Deck 5: Intercultural Communication

Question 1

The first step to effective intercultural communication is regarded as:

A) acceptance and understanding of cultural differences.
B) acceptance of the beliefs of another culture.
C) understanding and enjoying another culture.
D) recognising another culture.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What underpins effective intercultural communication?

A) The customs and behaviour of other people.
B) Interaction with another culture.
C) The awareness, knowledge and skills to communicate across cultures.
D) Benchmarks, organisations and individuals.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

From where does culture derive?

A) Knowledge
B) Assumptions, beliefs, values and behaviours
C) Communication between different people
D) Art and literature

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The intercultural contexts for internalised rules include:

A) sense and use of time.
B) politeness.
C) nonverbal behaviours and their meaning.
D) business, social and interpersonal contexts.

Question 5

All interactions in intercultural communication occur in:

A) context.
B) business environments.
C) communities.
D) families.

Question 6

What is the name given to individuals who work across boundaries?

A) Public relations officers.
B) Boundary spanners.
C) Ice breakers.
D) Cultural promoters.

Question 7

Which of the following BEST represents what culture is?

A) Culture is dynamic and changing over time.
B) Culture is learned social behaviours that develop over time.
C) Culture is so pervasive that we rarely notice how it affects us.
D) all of the above.

Question 8

Intercultural communication can BEST be described as:

A) a sharing of culture-specific communication codes and styles.
B) the circumstance in which people from different cultural backgrounds are engaged in communication.
C) the process of communication between people of the same nation.
D) the codes and styles which have the potential to impact on communication.

Question 9

In a high-context culture:

A) a large part of the message is implied in the message's context.
B) the words in the message are explicit.
C) members in a negotiation tend to move quickly to a decision.
D) all of the above.

Question 10

In intercultural communication:

A) the sharing of meanings will bring about agreement.
B) body language will reveal what the other party thinks and feels.
C) the sharing of meanings may or may not bring about agreement.
D) making the effort to understand the other is the critical issue.

Question 11

The purpose of meetings and banquets with potential business partners in China is to:

A) understand high-context and low-context cultures.
B) negotiate the tension between cultures.
C) build up good business relationships and trust.
D) examine the business and collect business cards.

Question 12

Which of the following is an effect of having an understanding of theories of intercultural communication and a willingness and ability to apply them in business?

A) It enables us to avoid cultural change.
B) It increases the gap between different cultures.
C) It enables organisations and people to transcend cultural differences.
D) It decreases the need for communication between cultures.

Question 13

We internalise the rules of interaction within our culture as part of which process?

A) acculturation.
B) enculturation.
C) ethnocentrism.
D) cultural relativism.

Question 14

Why is Intercultural communication competence highly desirable?

A) Due to there being an increase in cultural diversity in all nations and greater levels of interaction across cultures.
B) Because it leads to more effective networking at the local level.
C) It is important to have strategies for managing differences in communication.
D) Because it might greatly benefit businesses exclusively.

Question 15

A definition of culture is problematic because it is:

A) abstract and means different things to different people.
B) the result of biological inheritance.
C) an accumulation of knowledge.
D) multi-dimensional and multi-layered.

Question 16

Cultural relativists believe that:

A) each co-culture needs to be clear about what is right and wrong.
B) different cultures might have different values, beliefs and views of what is right and wrong but this is understandable and acceptable.
C) each culture will enforce what is right and wrong on another society.
D) deep down we are all related culturally as recent DNA discoveries indicate that all humans have a common biological ancestry.

Question 17

What is the main idea behind the concepts of high context and low context?

A) Defining different cultures.
B) Classifying differences in communication.
C) Helping improve mass communication.
D) Knowing and valuing one another.

Question 18

Why can the process of adapting to a new culture be difficult?

A) Due to focusing on similarities in social norms between the two cultures.
B) Due to focusing on differences as strengths rather than adopting an unbalanced view.
C) Due to acculturation.
D) Due to conflicting social norms and attempts to retain previous culture.

Question 19

The most widely accepted definition of culture is the collective view of people who believe their own values and beliefs are the right ones to hold in every society.

Question 20

Acculturation involves the adaptation of language, cultural beliefs and values of the majority group as:

A) an instantaneous process.
B) a formal process.
C) a multidimensional process.
D) a process of conflict.

Question 21

Language and the meaning of words learnt within a culture reflect:

A) the tone and pitch of voice and gestures.
B) the culture's values.
C) that which is left unsaid and only inferred.
D) knowledge of self.

Question 22

What is left unsaid and only inferred is often more significant than what is said.

Question 23

Is there an appropriate attitude towards other cultures. Why/why not? Discuss, giving examples to support your answer.

Question 24

Acculturation is an active ongoing process of language involvement.

Question 25

Culture is transmitted, maintained and sustained through learning, enculturation and the group.

Question 26

Culture derives from the assumptions, beliefs, values, attitudes, norms and rules shared by a society or another group.

Question 27

The cultural components of particular importance in intercultural communication are the perceptual elements, patterns of cognition, verbal behaviours, nonverbal behaviours and the influence of context.

Question 28

The higher the context of culture is, the more quickly people get involved in their business.

Question 29

Discuss the concepts of enculturation, acculturation, ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. Give examples to explain their differences.

Question 30

Why can awareness of language use and the meaning of words prevent communication barriers?

A) Some cultures justification is put before the main point.
B) Some cultures 'yes' may not mean 'yes'.
C) Language is dynamic and changes over time.
D) All of the above.

Question 31

The concept of ethnocentrism is the opposite of cultural relativism.

Question 32

Perception of what is being said is determined by our background experiences.

Question 33

Discuss the relationship between culture and communication. What impact does this relationship have in multinational business?

Question 34

Formality and the appropriate use of titles are unimportant in a high-context culture.

Question 35

The world of communication can be divided into three parts: words, materials and behaviour.

Question 36

Enculturation is the process of cultural adjustment and adaptation people experience as they move from one culture to another.

Question 37

The stages of individual adaptation to another culture are

A) correct attitudes, beliefs, trust.
B) misunderstanding, understanding, adaptation.
C) perceptual element, pattern of cognition, verbal and nonverbal behaviour.
D) surprise at incorrect assumptions, making sense of new experiences, new understandings.

Question 38

Intracultural communication describes the process of communication between people of different nationalities.

Question 39

How are rules applied to the nonverbal parts of the message learnt?

A) By members of the same culture.
B) By members of a different culture.
C) Through common sense.
D) By individuals who know the rules from different cultures.

Question 40

Culture influences the way we think, feel and behave as a group of people.

Question 41

The changeable dimension of the power differential within a culture includes:

A) race.
B) gender.
C) socioeconomic status.
D) all of the above.

Question 42

What is the classification for the nonverbal communication relating to whether a person's nonverbal cues suggest lying?

A) Relational nonverbal
B) Deceptive nonverbal
C) Status messages
D) Perception

Question 43

Discrimination involves overt actions by nations, institutions, groups or individuals to:

A) create stereotypes about another cultural group.
B) exclude, avoid or distance another cultural group.
C) generate prejudice against a cultural group.
D) promote negative attitudes towards a custom.

Question 44

The value systems of a society affect:

A) religious practices.
B) legal, social, political and economic practices.
C) relationships to the physical environment.
D) mass communication.

Question 45

Which of the following statements BEST reflects the impact religion has on business customs and practices in a country?

A) Religion is generally minimal and inconsequential.
B) The impact of religion depends on other factors in the environment that modify the impact.
C) Religion influences how status is identified within the society.
D) All of the above.

Question 46

Intercultural interaction generally reduces levels of uncertainty and anxiety.

Question 47

What often generates intercultural misunderstanding, tension and conflict?

A) Acculturative thinking.
B) Enculturative behaviour.
C) Cultural relativism.
D) Ethnocentric behaviour.

Question 48

Intercultural discord can be complicated when:

A) issues are resolved.
B) conflict is inevitable.
C) different conflict-management styles occur.
D) ambiguity is absent.

Question 49

How people relate to each other, how they manage themselves and what they view as acceptable behaviour are determined by:

A) social institutions and their norms
B) both parties in an interaction
C) the foundation of the cultural process
D) different roles and status within the social institutions

Question 50

The natural linguistic tendency to organise phenomena into meaningful categories can generate which of the following?

A) Perceptions.
B) Pride.
C) Stereotypes.
D) Experience.

Question 51

Discriminatory behaviours result from stereotyping or prejudice.

Question 52

Some of the aspects of nonverbal communication influenced by culture are tone of voice, inflection, rate of speech, facial expression, touching, use of space and body movement.

Question 53

Intercultural communication barriers arise when either party demonstrates ethnocentricity.

Question 54

Intercultural confusion, tension and misunderstanding are caused when:

A) we don't aim to recognise, and then understand, cultural differences.
B) we are aware of the specific cultural 'rules' of the other party.
C) the behaviour of the other party differs from our own behaviour.
D) there is insufficient time to overcome differences.

Question 55

Communication rules apply only to nonverbal and informal behaviour.

Question 56

Social institutions and their norms determine how people relate to each other, how they manage themselves and what they view as acceptable behaviour.

Question 57

Perception of power is stable in intercultural communication.

Question 58

Nonverbal cues can only be personal, not cultural or universal.

Question 59

Intonation, colloquialisms and accent are classed as which type of barrier to intercultural communication?

A) Emotional
B) Language
C) Linguistic
D) Perceptual

Question 60

What is a major barrier to intercultural communication and understanding?

A) Interaction with another culture.
B) Awareness of differences between cultures.
C) Interacting and communicating with members within a culture.
D) Using one's own culture to interpret all other cultures.

Question 61

Which of the following is NOT one of Hofstede's four dimensions of culture?

A) Power distance
B) Religion
C) Individualism
D) Uncertainty avoidance

Question 62

The 'culture-general' approach to learning about other cultures refers to a development of:

A) cultural awareness and sensitivity.
B) awareness of differences in styles, intentions and verbal and nonverbal communication.
C) taking personal responsibility for communicating.
D) all of the above.

Question 63

Discuss the idea of intercultural communication competence. Can you be competent in all cultures? Why or why not? Give examples of how communication competence can improve your business.

Question 64

Which of Hofstede's four dimensions of culture refers to how tolerant members of a society are when it comes to inequality with respect to status?

A) Masculinity
B) Individualism
C) Power distance
D) Uncertainty avoidance

Question 65

Discuss the possible challenges a senior female manager might encounter when doing business with elements of a business group based in other countries. Consider the possible impact of cultural dimensions and values.

Question 66

Failure to appreciate a religion's significance in a specific culture can increase one's perceived power.

Question 67

Compare and contrast the cultural dimensions identified by Hofstede on the one hand and Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner on the other. What overlaps and differences exist among these cultural dimensions?

Question 68

How is intercultural communication competence gained?

A) Through understanding other cultures.
B) Through understanding one's own culture as well as other cultures.
C) By maintaining behavioural flexibility.
D) By maintaining transparency in financial transactions.

Question 69

According to Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, expression of emotion is repressed in neutral cultures, but expression of emotion is open and viewed as natural in affective cultures.

Question 70

The concept of diversity relates to age, language, ethnicity, cultural background and sexual orientation but not to education level, life experience, or work experience.

Question 71

Bella believes that status is derived from one's own achievements rather than through age, education and connections. Bella is from an ascribing culture.

Question 72

The 'culture-specific' approach to learning about other cultures traditionally refers to acquiring:

A) cultural awareness and sensitivity about yours and other cultures.
B) communication, sensitivity and being alert to differences.
C) knowledge particular to the other culture.
D) 'mental software' to be used in exchanges with other specific cultures.

Question 73

Identify the barriers to intercultural communication. How can these barriers be removed in a business environment? Give examples of the implications of this in business.

Question 74

Discuss the relationship between language and culture. Explain this relationship with examples from two cultures.

Question 75

What strategies might you implement in your organisation to promote intercultural communication competence?

Question 76

Fiona and Ana are planning their first business trip to Singapore. Fiona has decided to learn the specific customs as well as the history and tips on behaviour through forums and asking colleagues who have been there on holiday. Ana has asked her Singaporean colleagues if she can virtually attend some meetings to be able to observe how they interact (verbally and non-verbally) with one another before she goes to work out there. Which person has adopted a cultural-specific approach?

A) Ana.
B) Ana and Fiona.
C) Fiona.
D) Neither Ana nor Fiona.

Question 77

In specific cultures, people get straight to the point when speaking, but in diffuse cultures, people discuss business only after relationships have been established.

Question 78

Intercultural competence is developed through understanding how we perceive and react to our own cultural rules and those of others.

Question 79

Ambiguity in intercultural communication tends to make people respond with a 'default conflict style' that is often productive.