Deck 2: Culture and Society

Question 1

Carolina studies mainstream American culture.One of her colleagues notices that she consistently ignores material objects such as food,clothing,and art.Why might her studies be criticized?

A)These objects are a crucial part of culture that influences how we live our lives.
B)Studying American culture is useless since it has spread all over the globe.
C)Culture is a secondary effect of social structures, so Carolina would do better to begin her studies with capitalism and the state.
D)Carolina should be studying American subcultures since mainstream culture is a given.
E)Of the three things Carolina ignores, only art matters in the context of studying culture.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Johann is from the United Kingdom.In his cross-cultural studies,he sees that women in Afghanistan are often forced to wear headscarves,but women in the United Kingdom are not.He concludes,then,that women in Afghanistan would be more free if their culture were more like that of the United Kingdom.How might sociologists likely critique Johann's position?

A)Johann has not yet made an argument for how the United Kingdom might free the women of Afghanistan.
B)Johann first needs to look at class relations in the two countries, because gender is always an effect of class.
C)Johann cannot make meaningful comparisons without at least four more sample countries.
D)Johann would be better served as a social scientist if he avoided those kinds of value judgments.
E)Johann needs to demonstrate how Islam leads to women's oppression, unlike Christianity, by doing a comparison of religious contexts.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Mandy is studying differences in promiscuity between men and women and is critiquing the notion that men are genetically wired to want more sexual partners than women based on anthropological research that shows a wide variety of sexual practices in different human societies,both contemporarily and historically.She is studying what sociobiologists have called:

A)reproductive strategies
B)human nature
C)human antinomies
D)social contract theory
E)the sexual contract

Answer 3

A

Question 4

According to the text,the sociological study of culture began with which theorist?

A)Margaret Mead
B)Karl Marx
C)Émile Durkheim
D)Max Weber
E)Adam Smith

Question 5

The textbook defines a(n)__________ as a system of interrelationships that connects individuals together.

A)commodity
B)workplace
C)ecosystem
D)family
E)society

Question 6

Kendrick studies which human behaviors might be innate and which might be learned through social processes.His studies contribute most to which sociological debate?

A)monogamy vs.polygamy
B)economics vs.culture
C)structures of accumulation vs.institutional roles
D)nature vs.nurture
E)macro vs.micro

Question 7

Simone de Beauvoir once famously asserted that "one is not born a woman,but becomes one" to suggest that "women" are created by cultural forces.How might sociobiologists respond to this?

A)De Beauvoir is correct; the essence of women can be found within all cultures.
B)De Beauvoir misses that what constitutes a woman is biological as well as cultural.
C)De Beauvoir fails to show how the category of "woman" is purely an effect of economics.
D)De Beauvoir is correct because our biology determines our culture.
E)De Beauvoir does not account for the role of industrialization in creating the category of "woman."

Question 8

We might think of culture as a "design for living" or "tool kit" of practices,knowledge,and symbols acquired through learning rather than through:

A)norms
B)material goods
C)values
D)sociobiology
E)instinct

Question 9

Candace is doing a comparative study in her thesis work to compare different societies' expectations of how husbands should treat their in-laws.Candace will be analyzing:

A)values
B)norms
C)material goods
D)instinct
E)reproductive labor

Question 10

________ refer(s)to the physical objects that individuals in society create.These objects,in turn,influence how we live.

A)Norms
B)Material goods
C)Values
D)Sociobiology
E)Instinct

Question 11

__________ are widely agreed-upon principles or rules people are expected to observe; they represent the dos and don'ts of social life.

A)Norms
B)Material goods
C)Values
D)Primal drives
E)Instincts

Question 12

Pablo studies clothing choices in subcultural groups.He is investigating:

A)values
B)norms
C)material culture
D)instinct
E)reproductive labor

Question 13

__________ does not refer only to people from different cultural backgrounds or those who speak different languages within a larger society.It can also refer to any segment of the population that is distinguishable from the rest of society by its cultural patterns.

A)Subculture
B)Race
C)Ethnicity
D)Polity
E)Aesthetic

Question 14

__________ refers to the application of biological principles to explain the social activities of animals,including human beings.

A)Biological determinism
B)Sociobiology
C)Social constructionism
D)Marxism
E)Symbolic interaction

Question 15

Alice stole a bit of money from her friend Rosa to buy groceries.Rosa finds out and angrily chastises Alice for her behavior.What does this exchange demonstrate?

A)labeling theory
B)socialism
C)reinforcement of norms
D)a deviant career
E)mutual exchange

Question 16

James wants to investigate why many modern societies tend to strongly encourage monogamous relationships among their members.James will be studying:

A)values
B)norms
C)material goods
D)instinct
E)reproductive labor

Question 17

Bella will be moving to the United States to study characteristics of contemporary white American culture.Why might sociologists say Bella must be careful in her study?

A)Culture is a fuzzy concept and, thus, unworthy of study.
B)Only Americans should study American culture.
C)There is no single, monolithic white American culture.
D)Anthropologists are typically the ones who study culture.
E)Bella must be careful to collect quantitative as well as qualitative data.

Question 18

Mihir notes in his work on altruism that there are some behaviors that seem innate to humans rather than learned and uses that to criticize the idea that humans are "naturally" selfish.Mihir is taking note of:

A)values
B)norms
C)material goods
D)instinct
E)reproductive labor

Question 19

__________ refer(s)to abstract ideals in a given society.

A)Norms
B)Material goods
C)Values
D)Sociobiology
E)Instinct

Question 20

Mario is researching how genetic factors influence human behaviors.His research would best be described as:

A)social constructionism
B)sociobiology
C)conflict theory
D)structural functionalism
E)institutional ethnography

Question 21

Sapphire studies differences between nations that are largely Islamic and those that are largely Christian.She takes great care in her research to examine the differences she finds neutrally and without value judgments.Sapphire's position might be called:

A)social psychological
B)ethnocentrism
C)cultural relativism
D)historical materialism
E)bureaucratic collectivism

Question 22

Why might sociologists criticize a study of "American culture"?

A)Americans do not produce their own culture; they only copy others.
B)Culture originated with the high art associated with Western Europe, not the United States.
C)There is no single "American culture" but rather a contested terrain of mainstream culture and hundreds, if not thousands, of subcultures.
D)Americans are notoriously uncultured people.
E)American culture is the province of anthropology, not sociology.

Question 23

Alan notes that some groups who have many different words for snow tend to perceive snow differently than groups who use English.Alan is noting __________ at work.

A)natural selection
B)the material representation of culture
C)structural determination
D)resource mobilization
E)the linguistic relativity hypothesis

Question 24

Michelle claims that all human cultures are different and cannot be compared.How might sociologists critique her claim?

A)They would not.All cultures are different and cannot be meaningfully compared.
B)Sociologists would respond that we cannot talk about "human culture" because it is not separate from our natural environment.
C)They would criticize it on the grounds that it focuses on something as nebulous as human "culture" instead of our institutions.
D)They would critique it for ignoring the central role of the economy in shaping this thing that Michelle calls "human culture."
E)Sociologists would point out that there are cultural universals that seem to be shared by all human cultures.

Question 25

Adherents to __________ acknowledge not only that certain central cultural values are shared by most people in a society,but also that certain important differences deserve to be preserved.

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

Question 26

The book asserts that each of the following is a function of language EXCEPT:

A)Language gives permanence to a culture.
B)Language gives identity to a people.
C)Language is never used by some groups to dominate others in a collective.
D)Language is a representation of reality.
E)Language can be a source of cultural pride.

Question 27

Danny looks at U.S.culture differently than Maria.In turn,he studies how many different immigrant communities in the United States maintain more or less separate cultures but might still manage to participate equally in economic and political life.He is studying:

A)primitive accumulation
B)assimilation
C)cultural resistance
D)nationalism
E)multiculturalism

Question 28

Shannon notes that women in some cultures voluntarily alter their bodies with sometimes painful piercings that look weird from the point of view of her culture.She takes from this that women in those cultures must be horribly oppressed compared to women in her own culture.Shannon's position might be best interpreted as:

A)social psychological
B)ethnocentrism
C)cultural relativism
D)historical materialism
E)bureaucratic collectivism

Question 29

__________is the process by which different cultures are absorbed into a single mainstream culture.

A)Multiculturalism
B)Ethnocentrism
C)Apoliticism
D)Assimilation
E)Cultural relativism

Question 30

__________ is one of the best examples for demonstrating both the unity and the diversity of human culture,because there are no cultures without it.

A)Dental care
B)Medicalization
C)Psychiatry
D)Monogamy
E)Language

Question 31

__________ might be defined as judging other cultures in terms of the standards of one's own.

A)Multiculturalism
B)Ethnocentrism
C)Apoliticism
D)Assimilation
E)Cultural relativism

Question 32

Ana is studying the ways different societies socially sanction and formally approve of certain sexual relationships.She is researching:

A)language
B)morality
C)marriage
D)material culture
E)cultural universals

Question 33

The practice of judging a society by its own standards is called:

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

Question 34

Karl notes that in all human societies,people use symbols to communicate ideas to one another.Karl is taking note of:

A)language
B)morality
C)marriage
D)political economy
E)ethnographic methods

Question 35

According to the text,two cultural universals particularly stand out in human societies.They are __________ and __________ .

A)ways of expressing meaning; material goods
B)material goods; money
C)market relations; ways of expressing meaning
D)market relations; money
E)ways of expressing meaning; capital accumulation

Question 36

Maria wants to look at how immigrant communities in the United States come to acquire the dominant culture into which they have moved.She is studying the process of:

A)primitive accumulation
B)assimilation
C)cultural resistance
D)nationalism
E)multiculturalism

Question 37

The __________ argues that the language we use influences our perceptions of the world.

A)theorem of symbolic order
B)hypothesis of communication
C)linguistic relativity hypothesis
D)structuration theory
E)hypothesis of symbolic codes

Question 38

Juanita is studying why some behaviors and social relations seem to be a part of every human society.She is researching:

A)language
B)morality
C)marriage
D)material culture
E)cultural universals

Question 39

Why do sociologists try to avoid judging other cultures based on their own cultural values?

A)because no culture could ever possibly be better than any other in any regard
B)because sociologists do not make value judgments
C)because first we must examine the institutions that give rise to these cultures
D)because human cultures vary so widely that people belonging to one culture frequently find it difficult to understand the ideas or behavior of those from a different culture
E)because human cultures cannot be reasonably compared, as each of them springs from the natural human condition

Question 40

Yang is researching how many groups that live in Spain seem to have their own sets of norms and values that are at times different from mainstream Spanish norms and values.Which sociological concept best describes what he is studying?

A)political economy
B)ritual ascendance
C)postmodernism
D)essentialism
E)subcultures

Question 41

A __________ is used to describe any vehicle of meaning-any set of elements used to communicate,including all types of communication.

A)language
B)signifier
C)gesture
D)word
E)script

Question 42

According to the text,writing serves all of the following functions EXCEPT:

A)It can be a means of storing information.
B)It can serve the administrative needs of society.
C)It can be used to pass information on to other species.
D)It can allow societies to locate themselves in a particular time and space.
E)It can allow for documents that record information about the past.

Question 43

Danny studies winks,waves,language,smiles,frowns,laughs,and any other kind of symbolic communication.What is he is researching?

A)material culture
B)signifiers
C)tools
D)cultural relativism
E)functionalism

Question 44

Jia Yin notes that in many countries,industrial development is,more or less,nonexistent.She is taking note of the:

A)Appalachian Trail
B)McDonaldization of society
C)industrializing of countries
D)developing world
E)urban core

Question 45

Ricky notes in his comparative historical research that one group he studied was not fully industrialized and relied primarily on domesticated livestock for its livelihood.This group would best be classified as:

A)pastoral
B)agrarian
C)industrial
D)hunter-gatherer
E)postmodern

Question 46

The book refers to the emergence of machine production based on the use of inanimate power resources (such as steam or electricity)as:

A)capitalism
B)communization
C)feudal progression
D)linearity
E)industrialization

Question 47

Sociologists often refer to less developed societies,in which industrial production is either virtually nonexistent or only developed to a limited degree,as:

A)the developing world
B)core nations
C)McDonaldized societies
D)nontraditionalist societies
E)trade bureaucracies

Question 48

Chen studies the process through which Brazil is shifting from workers mostly working in fields and living in rural villages to people living in cities and working in factories,offices,and the like.He is noting how Brazil is becoming a(n)__________ society?

A)pastoral
B)agrarian
C)industrial
D)hunter-gatherer
E)postmodern

Question 49

Rosa notes in her comparative historical research that one group she studied was sedentary but was not fully industrialized and relied primarily on crops as its means of livelihood.This group would best be classified as:

A)pastoral
B)agrarian
C)industrial
D)hunter-gatherer
E)postmodern

Question 50

According to the text,what percentage of human societies uses speech?

A)100 percent
B)75 percent
C)50 percent
D)25 percent
E)15 percent

Question 51

Societies whose means of subsistence are based on agricultural production (crop growing)are called __________ societies.

A)pastoral
B)urban
C)agrarian
D)industrialized
E)nomadic

Question 52

Although the majority of developing countries lag well behind societies of the West,some have now successfully embarked on a process of industrialization.These are sometimes referred to as:

A)newly industrializing economies
B)McDonaldizing societies
C)emergent cities
D)sustainable developments
E)Korean models

Question 53

Sweta studies how Britain came to control large parts of India before the Indian independence movement.It could be said that she is studying:

A)liberation theology
B)nationalization
C)primitivism
D)anarchist economics
E)colonialism

Question 54

The process whereby Western nations established their rule in parts of the world away from their home territories is called:

A)McDonaldization
B)cultural appropriation
C)ethnocentrism
D)colonialism
E)Manifest Destiny

Question 55

Alice studies how subcultures use verbal and nonverbal cues to produce meanings in opposition to the dominant culture.Her studies would best be described as:

A)cultural relativism
B)functionalism
C)semiotics
D)material culture
E)linguistics

Question 56

Societies whose subsistence derives from the rearing of domesticated animals are called __________societies.

A)agrarian
B)industrialized
C)postmodern
D)pastoral
E)millenarian

Question 57

Medina is looking at the historical period in which smaller groupings of humans developed into much larger societies,often ruled by kings,queens,and emperors with the creation of cities and increasing inequality.She is studying the birth of what most sociologists call:

A)currency
B)religion
C)spirituality
D)art
E)civilization

Question 58

According to the text,compared with larger societies-particularly modern societies,such as the United States-most hunting and gathering groups were:

A)egalitarian
B)brutish
C)nasty
D)authoritarian
E)complex

Question 59

Hector is doing research on a tribe called the Malagasians.This group organizes itself in highly participatory ways,moves around a lot,and affords older people a lot of respect within the group.This group could be described as:

A)pastoral
B)agrarian
C)industrial
D)hunter-gatherer
E)postmodern

Question 60

Frank notices that at some point in relatively recent times,humans in some places began using machines powered by non-human means such as steam and coal.Frank is noting what process?

A)stone-cutting
B)communization
C)industrialization
D)state formation
E)political process

Question 61

What is multiculturalism,and why does it matter?

Question 62

What is culture?

Question 63

What is the "nature/nurture" debate,and why are sociologists concerned with it?

Question 64

Describe the difference between values and norms.What are some examples of each?

Question 65

Shannon studies the fact that globalization seems to spread largely Western values,but some communities stress belonging to a given national community even more-at times,seemingly,as a response to the rise of globalizing processes.Shannon is studying:

A)nationalism
B)the balance of class forces
C)social stratification
D)state gendering projects
E)selectivity filters

Question 66

What are some cultural universals,and what can they tell us about human societies?

Question 67

Why might sociologists criticize the idea that the world is contemporarily made up of many different,isolated cultures?

A)The idea assumes that we can provide a reasonably coherent definition of "culture."
B)Sociologists might note the rise of the Internet and globalization as features of different cultures being connected.
C)Sociologists would likely criticize the idea because of its underlying multiculturalism.
D)The idea suggests that human communities actually have different cultures, when we have empirically shown that culture is the same everywhere.
E)Sociologists would suggest that first we need to look at universal conceptions of gender since culture is an effect of gender.

Question 68

What are societies,and what role does culture play within them?

Question 69

The book asserts that material goods can carry with them powerful cultural and social meanings.What are some ways that clothing expresses social values and culture?

Question 70

How does instinct differ from culture,and why is the distinction important to sociologists?

Question 71

What is cultural relativism,and what are some possible benefits and pitfalls of it?

Question 72

Juliana notes in her research that new means of communicating seem to be creating the possibilities for a new global culture and have even been helpful in organizing protests and social movement actions in places such as Tunisia,Egypt,and Kuwait.It is likely that Juliana will be studying __________ as part of this research project.

A)telegraphs
B)the rise of snail mail
C)the Internet
D)Morse code
E)indigeneity

Question 73

Deric studies Singapore and the process through which it has begun developing a strong industrial base.It might be said that he is studying:

A)newly industrializing economies
B)the sequestration of human experience
C)micro-finance
D)core countries
E)agrarian economies

Question 74

What are subcultures,and why are they important for sociological studies?

Question 75

__________ is a sense of identification with one's people that is expressed through a common set of strongly held beliefs.Sometimes these include the belief that the people of a particular nation have historical or God-given rights that supersede those of other people.

A)Conflict theory
B)Nationalism
C)Ethnic enclaving
D)Disidentification
E)Self-reflection