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Chapter 2 - Culture

Questions included in web quizzing are marked in bold

Student Learning Objectives

After reading Chapter 2, students should be able to:

  1. Define culture and its main functions.
  1. Explain how culture helps humans adapt and thrive in their environments.
  1. Recognize how culture can make people freer.
  1. Analyze the ways in which culture is becoming more diverse, multicultural, and globalized.
  1. Recognize how culture can place limits on people’s freedom.

Multiple Choice Questions

  1. Sociologists call all the ideas, practices, and material objects that people create to deal with real-life problems _____.
  1. abstractions
  2. culture
  3. norms
  4. methods
  5. sociology

ANS: bTYPE: factualPG: 29SOURCE: pickupLO: 1

  1. The sociological concept of culture
  1. is limited to what is commonly called “popular culture.”
  2. is limited to what is commonly called “high culture.”
  3. has the same meaning as “mass culture.”
  4. includes “high,” “popular,” and “mass” culture, as well as ordinary aspects of everyday life.
  5. cannot be applied to everyday experience.

ANS: dTYPE: conceptualPG: 29SOURCE: newLO: 1

  1. What is the difference between society and culture?
  2. Society is a group of people who share territory and may share culture.
  3. Cultures are generally more geographically defined than societies.
  4. Societies refer to shared practices; cultures are shared boundaries.
  5. Society is shared, culture is not.
  6. There is no difference in meaning between society and culture.

ANS: aTYPE: conceptualPG: 29SOURCE: newLO: 1

  1. Which of these is not one of the reasons that humans have been better able to survive than other animals over hundreds of thousands of years?
  1. they were smarter than other animals
  2. they created cultural survival kits
  3. they had more sophisticated brains than other animals
  4. their means of survival were flexible and complex
  5. they had greater physical endowments than other animals

ANS: eTYPE: factualPG: 30SOURCE: newLO:1

  1. The three main tools in the human cultural survival kit are _____.
  1. symbols, production, language
  2. abstraction, production, cooperation
  3. norms, values, technology
  4. cooperation, symbols, language
  5. thinking, feeling, sensing

ANS: bTYPE: conceptualPG: 30-31SOURCE: newLO:2

  1. Human survival was based on the capacity to create general ideas or ways of thinking that are not linked to specific or particular instances. These ideas are called _____.
  1. abstractions
  2. culture
  3. norms
  4. methods
  5. sociology

ANS: aTYPE: factualPG: 30SOURCE: pickupLO: 2

  1. When Kyle holds up two fingers in the peace sign, she is using _____.
  2. values
  3. a symbol
  4. a norm
  5. a method
  6. sociology

ANS: bTYPE: appliedPG: 30SOURCE: modifiedLO: 2

  1. Which of these is nota reason that symbols are considered an important part of culture?
  1. Symbols communicate meaning.
  2. Animals besides humans can learn to interpret symbols.
  3. Symbols enable communication about abstract ideas.
  4. Symbols enable us to create categories and classify experience.
  5. Symbols allow humans to generalize from their experience.

ANS: bTYPE: conceptualPG: 30SOURCE: newLO: 2

  1. Saying “please” and “thank you” when asking for and receiving something is an example of _____.
  1. abstracting
  2. creating
  3. a norm
  4. a method
  5. sociology

ANS: cTYPE: appliedPG: 30SOURCE: newLO: 2

  1. Norms and values are primarily the result of which essential human capability?
  1. abstraction
  2. production
  3. cooperation
  4. emotions
  5. competition

ANS: cTYPE: conceptualPG: 30SOURCE: newLO: 2

  1. Ideas or standards for what is right or wrong, good or bad, and other types of judgments are called _____.
  1. abstractions
  2. symbols
  3. norms
  4. values
  5. cooperation

ANS: dTYPE: conceptualPG: 30SOURCE: newLO:2

  1. Which of these is the best example of material culture?
  1. waving to say hello
  2. a computer
  3. respect for authority
  4. cooperation
  5. standing for the national anthem

ANS: bTYPE: factualPG: 31SOURCE: newLO: 2

  1. Which of these is an example of nonmaterial culture?
  1. housing
  2. a computer
  3. respect for authority
  4. fashion
  5. fast food

ANS: cTYPE: factualPG: 31SOURCE: newLO: 2

  1. Our houses, the tools we use, and the clothes we wear are all examples of _____ culture.
  1. material
  2. nonmaterial
  3. manifest
  4. formal
  5. abstract

ANS: aTYPE: appliedPG: 31SOURCE: pickupLO:2

  1. When humans make and use tools and techniques that improve their ability to take what they want from nature, they are engaged in _____.
  1. production
  2. abstraction
  3. cooperation
  4. conflict
  5. socialization

ANS: aTYPE: conceptualPG: 31SOURCE: modifiedLO: 2

  1. When symbols are strung together systematically in order to communicate particular thoughts, this is termed _____.
  1. gesturing
  2. kinesics
  3. language
  4. signaling
  5. production

ANS: cTYPE: conceptualPG: 31SOURCE: pickupLO:2

  1. Sociologists think of language as
  1. the least important component of the cultural tool kit.
  2. a cultural invention that separates humans from other animals.
  3. more important in advanced cultures than in less developed cultures.
  4. material culture.
  5. the part of culture that is least likely to change.

ANS: bTYPE: conceptualPG: 31SOURCE: newLO: 2

  1. Which of these is not an explanation for the importance of human language?
  1. it enables us to pass knowledge from one generation to the next
  2. it enables humans to share understandings
  3. it enables us to make plans for the future
  4. it permits the development of culture
  5. it permits the use of even the simplest tools

ANS: eTYPE: conceptualPG: 31SOURCE: modifiedLO: 2

  1. The Sapir-Whorf thesis maintains that
  1. there is a connection between language, thought, and experience.
  2. only children are able to learn new languages.
  3. language and thinking are not related.
  4. language is a cultural invention that sets humans apart from other animals.
  5. humans are capable of learning an infinite number of languages.

ANS: aTYPE: conceptualPG: 31SOURCE: modifiedLO: 2

  1. The controversial aspect of the Sapir-Whorf thesis is the suggestion that
  1. speech patterns are the way we interpret experience.
  2. we form speech patterns around what we experience.
  3. language influences how we see the world.
  4. people around the world see colors differently.
  5. men and women speak differently in most languages.

ANS: cTYPE: conceptualPG: 31SOURCE: modifiedLO:2

  1. Research on the connection between language and experience indicates that
  1. there is no connection between language and experience.
  2. language can affect perception, as in how sexist terms encourage women to be seen as objects.
  3. the words we use determine the way that we think about things.
  4. people who speak different languages cannot understand each other’s reality.
  5. language has no meaning.

ANS: bTYPE: conceptualPG: 32SOURCE: modifiedLO: 2

  1. In the popular film, “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” _____ is a major source of humor.
  1. multiculturalism
  2. innocence
  3. ethnocentrism
  4. cultural relativism
  5. international cooperation

ANS: cTYPE: conceptualPG: 33SOURCE: pickupLO: 3

  1. Which of these statements about culture is false?
  1. While it can cause problems, ethnocentrism is essential to sociological analysis.
  2. People generally take their own culture for granted.
  3. One’s own culture is largely invisible.
  4. A person’s culture seems sensible and natural to them.
  5. The norms, values, and practices of other cultures may seem very strange to us.

ANS: eTYPE: conceptualPG: 32SOURCE: modifiedLO: 3

  1. Perhaps the greatest constraint on what we think and do is _____.
  1. lack of imagination
  2. the existing culture
  3. limited resources
  4. fear of offending others
  5. inability to think abstractly

ANS: bTYPE: conceptualPG: 34SOURCE: newLO: 5

  1. Jim traveled to Thailand for a vacation and became shocked and judgmental toward “foreign” practices. Which term best describes Jim’s reaction?
  1. cultural relativism
  2. material culture
  3. ethnocentrism
  4. mass culture
  5. subcultural revolt

ANS: cTYPE: appliedPG: 32SOURCE: pickupLO: 3

  1. Marvin Harris argues that ethnocentrism prevents many western scholars and observers from completely understanding cow worship in rural India. When examining cow worship in terms of its function within Indian culture, cow worship can be understood as _____.
  1. a rational economic practice
  2. a meaningful religious practice
  3. a strange and non-useful practice
  4. a foreign and exotic practice
  5. unintelligible

ANS: aTYPE: appliedPG: 34SOURCE: modifiedLO: 3

  1. Until the 1960s, many sociologists argued that culture was a simple “reflection” of society. However, many sociologists today contend that
  1. people must accept culture as it is given to them.
  2. people shape culture only when they feel strongly about an issue.
  3. most people really don’t care about culture.
  4. culture is meaningless.
  5. people are not just passive recipients of culture.

ANS: eTYPE: conceptualPG: 34SOURCE: modifiedLO: 3

  1. American society is undergoing rapid cultural diversification, and marriage between people of different races is increasingly common. While only 1 percent of African Americans married non-blacks in 1970, the figure had increased to _____ by 2008.
  1. 3 percent
  2. 7 percent
  3. 10 percent
  4. 16 percent
  5. 24 percent

ANS: dTYPE: factualPG: 35SOURCE: modifiedLO: 3

  1. The growing popularity of Latino music and varied ethnic food is evidence of _____.
  1. cultural solidarity
  2. ethnocentrism
  3. cultural production
  4. cultural diversification
  5. all of these choices

ANS: dTYPE: appliedPG: 35SOURCE: pickupLO: 3

  1. Advocates of _____ have argued that school and college curricula should present a more balanced picture of United States history, culture, and society by reflecting the ethnic and racial diversity of the United States.
  1. cultural solidarity
  2. ethnocentrism
  3. cultural production
  4. multiculturalism
  5. cultural diversification

ANS: dTYPE: conceptualPG: 35SOURCE: pickupLO: 4

  1. The necessity to understand that other people have values that differ from ours and that we should not see these values as inferior but merely different is known as _____.
  1. ethnocentrism
  2. cultural relativism
  3. holism
  4. universalism
  5. cultural confrontation

ANS: bTYPE: conceptualPG: 36SOURCE: pickupLO: 4

  1. An approach to education that gives substantial weight to the achievements of non-whites and non-Europeans in American society is known as _____.
  1. cultural relativism
  2. ethnocentrism
  3. cultural production
  4. multiculturalism
  5. cultural diversification

ANS: dTYPE: conceptualPG: 35SOURCE: pickupLO: 4

  1. The opposite of ethnocentrism is _____.
  1. cultural relativism
  2. ethnocentrism
  3. cultural production
  4. multiculturalism
  5. cultural diversification

ANS: aTYPE: conceptualPG: 36SOURCE: pickupLO: 4

  1. The belief that all cultures and all cultural practices have equal value is known as _____.
  1. cultural relativism
  2. ethnocentrism
  3. cultural production
  4. representation
  5. cultural diversification

ANS: aTYPE: conceptualPG: 36SOURCE: modifiedLO: 4

  1. Critics of cultural relativism claim that all cultures are not of equal value because
  1. some cultures are better than others.
  2. some cultures are in greater stages of development than American culture.
  3. cultural production is a global process.
  4. many cultures have practices that most Americans consider inhumane.
  5. cultural diversification hurts the interests of the poor.

ANS: dTYPE: conceptualPG: 36SOURCE: modifiedLO: 4

  1. Which of the following is not a criticism of multiculturalism?
  1. Multicultural education hurts minority students by overlooking core subjects.
  2. Multicultural education causes political disunity.
  3. Multicultural education results in interethnic and interracial conflict.
  4. Multicultural education encourages cultural relativism.
  5. Multicultural education encourages respect for people different from oneself.

ANS: eTYPE: conceptualPG: 36SOURCE: modifiedLO: 4

  1. In regards to Female Genital Mutilation:
  1. the World Health Organization is neutral and has not expressed an opinion.
  2. virtually everyone agrees that the practice is a violation of human rights.
  3. virtually everyone agrees that intervention to end the practice would be a form of neo-imperialism and ethnocentrism.
  4. there is no consensus about whether or not opposing the practice is a violation of tolerance and multicultural respect.
  5. the World Health Organization has stated its belief that each culture should be left alone to make their own decisions about these practices.

ANS: dTYPE: conceptualPG: 37SOURCE: modifiedLO: 4

  1. Which of these statements about the current interest in cultural diversity and multiculturalism is false?
  1. The interest is a response to the genocide and nationalism of World War II.
  2. Sociologists note that an interest in multiculturalism and diversity has always been important within Western societies.
  3. Current interests have their roots in the “rights revolution”that took hold in the 1960s.
  4. Interest in diversity and multiculturalism is an outgrowth of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
  5. The women’s movement, civil rights movement, and gay and lesbian rights movement are all connected with the current interest in multicultural diversity.

ANS: bTYPE: conceptualPG: 36SOURCE: modifiedLO: 4

  1. American Indian sovereignty movements are an illustrationof _____.
  1. a rite of passage
  2. material culture
  3. the rights revolution
  4. ethnocentrism
  5. cultural constraints

ANS: cTYPE: appliedPG: 37SOURCE: modifiedLO: 4

  1. The authors suggest that the “rights revolution” has raised difficult issues. One of the most controversial is the question of
  1. making reparation for past discrimination.
  2. equal rights for everyone.
  3. pride in one’s identity and heritage.
  4. the diversification of American society.
  5. recognizing discrimination.

ANS: aTYPE: conceptualPG: 37SOURCE: modifiedLO: 4

  1. Cultural diversification
  1. is not apparent in postindustrial societies.
  2. is limited to agricultural societies.
  3. is not evident in preliterate or tribal societies.
  4. refers to the homogeneity of society.
  5. only occurs in societies with very traditional values.

ANS: cTYPE: conceptualPG: 38SOURCE: pickupLO: 4

  1. Ceremonies that mark the transition from one stage of life to another are called _____.
  1. cultural relativism
  2. ethnocentrism
  3. rites of passage
  4. multiculturalism
  5. cultural diversification

ANS: cTYPE: factualPG: 38SOURCE: pickupLO: 4

  1. How do preliterate or tribal societies differ from preindustrial and postindustrial societies?
  1. preliterate tribal cultures are more homogeneous
  2. preliterate tribal peoples are more individualistic
  3. rituals within preliterate societies are very private and personal
  4. there is more cultural diversity within more traditional societies
  5. there are no significant differences between preliterate tribal societies and industrial and postindustrial societies.

ANS: aTYPE: conceptualPG: 38SOURCE: modifiedLO:4

  1. The Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, and the French and American Revolutions all are events that
  1. resulted in greater cultural cohesion.
  2. questioned old ways of seeing and doing things.
  3. boosted the power of the Church in society.
  4. emphasized cultural traditions.
  5. created greater social solidarity.

ANS: bTYPE: conceptualPG: 38SOURCE: modifiedLO: 4

  1. According to Brym and Lie, cultural fragmentation has been increasing since the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, and the French and American Revolutions. A transition that has accelerated cultural fragmentation is _____.
  1. ritualism
  2. fundamentalism
  3. industrialization
  4. socialization
  5. traditionalism

ANS: cTYPE: conceptualPG: 38SOURCE: modifiedLO: 4

  1. The process by which formerly separate economies, states, and cultures are being tied together is known as _____.
  1. socialization
  2. globalization
  3. industrialization
  4. heterogeneity
  5. diversification

ANS: bTYPE: conceptualPG: 38SOURCE: modifiedLO: 4

  1. Which of these processes destroys political, economic, and cultural isolation on the largest scale?
  1. socialization
  2. multiculturalism
  3. industrialization
  4. globalization
  5. diversification

ANS: dTYPE: conceptualPG: 38SOURCE: modifiedLO:4

  1. _____ is characterized as an eclectic mixing of cultural elements and the erosion of consensus.
  1. Postmodernism
  2. Modernism
  3. Industrialization
  4. Preindustrialization
  5. Rationalization

ANS: aTYPE: conceptualPG: 39SOURCE: pickupLO:4

  1. The era during which the overwhelming majority of people of Western culture believed in the inevitability of progress, respected authority, and formed a consensus around core values is often referred to as _____.
  1. traditionalism
  2. sociological analysis
  3. modernism
  4. postmodernism
  5. tribalism

ANS: cTYPE: conceptualPG: 39SOURCE: modifiedLO: 4

  1. Which of the following beliefs was notan aspect of modernity in Western society?
  1. inevitability of progress
  2. respect for authority
  3. consensus around core values
  4. eclectic mixing of elements
  5. shared values and beliefs

ANS: dTYPE: conceptualPG: 39SOURCE: modifiedLO:4

  1. What form of culture involves an eclectic mixing of elements from different times and places, the erosion of authority, and the decline of consensus around core values?
  1. premodern
  2. industrial
  3. modern
  4. postmodern
  5. traditional

ANS: dTYPE: conceptualPG: 39SOURCE: modifiedLO:4

  1. Religious institutionsare diversifying their services and individual belief systems are incorporating even unconventional ideas and practices. Which characteristic of postmodernism does this illustrate?
  1. erosion of authority
  2. consensus of values
  3. blending of cultures
  4. erosion of core values
  5. return to traditionalism

ANS: cTYPE: appliedPG: 39SOURCE: newLO:4

  1. The popularity of television fathers like Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin and declining confidence in government are both examples of which characteristic of postmodernism?
  1. an eclectic mixing of elements from different times and places
  2. the erosion of authority
  3. the decline of consensus around core values
  4. the dysfunctions of social life
  5. blending cultural elements

ANS: bTYPE: appliedPG: 40SOURCE: modifiedLO:4

  1. What has happened to attitudes toward government within postmodern society?
  1. more people are participating in politics
  2. there has been a decline in confidence in government
  3. there has been an increase in confidence in government
  4. there is less of a need for government
  5. there has been no shift in attitudes toward government

ANS: bTYPE: appliedPG: 40SOURCE: pickupLO:4

  1. Critics of postmodernism are concerned that the lack of a common culture will create problems in maintaining a stable society. Which of these is an example of those concerns?
  1. how to teach common values
  2. how to organize anti-global efforts
  3. how to create meaningful television commercials
  4. how to transmit different belief systems
  5. how to restrict individual expression

ANS: aTYPE: conceptualPG: 40SOURCE: modifiedLO: 4

  1. One benefit of the lack of consensus and erosion of authority within postmodernism is that
  1. it makes it easier for leaders to govern.
  2. the passing on of important cultural values is more rapid.
  3. people are freer to choose their own identities and are more tolerant of differences.
  4. teaching morality to children has become less important.
  5. people express stronger support for government.

ANS: cTYPE: conceptualPG: 40SOURCE: newLO: 4

  1. In discussion of culture, which of these is notconsidered a force for greater freedom?
  1. globalization
  2. diversity
  3. multiculturalism
  4. cultural lag
  5. the rights revolution

ANS: dTYPE: conceptualPG: 40SOURCE: newLO: 4

  1. One consequence of postindustrialism in the U.S. is that
  1. confidence in the benefits of science and technology has declined.
  2. the rate of scientific and technological innovation has slowed.
  3. the majority of people have become less religious.
  4. attention spans are getting longer.
  5. overall, people express greater confidence in traditional authority.

ANS: aTYPE: conceptualPG: 40SOURCE: newLO: 4

  1. Which of these is considered a force for constraint on individual freedom?
  1. globalization
  2. diversity
  3. multiculturalism
  4. cultural lag
  5. the rights revolution

ANS: dTYPE: conceptualPG: 41SOURCE: newLO: 5

  1. Brym and Lie define cultural lag as
  1. the slow pace of cultural change in postmodern society.
  2. the tendency of material culture to change more slowly than symbolic culture.
  3. the tendency of symbolic culture to change more slowly than material culture.
  4. the slow pace of change in developing countries.
  5. the impact of rapid social change.

ANS: cTYPE: conceptualPG: 41SOURCE: modifiedLO:5

  1. Within postindustrial society in general,
  1. it takes increasingly more time for technological innovations to penetrate the market.
  2. religious faith tends to become weakened among most people.
  3. technology helps to increase people’s attention spans.
  4. the social structure becomes more irrational.
  5. inequality is lessened.

ANS: bTYPE: appliedPG: 41SOURCE: newLO: 5