Deck 9: What Is Culture

Question 1

A society is

A)the totality of learned,socially transmitted behavior.
B)a fairly large number of people who live in the same territory,are relatively independent of people outside it,and participate in a common culture.
C)the norms,values,and beliefs of a large group of people.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Funerals are found in every culture and thus are a cultural universal.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

General customs and practices that are found in every culture are called

A)cultural integration.
B)cultural diffusion.
C)cultural universals.
D)cultural relativism.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

A U.S.sociologist receives a grant to study racial and religious prejudice among the people of southeast Asia.The sociologist makes a serious and unbiased effort to evaluate the norms,values,and customs of these groups in light of the distinctive cultures of which they are a part.This is an example of

A)xenocentrism.
B)ethnocentrism.
C)cultural relativism.
D)cultural deconstruction.

Question 5

A primitive tribe that cultivates the soil by hand has much more culture than a modern,computerized society.

Question 6

Which of the following is considered a cultural universal?

A)athletic sports
B)war
C)money restrictions
D)None of these answers is correct.

Question 7

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to assume that one's own culture and way of life represent the norm or are superior to all others.Therefore,ethnocentrism fosters cohesion in a group.This observation would best reflect which sociological perspective?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)feminist perspective

Question 8

Anthropologist Horace Miner's description of the body ritual among the Nacirema is used to show

A)cultural differences in what is considered "beautiful."
B)the effects of media on a person's body image.
C)the ability to learn something new about society.
D)how cultural sociology has evolved over the years.

Question 9

In his research,George Murdock determined which of the following to be a cultural universal?

A)war
B)astronomy
C)funeral ceremonies
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 10

An American traveling abroad observes locals eating chocolate covered crickets.While she does not partake herself,she does not judge the practice.She is exhibiting

A)xenocentrism.
B)ethnocentrism.
C)cultural relativism.
D)monophobicism.

Question 11

A society

A)is a dependent group that owes allegiance to a larger group.
B)is the largest form of human group.
C)contains several different cultures.
D)contains one subculture and many cultures.

Question 12

The totality of learned,socially transmitted customs,knowledge,material objects,and behavior is known as

A)culture.
B)society.
C)socialization.
D)social structure.

Question 13

Sociobiology is founded on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

Question 14

Which of the following concepts employs the kind of value neutrality in scientific study that Max Weber saw as being so important?

A)xenocentrism
B)cultural integration
C)cultural relativism
D)ethnocentrism

Question 15

An American traveling abroad observes locals eating chocolate covered crickets.She expresses disgust to her traveling companions.She is exhibiting

A)xenocentrism.
B)ethnocentrism.
C)cultural relativism.
D)monophobicism.

Question 16

Viewing people's behavior from the perspective of their own culture is known as cultural relativism.

Question 17

Kissing is an example of a cultural universal.

Question 18

The tendency to assume that one's own culture and way of life represent the norm or are superior to all others is called

A)culture shock.
B)cultural relativism.
C)ethnocentrism.
D)value stability.

Question 19

Sociobiology is the systematic study of

A)the social structure within the animal kingdom.
B)the interactions between humans and higher animal forms.
C)the social bases of biological behavior.
D)how biology affects human social behavior.

Question 20

Define the term culture and describe how members of society seek to preserve it.Identify the various cultural universals as suggested by George Murdock's list of cultural universals.

Question 21

Define the term ethnocentrism and discuss why functionalists and conflict theorists disagree over the utility of ethnocentrism.