Deck 2: Culture

Question 1

The story of Helen Keller,who became blind and deaf,shows how the development of our humanity depends on the ability to understand and use symbols.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The emergence of computer-based instant messaging shows how new symbols are being created all the time.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The gesture we commonly call "thumbs up" is used in most of the world's societies to signify that something is very good.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The Sapir-Whorf thesis states that the language we use shapes the reality we perceive.

Question 5

People in the United States tend to view the past as being better than the present.

Question 6

Values are standards that serve as broad guidelines for social living.

Question 7

All written languages are intended to be read from left to right.

Question 8

Cultural transmission cannot take place unless people have a written language.

Question 9

An example of nonmaterial culture would be the types of vehicles people use to get around.

Question 10

People around the world have much the same outward appearance and wear the same clothing and bodily decoration.

Question 11

English is the first language of only 5% of humanity,but it has become the preferred second language throughout most of the world.

Question 12

Experiencing an unfamiliar culture can generate culture shock.

Question 13

Understanding symbols allows people to make sense of their surroundings.

Question 14

Symbols refer to anything that carries meaning that is recognized by people who share a culture.

Question 15

For at least 12,000 years,humans have used culture as a strategy for survival.

Question 16

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

Question 17

Culture is the ways of thinking,ways of acting,and material objects that together form a people's way of life.

Question 18

Most people in the United States share the value that everyone should not only have equality of opportunity,but also equality in all aspects of social standing.

Question 19

The Census Bureau reports that only ten different languages are spoken in the United States.

Question 20

The same way of life is "natural" to humans everywhere.

Question 21

Multiculturalists claim that,over the course of U.S.history,most non-English immigrants were advised to adopt the cultural patterns of the English-their "betters"-rather than "melt in."

Question 22

Mores are norms that have great moral significance.

Question 23

Cultural lag refers to the fact that some cultural elements change more quickly than others.

Question 24

Cultural change results from invention,discovery,and diffusion.

Question 25

The structural-functional approach sees culture as a relatively stable system of integrated patterns people use to meet their needs.

Question 26

Rock-and-roll music in the United States is one cultural trait that has nothing in common with music that was popular a short time before it emerged.

Question 27

In general,low-income nations have cultures that value individualism and personal self-expression.

Question 28

Cultural values in the United States always go together-they are all consistent with one another.

Question 29

Subculture is more at odds with dominant culture than counterculture.

Question 30

Cultural relativism means using your own cultural standards to evaluate another culture.

Question 31

Afrocentrism refers to the dominance of European cultural patterns.

Question 32

Across the United States,mores vary more than folkways.

Question 33

Cultural values in high-income nations tend to be secular and rational,giving greater importance to personal self-expression.

Question 34

Japan is more multicultural than the United States.

Question 35

Most people participate in numerous subcultures without necessarily becoming very committed to any of them.

Question 36

The U.S.has a popular culture,but not a high culture.

Question 37

Technology refers to knowledge people use to make a way of life in their surroundings.

Question 38

Values and norms help to define a society's "ideal culture."

Question 39

One emerging value in the United States is the importance of personal growth,including spiritual activity.

Question 40

Compared to cultures around the world,the way of life in the United States emphasizes individualism.

Question 41

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

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

Question 42

The United States is multicultural because

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

Question 43

Experts have documented almost _______ languages around the world.

A)70
B)700
C)7,000
D)7 million

Question 44

Cultural universals refer to patterns that are held by everyone in a society.

Question 45

The CHAPTER's opening story of the diversity initiative at Charles Schwab & Co.shows us that

A)various minorities respond to the same advertising in exactly the same way.
B)Asian American immigrants prefer English to their native language when they are doing business.
C)learning more about cultural diversity can help a company boost sales.
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 46

As a part of human culture,religion is an example of

A)material culture.
B)nonmaterial culture.
C)culture shock.
D)human nature.

Question 47

Cultural transmission refers to the process of

A)cultural patterns moving from one society to another.
B)using the oral tradition.
C)passing cultural patterns from one generation to another.
D)using writing to enshrine cultural patterns.

Question 48

The United States is the most _______ of all countries.

A)multicultural
B)culturally uniform
C)slowly changing
D)nonmaterial

Question 49

The intangible world of ideas created by members of a society is referred to as

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

Question 50

The fact that text messaging is based on a new set of symbols shows us that

A)today's young people are creating new symbols.
B)there are many ways to use symbols to communicate.
C)culture changes over time.
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 51

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

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

Question 52

Sociobiology explores how human biology has shaped today's culture.

Question 53

It is fair to say that humans are prisoners of their existing culture.

Question 54

The term Homo sapiens,the name of our species,comes from Latin meaning

A)"person of culture."
B) "intelligent person."
C)"one who walks upright."
D)"person who evolves."

Question 55

Karl Marx argued that a society's economic system was shaped by its value system.

Question 56

Looking all around the world,what we find everywhere are

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

Question 57

Sociologists define a symbol as

A)anything that carries meaning to people who share a culture.
B)any material cultural trait.
C)any gesture that conveys insult to others.
D)social patterns that cause culture shock.

Question 58

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

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

Question 59

What is the term for the ways of thinking,ways of acting,and material objects that together form a people's way of life?

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

Question 60

The Amish way of life accepts most of the U.S.'s popular culture.

Question 61

Which of the following statements about technology is true?

A)Nations with more advanced technology are always superior to nations with less advanced technology.
B)Advanced technology improves life in some ways,but it also threatens life in other ways.
C)Access to technology is evenly distributed across any society's population.
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 62

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

A)high culture.
B)popular culture.
C)elite culture.
D)established culture.

Question 63

Wrongdoing,such as an adult forcing a child to engage in sexual activity,is an example of violating cultural

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

Question 64

Knowledge that people use to make a way of life in their surroundings is called

A)real culture.
B)ideal culture.
C)cultural transmission.
D)technology.

Question 65

Sociologists refer to tangible or physical human creations as

A)nonmaterial culture.
B)artifacts.
C)technology.
D)values.

Question 66

An act of kindness,such as opening the door for an elderly man,illustrates conforming to

A)mores.
B)taboos.
C)folkways.
D)proscriptive norms.

Question 67

__________ are rules about everyday,casual living;__________ are rules with great moral significance.

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

Question 68

Elements of social control in everyday life include

A)shame.
B)guilt.
C)sanctions,including the response of other people.
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 69

Standards by which people who share culture define what is desirable,good,and beautiful are called

A)folkways.
B)norms.
C)mores.
D)values.

Question 70

Core values of U.S.culture

A)always fit together easily.
B)change quickly,even from year to year.
C)are shared by absolutely everyone in a society.
D)are sometimes in conflict with one another.

Question 71

All of the following are values,identified by Robin Williams,as being central to U.S.culture EXCEPT

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

Question 72

As our society has entered a postindustrial,computer-based phase,which of the following has become more important?

A)learning to work with symbols by speaking,writing,and computing
B)gaining mechanical skills using industrial machinery
C)knowing more about the past
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 73

The fact that some married men and married women are sexually unfaithful to their spouses is an example of _____ culture,while the fact that most adults say they support the idea of sexual fidelity is an example of _____ culture.

A)high;low
B)low;high
C)ideal;real
D)real;ideal

Question 74

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

A)Language involves attaching labels to the real world.
B)People see the world through the cultural lens of their language.
C)Most words have the same meaning if spoken in different languages.
D)Every word exists in all known languages.

Question 75

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

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

Question 76

The distinction between high culture and popular culture is based mostly on

A)how advanced the cultural pattern is.
B)how long the cultural pattern has existed.
C)the social standing of the people who display the cultural pattern.
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 77

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

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

Question 78

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

A)survival
B)equal standing for women and men
C)self-expression
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 79

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

A)a deep respect for the traditions of the past
B)a belief in equality of condition for all
C)a belief in individualism
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 80

This language,which is the native tongue or official language in several world regions,has become the preferred second language in most of the world.

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