Deck 2: Culture

Question 1

Discuss and give examples of cultural hegemony. 

Answer 1

Cultural hegemony refers to the domination or leadership of one culture over others, often through the use of political and economic power. This can result in the imposition of the dominant culture's values, beliefs, and norms on the subordinate cultures, leading to the marginalization and suppression of alternative cultural expressions.

One example of cultural hegemony is the spread of American popular culture around the world. Through the global reach of Hollywood movies, American music, and fast food chains, the values and norms of American culture have become widely accepted and adopted in many countries. This can lead to the marginalization of local cultural expressions and the homogenization of global cultural diversity.

Another example is the historical dominance of European culture over its colonies during the era of imperialism. European powers imposed their language, religion, and social norms on the indigenous populations, often suppressing and erasing their traditional cultural practices.

In both of these examples, cultural hegemony can have negative effects on the diversity and richness of global cultures, as well as on the self-determination and identity of marginalized groups. It is important to recognize and challenge cultural hegemony in order to promote cultural diversity and equality.

Question 2

Discuss the role of cultural values in creating social stability and as the source of social conflict; give examples.

Answer 2

Cultural values play a significant role in creating social stability as well as being the source of social conflict. Cultural values are the beliefs, customs, and behaviors that are shared by a group of people and passed down from generation to generation. These values shape the way individuals within a society interact with each other and with the world around them.

In terms of creating social stability, cultural values provide a sense of identity and belonging for individuals within a society. When people share common values, they are more likely to cooperate and work together towards common goals. For example, in many Asian cultures, the value of collectivism and harmony promotes social stability by emphasizing the importance of group cohesion and cooperation.

On the other hand, cultural values can also be the source of social conflict when different groups within a society hold conflicting values. This can lead to tension, discrimination, and even violence. For example, in the United States, cultural values around race and ethnicity have been a source of social conflict for centuries, leading to issues such as segregation, discrimination, and racial violence.

In addition, cultural values can also clash with modern societal norms and values, leading to social conflict. For example, in many traditional societies, gender roles and expectations may conflict with modern ideas of gender equality, leading to social tensions and conflicts.

In conclusion, cultural values play a crucial role in creating social stability by providing a sense of identity and cooperation within a society. However, they can also be the source of social conflict when different groups hold conflicting values or when traditional values clash with modern societal norms. Understanding and addressing these cultural values is essential for promoting social harmony and addressing social conflicts.

Question 3

Compare and contrast folkways and mores. Provide an example of each.

Answer 3

Folkways and mores are both types of social norms, but they have some key differences.

Folkways are the traditional customs and manners of a society, and they are generally considered to be less serious than mores. They are the everyday behaviors and practices that are expected in a particular culture, but breaking a folkway is not usually met with severe consequences. For example, in some cultures, it is considered rude to eat with your hands, while in others it is perfectly acceptable.

Mores, on the other hand, are the fundamental beliefs and values of a society, and they are considered to be more serious than folkways. Mores are the moral and ethical standards that guide behavior, and breaking a more can result in serious social consequences. For example, in many societies, it is a more to not steal or commit murder.

In summary, folkways are the everyday customs and manners of a society, while mores are the fundamental beliefs and values that guide behavior. An example of a folkway is the way people greet each other, while an example of a more is the prohibition against stealing.

Question 4

Describe sanctions and how they function. Explain how proceeding "as if" often makes sanctions unnecessary.

Question 5

Define culture and illustrate three of its functions, using examples from your own life.

Question 6

List and discuss the four elements of culture presented in the text. Describe the functioning of each in your own life.

Question 7

Describe three ways in which culture can change, illustrating with current examples.

Question 8

Define and give two examples of global culture.

Question 9

Define cultural hegemony. Provide two examples.

Question 10

Define ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. What are the potential dangers and benefits associated with each? 

Question 11

Explain how language reinforces patterns of inequality in society. Provide an example.

Question 12

Identify the five characteristics of culture and discuss why each is important.

Question 13

Explain the reflection hypothesis. Discuss two observations from today's society that are consistent with it and two that are inconsistent.

Question 14

How are appeals to ethnocentrism being used in public discourse and political life today? Why has the use of ethnocentrism proven to be such a potent political tool?

Question 15

Culture is best described as

A) unitary.
B) monolithic.
C) singular.
D) multifaceted.

Question 16

How has the mass media shaped reactions to practice of "taking a knee" during the playing of the U.S. national anthem?

Question 17

Define cultural capital; give two examples from today's society.

Question 18

The complex system that includes a group's beliefs, values, dress, and way of life is called

A) counterculture
B) culture
C) social structure
D) subculture

Question 19

Define culture lag. Give two examples of culture lag that have occurred in the past decade.

Question 20

Explain the difference between subcultures and countercultures; give one example of each from today's society.

Question 21

Identify and explain the four sources of cultural change discussed in your text. Provide an example of each.

Question 22

Mores are

A) the ordinary customs of different group cultures.
B) strict norms that control moral and ethical behavior.
C) often upheld through laws that bring serious repercussions.
D) norms that provide strict codes of behavior.

Question 23

According to researchers who study culture and language,

A) terms like "handicapped" do not stigmatize people.
B) culture and language are unrelated.
C) terms for race are accurate depictions of human history.
D) language affects people's perception of reality.

Question 24

What is the relationship between language and social inequality?

A) Language may reproduce the inequalities that exist in society.
B) The language that people used in the past reflected stereotypes, but it no longer does.
C) Words are just words and reflect social status only if the listener wants them to.
D) Language rarely reflects the social value put on groups and when it does is frequently inaccurate.

Question 25

Which theoretical approach focuses on understanding taken-for-granted behaviors, such as those associated with following social norms, and might further that understanding by deliberately violating social norms and observing what happens?

A) Dramaturgy
B) Ethnomethodology
C) Exchange theory
D) Impression management

Question 26

Through ethnomethodological research, sociologists have learned all of the following except

A) most of the time, specific sanctions are not necessary to achieve conformity.
B) society exists because people behave as if there is no other way to do so.
C) when norms are violated, their existence becomes apparent.
D) social norms are less important among children than adults.

Question 27

Which of the following statements about values is true?

A) Values provide something for people to aspire to, but because they are so abstract, they cannot really guide behavior.
B) Because they are collectively held by society, values harmonize the society and are not significant sources of tension.
C) Values are ideals forming the abstract standards for group behavior, although those ideals may not always be realized.
D) It is differences in mores and folkways that produce rancorous disagreements, not differences in values.

Question 28

What is the relationship between other animals and humans, according to scientists?

A) Biology determines most social behavior in humans and other animals.
B) The natural environment is the biggest determinant of human behavior.
C) Other animals lack the elaborate symbol-based forms of knowing and communication that are common in human societies.
D) Other animals and humans are identical with regard to social behavior.

Question 29

Which of the following statements about values is true?

A) Values define what is considered desirable and morally correct.
B) Values are not effective guides for behavior because they are too abstract.
C) Societal values are actually realized or achieved most of the time.
D) Values almost always create conflict.

Question 30

. The richness of American culture stems from

A) its western European roots and their continued dominance.
B) the many traditions that different groups have brought to this society.
C) the acceptance of a common culture defined by the majority.
D) the willingness of immigrants to accept that traditional American culture.

Question 31

Two classic cultural concepts associated with the work of William Graham Sumner are

A) explicit and implicit norms.
B) folkways and mores.
C) dominant culture and subcultures.
D) culture traits and culture concepts.

Question 32

Sociologists define beliefs as

A) general standards of behavior adhered to by a group.
B) shared ideas held collectively by people within a given culture about what is true.
C) strict norms that control moral and ethical behavior.
D) codified guidelines that define right and wrong in society.

Question 33

America's dominant culture is characterized by which of the following?

A) Diversity
B) Middle-class values
C) Later-arriving immigrants
D) Asians and Latin Americans

Question 34

The strength or seriousness of social sanctions is

A) harsh regardless of how strictly the norm is held.
B) generally lighter for violations of folkways than violations of mores.
C) unrelated to the type of norm that is violated.
D) not something that sociologists consider in the study of norm violations.

Question 35

How does language influence patterns of social inequality?

A) Language has little effect on patterns of race or gender inequality.
B) Language may reproduce inequalities through stereotypes and assumptions that may be built into what people say.
C) Studies have consistently shown that what someone is called really doesn't matter since identity is developed internally by the individual.
D) While language affects patterns of race and gender inequality, there is no indication that it influences patterns of class inequality.

Question 36

Individuals who sexually assault children are often severely sanctioned. Such severe sanctions are a result of their having broken a

A) folkway.
B) more.
C) taboo.
D) custom.

Question 37

As an element of culture, language is important because

A) it enables a person to become a part of society.
B) it permits the formation of culture
C) it enables us to learn social skills.
D) All of these choices are true.

Question 38

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that

A) reality is the result of social inequality.
B) language provides the lens through which social reality is defined.
C) there is no relationship between language and culture.
D) language reflects social differences and therefore material culture.

Question 39

Which of the following statements is false with regard to beliefs?

A) Shared beliefs hold people in a group or society together.
B) Beliefs are the basis for many norms and values in a society.
C) Beliefs must be true in order for them to guide human behavior.
D) Beliefs may be so strongly held that it is difficult to consider any contradictory information.

Question 40

The Smith family always has the latest model of luxury vehicles even though they don't really need new vehicles every year. They also have the latest smartphones, tablets, and e-readers and a wide range of other luxury goods that they often manage to display to others. The Smith family is engaging in

A) conspicuous consumption.
B) counter-austerity.
C) economic posturing.
D) financial reciprocity.

Question 41

Ethnocentrism

A) can be subtle or extreme.
B) can be practiced only by dominant groups.
C) encourages intergroup understanding.
D) is another word for cultural relativism.

Question 42

Which quotation is most clearly an example of extreme ethnocentrism?

A) We must also acknowledge the pain and suffering reflected in the stories of Native Americans who had long resided on this land prior to the arrival of European newcomers.
B) Where did any other subgroup of people (other than White people) contribute to civilization?
C) We're one American family, and when any part of our family starts to feel separate or second-class or targeted, it tears at the very fabric of our nation.
D) We honor the vast contributions Jewish Americans have made to our world, and we recommit to standing up for the traditions we believe in and the values we share.

Question 43

Cultural relativism is the idea that

A) a phenomenon should be understood and judged only in relation its cultural context.
B) things should be viewed from one's own point of view.
C) culture is diffused throughout the world.
D) cultures are created in reaction to social change.

Question 44

The difference between subcultures and countercultures is that

A) countercultures reject and defy the dominant culture, while subcultures exist within and share some elements with the dominant culture.
B) subcultures are created as a reaction to the dominant culture, and countercultures are simply a modification of some of the dominant culture's norms.
C) countercultures retreat from the dominant culture, and subcultures remain within the dominant culture to actively oppose it.
D) as they become better established, subcultures always lead to the development of countercultures.

Question 45

Subcultures are defined as groups whose values and norms of behavior

A) stand in direct opposition to those of the dominant culture.
B) differ to some degree from those of the dominant culture.
C) have eclipsed those of the dominant culture.
D) rigidly adhere to those of the dominant culture.

Question 46

Members of a subculture

A) are never well integrated into the dominant culture.
B) share the same practices, values, and beliefs as the members of the dominant culture.
C) exist within and share some elements of the dominant culture.
D) are indistinguishable from members of the dominant culture.

Question 47

The average person spends about _____ hours per day on some form of media (smartphone, tablet, television, radio, and other devices) .

A) 5
B) 7
C) 9
D) 11

Question 48

Although earlier immigrants to the United States were predominantly from Europe, today most new immigrants come to the United States from

A) southern and eastern Europe.
B) Asia and Latin America.
C) the Middle East and Africa.
D) South America and the Caribbean.

Question 49

Mass median refers to channels of communication that

A) are available to wide segments of the population.
B) serve as counterpoints to popular culture.
C) support an ethnorelativistic point of view.
D) actively oppress marginalized groups.

Question 50

Norms, values, laws, and customs are all examples of _____ culture.

A) high
B) material
C) nonmaterial
D) nontraditional

Question 51

The concept of cultural hegemony implies that culture is highly _____ since those in control of cultural institutions can control people's awareness by creating cultural beliefs that make the rule of those in power seem inevitable and right.

A) politicized
B) relativistic
C) heterogeneous
D) individualistic

Question 52

Some argue that many of the recent conflicts in the world are the result of a struggle between the values of a consumer-based, capitalist Western culture and the

A) influence of socialist cultures.
B) values of a merchant-based Eastern culture.
C) traditional values of local communities.
D) global environmental movement.

Question 53

Television is so ever-present in people's lives that today about _____ of U.S. households are "constant television households" in which the television is on almost all the time.

A) 2 percent
B) 12 percent
C) 24 percent
D) 42 percent

Question 54

Which of the following statements is false regarding ethnocentrism?

A) Ethnocentrism may be a strong force for group solidarity.
B) Only Americans are ethnocentric.
C) Ethnocentrism discourages intergroup understanding.
D) One's own culture is taken for granted, so it may be difficult to understand other people's culture.

Question 55

The text describes an experiment in which students did without media, including cell phones, television, and other devices. Students reported they felt

A) more connected to their friends.
B) alienated, isolated, and detached.
C) relieved since they were not pressured to respond to others.
D) anxious at first, but they came to enjoy their tech vacations.

Question 56

The diffusion of a single culture throughout the world is termed

A) cultural commerce.
B) cultural relativism.
C) global culture.
D) infusion.

Question 57

From the perspective of cultural relativism, in order to understand a particular cultural practice, we must know

A) how much harm it does.
B) whether or not it is practiced by the majority of people in a society.
C) the cultural values that it is based on.
D) how it compares to the practices of our own culture.

Question 58

Which of the following was organized by a counterculture in support of its values?

A) The Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville.
B) The Women's March on Washington
C) St. Patrick's Day Marches
D) The March for Science

Question 59

The discussion of birthday traditions demonstrates that

A) some forms of celebration are universal.
B) even seemingly "normal" practices have cultural roots.
C) American birthday traditions represent cultural lag.
D) U.S. culture dominates globally, even in birthday practices.

Question 60

In every society, the dominant culture is

A) the only culture in society.
B) the culture of the most powerful group.
C) strongly influenced by minority subcultures.
D) always the culture of the majority of people.

Question 61

Conflict theorists view culture in which of the following ways?

A) A form of integration
B) Controlled by economic monopolies
C) Multiple interests
D) A form of stability around other areas of conflict

Question 62

Which statement is consistent with the reflection hypothesis?

A) Media elites deliberately try to manipulate what is on television in order to destroy traditional values.
B) As society has become more accepting of multiracial families, more multiracial families have been seen on television.
C) Popular media makes up a fantasy world that neither influences nor is influenced by society.
D) The media is trying to reshape society so that the rich and powerful will remain in power.

Question 63

As it invaded countries, ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also called ISIL and Daesh) often destroyed ancient, precious monuments and artwork. How can this be understood using the concept of cultural capital?

A) The monuments were deemed important by the culture that ISIS sought to supplant. By destroying them, ISIS sought to destroy that culture.
B) The monuments were literally in their way, and their destruction was a matter of expediency.
C) The monuments could be converted to cash if they were properly disassembled, so ISIS destroyed them to prevent it.
D) The monuments were simply irrelevant, and ISIS needed the materials to build houses and roads.

Question 64

Which of the following is true about prime-time media?

A) Women are often the large majority of characters.
B) Women are presented as professionals late in their careers.
C) Black women are accurately depicted.
D) Men are a large majority of the characters shown.

Question 65

The digital divide refers to

A) inequality based on access to electronic information.
B) differences in technology.
C) differences in perception of media.
D) None of the answer choices are correct.

Question 66

The theoretical perspective that examines how culture creates group identity from diverse cultural meanings is

A) functionalism.
B) conflict theory.
C) symbolic interaction.
D) new cultural studies.

Question 67

Cultural hegemony refers to

A) the commercialization of the media.
B) the excessive influence of one culture in society.
C) the resistance of localized cultures to the dominant culture.
D) the modern proliferation of subcultures.

Question 68

Which of the following statements is false regarding how conflict theorists view culture?

A) Cultural conflict may be driven by intense group hatred.
B) Culture is dominated by economic interests.
C) Culture promotes solidarity within society.
D) Culture is produced within institutions that perpetuate inequality.

Question 69

Which statement would a classical sociologist be most likely to make?

A) In recent years, architecture has changed to make buildings more accessible to individuals with disabilities.
B) In recent years, norms regarding interactions with marginalized groups, such as LGBTQ individuals, have changed markedly.
C) In recent years, music videos have become one of the most popular ways to experience music.
D) In recent years, e-books have become increasingly popular among young adults.

Question 70

The growth of media conglomerates means that fewer organizations are involved in producing and distributing culture. Which of the following is not a consequence of this growth?

A) There may be less diversity in content of the media.
B) People may conform to the interests of the dominant groups without realizing they are doing so.
C) Cultural messages in the media become more homogeneous.
D) Over time, there inevitably will be a single corporation controlling all media sources.

Question 71

Which statement would a conflict theorist be likely to make?

A) Popular culture is produced by corporations that serve the interests of the 1 percent.
B) Popular culture gives average people an opportunity to see how their lives could be.
C) Popular culture reflects life the way it really is-the good, the bad, and the ugly.
D) Popular culture has no real point and no real influence-it is just a way to pass time.

Question 72

What did Max Weber find about the relationship between Protestantism and capitalism?

A) By promoting the values of selfless service and compassion for those who are suffering, Protestantism effectively worked against the interests of an emerging capitalist economy.
B) Capitalism effectively corrupted Protestantism, turning wealth into a sign of divine favoritism and salvation.
C) By promoting a strong work ethic and a need to display material success as a sign of religious salvation, the Protestant work ethic indirectly but effectively promoted the interests of an emerging capitalist economy.
D) Because the doctrines of capitalism are fundamentally inconsistent with the practices of capitalism, they are incompatible.

Question 73

Which of the following is an example of nonmaterial culture?

A) Media
B) Artwork
C) Ideas
D) Cars

Question 74

Recent research on the content of television programs has found that

A) the popular media has been influential in expanding the boundaries of what is considered female beauty.
B) the working class is now depicted as composed of intelligent and involved members of society.
C) there has been a recent increase in the portrayal of gays and lesbians.
D) images of racism have increased despite the decline of racism within the larger society.

Question 75

According to Max Weber,

A) the capitalist economy is the most beneficial to a culture.
B) culture is a source of power.
C) culture influences other institutions.
D) nonmaterial and material culture are equally important.

Question 76

With its focus on the increasing importance of material culture, cultural studies is most closely related to

A) functionalism.
B) conflict theory.
C) symbolic interaction.
D) feminist theory.

Question 77

Content analyses of media show that there are patterns for how race, gender, and social class are presented. For example, research on the content of television reveals that

A) during prime time, the majority of television characters are women.
B) Hispanics have caught up with Whites and are now equally well represented on television.
C) more women are shown in professional roles, and beauty has become much less important.
D) racial and gender stereotypes continue to dominate on television.

Question 78

According to symbolic interactionists, culture

A) serves the interests of powerful groups.
B) creates group identity from diverse cultural meaning.
C) provides coherence and stability to society.
D) is unpredictable and constantly changing.

Question 79

Cultural capital refers to cultural resources that

A) can easily be sold.
B) are deemed worthy.
C) give enjoyment to many.
D) reside only in museums.

Question 80

Which statement about characters in programs on the major U.S. television networks is the most accurate?

A) Professional women are young, thin, and beautiful.
B) South Asians are generally cast as physicians or computer scientists.
C) Hispanics are generally cast as musicians or athletes.
D) The majority of characters are women.