more thorough understanding of something already in existence.

A) Discovery
B) Invention
C) Integration
D) Diffusion.

Question 61

People around the world display much the same outward appearance, wearing the same clothing and decorating their bodies in the same way.

Question 62

The theoretical approach that highlights the way any cultural pattern helps meet human needs is the

A) structural-functional approach.
B) social-conflict approach.
C) symbolic-interaction approach.
D) sociobiology approach.

Question 63

Which theoretical perspective is linked to the philosophical doctrine of materialism?

A) structural-functional approach
B) symbolic-interaction approach
C) social-conflict approach
D) sociobiology approach

Question 64

Cultural universals are cultural traits that

A) are part of every known culture.
B) have diffused from the United States to a number of other countries.
C) have come to the United States from elsewhere.
D) have always been part of U.S. culture.

Question 65

Which theoretical approach states that the stability of U.S. society rests on core values shared by most people?

A) structural-functional approach.
B) social-conflict approach.
C) symbolic-interaction approach.
D) sociobiology approach.

Question 66

Businesses in this country can profit from recognizing the cultural diversity of the U.S. population.

Question 67

According to George Murdock, all but one of the following is an example of a cultural universal. Which one is NOT a cultural universal?

A) funeral rites
B) a desire for economic growth
C) telling jokes
D) the family

Question 68

Levi's jeans are a hot fashion item in Russia. The desire of Russians to follow U.S. fashion trends is an example of

A) immigration.
B) invention.
C) diffusion.
D) integration.

Question 69

When examining the concept of cultural relativism, which of the following is NOT correct?

A) focuses on norms, but not values
B) can be difficult for travelers to adopt
C) requires openess to new and unfamiliar ways
D) can involve setting aside one's own cultural standards

Question 70

An example of material culture would be ideas about beauty.

Question 71

The concept "society" refers to values, beliefs, behavior, and material things that together form a way of life.

Question 72

Which of the following adds to the creation of a global culture?

A) the flow of goods from country to country
B) the flow of information around the world
C) the flow of people from country to country
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 73

The theoretical approach that highlights the link between culture and social inequality is the

A) structural-functional approach.
B) social-conflict approach.
C) symbolic-interaction approach.
D) sociobiological approach.

Question 74

Culture is a source of human freedom because

A) culture does not guide behavior.
B) as cultural creatures, humans must make and remake the world for themselves.
C) all culture changes so quickly.
D) culture has become too weak to influence our thoughts and actions.

Question 75

A person who criticizes an Amish farmer as foolish or backward for tilling his fields using horses and a plow instead of a tractor is exhibiting

A) e cultural diffusion.
B) cultural relativism.
C) ethnocentrism.
D) cultural integration.

Question 76

Culture acts as a constraint on human freedom because

A) much culture is habit and cultural patterns are repeated again and again.
B) humans cannot create new culture for themselves.
C) culture encourages change.
D) most people are not capable of making decisions about how to live.

Question 77

The emergence of rock-and-roll in the United States demonstrates

A) the emergence of a youth culture.
B) that musical tastes are linked to people's social standing.
C) that cultural patterns are subject to change.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 78

The ________tries to explain the fact that a sexual "double standard" is a product of human evolution found around the world.

A) structural-functional approach
B) social-conflict approach
C) sociobiology approach
D) symbolic-interaction approach

Question 79

The concept "ethnocentrism" refers to

A) taking pride in one's ethnicity.
B) judging another culture by the standards of one's own culture.
C) judging all other cultures as better than one's own.
D) judging any culture by its own standards.

Question 80

The United States and Canada are both________ ; however, U.S. culture is more than Canadian culture.

A) ethnocentric; collective
B) monocultural; individualistic
C) monocultural; collectivist
D) multicultural; individualistic