Deck 3: Culture

Question 1

Which statement best characterizes the cause of declining consensus around core Canadian values?

A) It has occurred as a result of the decline of religiosity throughout the world.
B) It has occurred because of a healthy skepticism that is characteristic of postmodernism.
C) It has occurred because of increased personal freedoms worldwide.
D) It has occurred because of increased numbers of nonwhite immigrants.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

When people engage in conflict,they must still cooperate and respect norms.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Hip-hop is an example of how mass consumption is an expression of rebellion.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Ana just moved to Canada from China and is learning to speak English.Once Ana has learned her new language,she will see the world in new ways.Which term best reflects this process?

A) language acquisition
B) the Sapir-Whorf thesis
C) perceptual modification
D) semantic modification

Question 5

An international fast-food chain has broken employee tasks into such small component parts that most employees can only last a year at a part-time job because the work is so boring and monotonous.What sociological term best describes the constraining nature of such an employee's work?

A) routinization
B) dehumanizing
C) not diversified
D) iron cage

Question 6

Cultural fragmentation is in decline in the postindustrial era.

Question 7

Judging another culture exclusively by the standards of one's own culture is called ethnocentrism.

Question 8

The generational gap between youth and adults is an example of cultural fragmentation.

Question 9

According to the text,rationalization and consumerism produce more freedom.

Question 10

The practice of cow worship in India is based on religious beliefs and has no economical or rational purpose.

Question 11

Culture is the sum of the socially transmitted ideas that enable people to adapt to their environment.

Question 12

The internalized Werkglocke is a product of culture.

Question 13

Charles is a member of a growing group of heavy metal adherents who glorify Satanism,cruelty to animals,and sexist behaviours.Which term best describes this group?

A) subculture
B) ethnocentric
C) counterculture
D) misogynistic

Question 14

Advertising tries to make us feel as though certain commodities will make us more desirable.

Question 15

Postmodern culture has caused an overwhelming majority of Canadians to reject established religions for rites of passage.

Question 16

Some people may argue that Canada qualifies as the first thoroughly postmodern society.

Question 17

The postmodern condition makes consensus building in the democratic process increasingly difficult.

Question 18

A business consultant makes a living doing time-and-motion studies of workers at their jobs.He makes recommendations to company owners about how work should be subdivided into component tasks for more efficiency.What major idea is being applied in these studies?

A) profitability
B) efficiency
C) economization
D) rationalization

Question 19

According to the Sapir-Whorf thesis,language has no effect on the way we perceive the world.

Question 20

For most of the past 200 years,throughout the world,consensus was built around Big Historical Projects.

Question 21

According to the text,what is one consequence of advertising directed at children?

A) They help children become informed consumers.
B) They lead to very little brand loyalty in children.
C) They aid parents in making purchases for children.
D) They cause more tantrums by children in malls.

Question 22

As Inuit children learn their language,they learn distinctions between types of snowfalls in a way different from that of non-Inuit children.Which perspective is reflected in this example?

A) cultural lag thesis
B) Sapir-Whorf thesis
C) ethnocentrism
D) cultural relativity

Question 23

"I think everyone in the world should learn English so that everyone can communicate more efficiently." Which social phenomenon does this statement reflect?

A) ethnocentrism
B) globalization
C) linguistic authority
D) linguistic dominance

Question 24

A fashion-conscious young high-school man needs to have the latest star athlete's running shoes and brand-name clothes,and wear the latest cologne,and this interests him more than paying attention to his studies.What aspect of society is captured by this young man's lifestyle?

A) rationalism
B) consumerism
C) faddishness
D) fastidiousness

Question 25

New age spiritualist Eckhart Tolle says in his book,A New Earth,that a person is more than what he or she possesses-yet,regrettably,that is how many people define themselves.What lifestyle label best depicts a person's definition of self in terms of possessions?

A) overconsumption
B) conspicuous consumption
C) consumerism
D) individualism

Question 26

Approximately 6000 languages in the world are in danger of having no living speakers.What is the primary cause of this linguistic extinction?

A) the spread of materialism
B) the spread of ethnocentrism
C) the spread of colonizing languages
D) the spread of consumerism

Question 27

Which of the following is the best description of a sociological use of the term rationalization?

A) thinking as logically as possible when trying to explain one's actions
B) application of the most efficient means to achieve goals despite potential negative consequences
C) invocation of values to justify behaviour in a situation that creates a moral dilemma
D) use of abstraction to explain certain cultural phenomena

Question 28

At Juan's house last night,we had lasagna for dinner and he played some music by the hottest new band from Germany.Afterward,we went out to meet his friend from Japan at a karaoke bar.What relatively recent development in our society was this evening an example of?

A) consumerism
B) rationalization
C) immigration
D) globalization

Question 29

Which of the following best demonstrates our ability to adhere to norms?

A) the ability to cooperate
B) reflexes and responses to stimuli
C) the ability to make sounds
D) the ability to make meaning

Question 30

What do sociologists call viewing the world from the perspective of one's own culture?

A) primary process thinking
B) neo-tribalism
C) ethnocentrism
D) cultural bias

Question 31

According to the text,what impact does consumerism have on culture?

A) It is an attack on capitalist ideology.
B) It exalts the ideals of the Enlightenment.
C) It precipitates the socialist revolution.
D) It serves to constrain dissent and rebellion.

Question 32

On the day Harvey is old enough to legally drink,he and his friends go on a pub crawl and get very inebriated.This is a common way to mark the occasion among many,if not most,Canadian men.What term best describes this normative adolescent celebration?

A) coming of age
B) age of majority
C) manhood celebration
D) rite of passage

Question 33

Andrea just bought the iPhone 4 last year,but since then all of her friends have upgraded to the new iPhone 5.Even though she really cannot afford the iPhone 5,she decides to buy it with her credit card anyway.What aspect of society is captured by Andrea's decision?

A) rationalism
B) fashion
C) consumerism
D) peer pressure

Question 34

Which statement is one conclusion of Reginald Bibby's survey research about religious beliefs of Canadians?

A) Religious beliefs have remained relatively stable for decades.
B) Regular church attendees often have no unconventional beliefs.
C) People are increasingly embracing religious rites of passage.
D) People mix unconventional beliefs with traditional religion.

Question 35

According to statistical records,which statement best characterizes immigration to Canada back in 1961?

A) Five out of the top 10 source countries of Canadian immigration were Asian.
B) Nine out of ten immigrants were from Europe and the United States.
C) One-third of immigrants to Canada were white and most were from Great Britain.
D) Half of immigrants to Canada were nonwhites and from the continent of Africa.

Question 36

George belongs to a motorcycle group.On weekends,the group often goes fishing and camping.Sometimes,they hold fundraisers to help local charities.What term do sociologists apply to George's motorcycle group?

A) subculture
B) counterculture
C) subversive culture
D) foreign culture

Question 37

When Werkglocken ("work clocks")were introduced in fourteenth-century Europe,there were many worker protests.But now,allowing clocks to regulate our activities seems the most natural thing in the world.What does our acceptance and internalization of the work clock indicate?

A) A capitalist society requires adhering to a precise regulation of time.
B) The regulation of time is a universal norm.
C) We benefit from the regulation of time.
D) The regulation of time is a product of culture.

Question 38

Which concept is illustrated by a Mumbai schoolboy listening to Bob Marley on his mp3 player?

A) the expansion of cultural comfort zones
B) how the media is diversifying culture
C) the shrinking of cultural repertoires
D) globalization in the realm of the media

Question 39

"I want my children to learn Italian because it is part of their culture.The educational system in Canada should provide an opportunity to learn Italian in school." Which social development is reflected in this statement?

A) the rights revolution
B) the language act
C) globalization
D) the global village

Question 40

Alex was just given a lecture from his boss about being late for work and his overall lack of motivation.From a sociological perspective,which term best reflects this example?

A) employment sanction
B) social sanction
C) re-sanction
D) negative sanction

Question 41

Every Thanksgiving Willy and his family prepare a turkey dinner to share with their extended family members.When Willy's daughter grows up,she will carry on the tradition for her family.What does this example illustrate?

A) social transmission of symbols
B) social transmission of culture
C) social transmission of family
D) social transmission of values

Question 42

According to the text,which statement illustrates a consumer society strategy intended to tame countercultural rebels?

A) Public service announcement warn rebels about the negative results of being deviant.
B) Countercultural rebels are co-opted by capitalists and become entrepreneurs.
C) Consumer society employs more agents of social control such as police to tame them.
D) Rebels are targeted by the media with bad news stories about their behaviours.

Question 43

According to the text,which of the following is a rite of passage?

A) nightly prayers
B) attending a meeting
C) getting married
D) passing introductory sociology

Question 44

According to the text,when is a society sociologically characterized by cooperation?

A) when large groups of people share the same outlooks and views
B) when people are consistently seen to be helping each other
C) when the majority of people in that society enjoy a good life
D) when norms provide the capacity to create a complex social life

Question 45

"You don't really mean to chew with your mouth open,do you?" Which function is this statement intended to serve?

A) construct cultural norms
B) encourage rational action
C) create cultural discomfort
D) enforce social control

Question 46

"Everyone at school is wearing Nike running shoes," said Sally."If I don't have a pair,everyone will make fun of me on the playground." Although Sally is only seven-years-old,what social practice does she perform in order to obtain the shoes she wants?

A) advertising envy
B) nagging
C) consumption
D) rationalization

Question 47

Eric was recently in Romania and found it difficult to get around because people were always pushing each other in crowded spaces.When he returned home he told his friends and family that Romanians were the rudest people he had ever met.Which social phenomenon is this statement an example of?

A) cultural relativism
B) globalization
C) ethnocentrism
D) universalism

Question 48

There was a demonstration on a university campus that brought both students and professors together in a protest against the administration.What cultural phenomenon was this protest an example of?

A) postmodernism
B) rationalization
C) consumerism
D) unitarianism

Question 49

What term refers to using the most efficient means of achieving a given end despite any negative consequences of such means?

A) routinization
B) production
C) ritualization
D) rationalization

Question 50

What major societal requirement does social control fulfill?

A) It ensures cultural innovation.
B) It curtails and limits freedoms of people.
C) It protects culturally defined comfort zones.
D) It ensures stable patterns of interaction.

Question 51

For the last several years gays and lesbians in Canada have been legally marrying.This change came about partly as a result of pressure and lobbying by members of Canada's gay community.This was only one of the latest in several advancements for minorities.What term has been applied to Canada's increasing acceptance of diversity?

A) minority radicalism
B) postmodern inclusion
C) the rights revolution
D) minority group pressure

Question 52

The executives at a factory learn that to be most efficient,its employees must work in 12-hour shifts.However,the work is so physically exhausting that most employees quit after a few months.The executives decide that it is more efficient to hire new employees than to reduce the duration of the shifts.What societal constraint is this an example of?

A) consumerism
B) rationalization
C) industrialization
D) efficiency

Question 53

Which statement best reflects postmodernist ideas?

A) People feel disempowered.
B) People feel restricted from adopting comfortable identities.
C) People feel optimistic about solving earth's challenges.
D) People feel more responsible for their own fate today than they did in the past.

Question 54

Which of the following is an example of ethnocentrism?

A) respecting cultural differences no matter what
B) assuming democracy is the best social model
C) finding what others eat intriguing and interesting
D) seeing other religions as on a par with your own

Question 55

According to Ritzer,what is McDonaldization?

A) The organizational principles of fast-food restaurants are dominating business operations.
B) There is improvement in the standard of living in developing countries.
C) There is increased access to affordable food for more people today than in the past.
D) More people globally have eaten and worked at McDonalds than any other corporation.

Question 56

Which term refers to the freedom of culture,such as the ability to engage in many different cultural practices from many different places?

A) rationalization
B) cultural diversification
C) consumerism
D) cultural reproduction

Question 57

Which statement best reflects moderate cultural relativism?

A) It is the idea that not all cultures are equal.
B) It is the idea that all cultures and cultural practices have equal value.
C) It is the idea that cultural differences should be tolerated within reason.
D) It suggests that we should respect all cultural practices,even if they are harmful.

Question 58

Wives of warriors in a particular foraging tribe must present to their husbands a first-born child who is male.If the first-born child is a female,a midwife will pick the baby up by the ankles and smash its head on a rock.In our society we are shocked and offended.What term do sociologists have for our feeling of horror from this example?

A) cultural relativism
B) ethnocentrism
C) moral indignation
D) moral outrage

Question 59

"I can't possibly wear my black pumps to the dance.The heel is clearly from 2009.What would my girlfriends think?" Which social constraint on human action is reflected in this statement?

A) functionalism
B) fashion
C) rationalization
D) consumerism

Question 60

Which concept does a factory represent?

A) a site of social agreement/consensus
B) a site of social struggle and conflict
C) an example of rationalization
D) a system of modern collaboration

Question 61

According to the text,which statement best reflects the current state of the social consciousness of Canadians?

A) Fewer Canadians now take part in a broad range of political action.
B) Canadians have grown more trusting of authority in all institutions.
C) Canadians have a high degree of tolerance and respect for diversity.
D) Voting rates have risen steadily over several federal elections.

Question 62

What do sociologists call the tools and techniques that humans use to take what we want from nature?

A) material culture
B) legal sanctions
C) biological instinct
D) social values

Question 63

Maria va a emailiar Juan.What social phenomenon does "emailiar" in this Spanish sentence illustrate?

A) the importance of technology
B) the globalization of English
C) the changing communications of youth
D) the dominance of consumerism

Question 64

When an archeologist finds a piece of pottery from 5000 B.C. ,what aspect of human activity is he or she finding direct evidence of?

A) ability to carry water
B) ability to make fire
C) ability to produce material goods
D) ability to think abstractly

Question 65

According to the text,what term refers to our ability to create symbolic meaning systems?

A) numeracy
B) symbolism
C) communication
D) abstraction

Question 66

Which theorist proposed that because of rationalization,life in the modern world is akin to living in an "iron cage"?

A) Thomas Edison
B) Marshall McLuhan
C) Max Weber
D) Sigmund Freud

Question 67

Sarah was recently promoted to an upper-level management position because of her excellent performance in her junior management position.From a sociological perspective,which term best reflects this cultural practice of promotion in the workplace?

A) promotional sanction
B) social sanction
C) positive sanction
D) employment sanction

Question 68

Understanding that le chat (French)and el gato (Spanish)mean the same thing as cat is an example of which human capacity?

A) communication
B) sanction
C) cooperation
D) abstraction

Question 69

Jason was recently demoted at work because of his lack of productivity and reliability.From a sociological perspective,which term best reflects this cultural practice of demotion in the workplace?

A) negative sanction
B) social sanction
C) positive sanction
D) employment sanction

Question 70

What is the sociological term that relates to social control and refers to the punishment of inappropriate behaviour?

A) negative conditioning
B) negative sanction
C) operant conditioning
D) punishment sanction

Question 71

How has the rights revolution affected our culture?

A) It has legitimized the grievances and rights of marginalized groups.
B) It has highlighted our differences and increased tensions in society.
C) It has consolidated and homogenized our literature,music,and languages.
D) It has discouraged pride in the heritage of marginalized groups.

Question 72

Punk rockers espoused values that were antiestablishment.Punkers shunned regular employment,took drugs,and wore garish clothes.The lyrics to their songs railed against the established order.According to sociologists,what kind of group has such antisocial values?

A) youth culture
B) subculture
C) counterculture
D) protest culture

Question 73

What does the author call the powerful social conditioning illustrated in the story of Werkglocke?

A) internalization
B) alienation
C) socialization
D) emancipation

Question 74

What has the use of symbols allowed humans to do?

A) classify experience and generalize from it
B) continue efforts in the face of fatigue
C) control our autonomic nervous system
D) differentiate ourselves from our environment

Question 75

According to the text,which of the following would be considered a Big Historical Project?

A) communism
B) consumerism
C) advertising
D) organic farming

Question 76

According to the text,which statement best reflects attitudes of Canadians in comparison to our American neighbours?

A) Canadians are more indifferent and apathetic than Americans.
B) Canadians are less confident about their government than Americans.
C) Canadians are increasingly more respectful of social institutions than Americans.
D) Canadians are more radical and revolutionary than Americans.

Question 77

Cultural freedom has its limits.Which of the following twin forces govern or define these limits in our society?

A) technology and consumerism
B) commodification and consumerism
C) rationalization and technology
D) rationalization and consumerism

Question 78

"Modern globalized culture allows people to be eclectic about preferences in music,but at the same time it limits mainstream lifestyle to one of consumerism in a capitalist society." What effect of culture has been identified in the preceding statement?

A) Modern culture is both freeing and constraining.
B) Globalization is resulting in a more heterogeneous world.
C) Globalization is resulting in a more homogeneous world.
D) Modern culture is fed by a barrage of media messages.

Question 79

Sonia walks down the street in Toronto and hears six different languages being spoken by others on the street.Which term best illustrates Sonia's experience in Toronto?

A) multiculturalism
B) globalization
C) linguistic integration
D) cultural evolution

Question 80

Which statement best describes consumerism?

A) It is a lifestyle marked by sharing and an emphasis on democracy.
B) It is a lifestyle in which people define themselves by what they eat.
C) It is a lifestyle marked by behavioural refinement,style,and grace.
D) It is a lifestyle that involves people defining themselves by what they buy.