Deck 2: Culture and Interpersonal Communication

Question 1

Which of the following is TRUE in relation to culture?

A) Understanding cultures means accepting the cultural beliefs of other cultures.
B) Personality factors will often prove more influential than culture.
C) It is unimportant to look at the similarities between cultures.
D) Culture affects our communication mainly in the workplace.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is considered a collectivist culture?

A) The United States
B) Japan
C) Australia
D) Canada

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A(n) ________ culture is one in which people are treated as individuals rather than in terms of the groups to which they belong, and teaches a respect for other cultures and their beliefs.

A) exclusionist
B) universalist
C) high-context
D) masculine

Answer 3

universalist

Question 4

Which of the following is a characteristic of a culture with a short-term orientation?

A) They believe marriage is a moral arrangement.
B) They are more apt to save for the future.
C) They believe humility is a virtue for men and women.
D) They believe marriage is a practical arrangement.

Question 5

According to the text, culture is passed from one generation to the next through ________.

A) communication
B) genes
C) observation
D) education

Question 6

In a(n) ________ culture, members are responsible for the entire group.

A) collectivist
B) high-power-distance
C) individualistic
D) masculine

Question 7

Boris lives in the Ukraine and feels that he lacks control of his life because he quit school, just as his father had done, to work at the same job in the same factory until he dies. We would consider Boris's culture to be

A) high in restraint.
B) of a short-term orientation.
C) indulgent.
D) low power distance.

Question 8

Of the following phrases or scenarios, which best fits within a collectivist culture?

A) "Looking out for Number One."
B) the "Me Generation."
C) the Lone Ranger, riding into the sunset.
D) "There is no 'I' in the word 'Team.'"

Question 9

Which of the following is TRUE in regard to cultures high in restraint?

A) They place less importance on friendships.
B) They do not place great value on thriftiness.
C) They are more optimistic and have more positive attitudes.
D) They have more satisfying home lives.

Question 10

A commitment to your culture's beliefs and values is termed _______.

A) ethnic identity
B) culture
C) enculturation
D) cultural sensitivity

Question 11

________ is the relatively specialized lifestyle of a group of people.

A) Race
B) Nationality
C) Culture
D) Religion

Question 12

In a ________ culture such as ________, both men and women are encouraged to be modest and oriented to maintaining quality of life.

A) masculine; the United States
B) masculine; Japan
C) feminine; the United States
D) feminine; Norway

Question 13

Which of the following is TRUE in regard to the acculturation process?

A) Younger people have a harder time.
B) Better educated people have an easier time.
C) Neither culture is changed during the process.
D) Previous exposure to the new culture can make the process harder.

Question 14

Which of the following signifies a high-context culture?

A) "Let's get right down to business."
B) "Say what you mean, and mean what you say."
C) "A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on."
D) "But first, let's all get to know each other better."

Question 15

Of the following characteristics, which fits best within the low-power-distance cultures?

A) friendships occur within your social class
B) discussions with a superior are viewed positively
C) students are not expected to challenge instructors
D) you rely more on symbols of power, for example, courtesy titles like Dr. or Mrs.

Question 16

In a ________ culture such as ________, there is a great difference between the power held by the elite and the ordinary citizen.

A) high-power-distance; Sweden.
B) high-power-distance; Malaysia.
C) low-power-distance; Sweden.
D) low-power-distance; Malaysia.

Question 17

________ is the process through which you learn your native culture.

A) Acculturation
B) Culture shock
C) Enculturation
D) The adjustment principle

Question 18

Which of the following is TRUE in regard to a long-term oriented culture?

A) Students with this outlook will attribute their success or failure to luck or chance.
B) Executives with this orientation value self-reliance and personal freedom.
C) Organizations with this orientation focus on future profits.
D) Cultures with this outlook see humility as a virtue only for women.

Question 19

Happiness can be measured in terms of which two major factors?

A) wealth and health
B) individualism and collectivism
C) leisure and life control
D) uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation

Question 20

Susannah loves the freedom in her writing class and the way the writing assignments are open to interpretation. She is probably a member of a ________ culture.

A) feminine
B) masculine
C) low-ambiguity tolerant
D) high-ambiguity-tolerant

Question 21

Which of the following countries is considered to have a short-term orientation?

A) Japan
B) U.S.
C) China
D) Russia

Question 22

________ cultures are also collectivist cultures.

A) High-context
B) Low-context
C) Short-term orientation
D) High-ambiguity tolerant

Question 23

People from ________ cultures prefer clear-cut rules to follow.

A) low-ambiguity tolerant
B) masculine
C) high-ambiguity tolerant
D) feminine

Question 24

If one is not careful, ethnic identity can lead to _______.

A) enculturation.
B) acculturation.
C) ethnocentrism.
D) racism.

Question 25

A fixed impression of a group of people is called a _______.

A) schema
B) stereotype
C) culture
D) label

Question 26

In a low-context culture, _______.

A) you get to know business associates before transactions occur
B) great importance is given to silence
C) much emphasis is placed on face-saving
D) information is explicitly stated in the verbal message

Question 27

In ________ tolerant cultures, uncertainty causes anxiety.

A) high-ambiguity
B) low-ambiguity
C) high-context
D) low-context

Question 28

According to ________, speakers adjust to or accommodate the speaking style of their listeners to gain their approval and achieve greater efficiency.

A) the communication accommodation theory
B) the linguistic relativity hypothesis
C) cultural sensitivity
D) the principle of adjustment

Question 29

In the final stage of culture shock, you engage in _______.

A) recovery.
B) adjustment.
C) the crisis phase.
D) the honeymoon period.

Question 30

Which of the following is a good way to improve intercultural communication?

A) increasing your ethnocentrism
B) recognizing cultural differences
C) try to overlook the rules and customs of other cultures
D) accepting that deep down, all humans are alike

Question 31

Social Darwinism holds that cultures evolve, and some are more advanced than others.

Question 32

Mariah is aware of her cultural differences and wants to decrease this communication distance with others. She is at the ________ degree of ethnocentrism on the ethnocentric continuum.

A) equality
B) avoidance
C) indifference
D) sensitivity

Question 33

Enculturation helps you develop an ethnic identity.

Question 34

The U.S. is considered a(n) _______ culture.

A) feminine
B) collectivist
C) high-context
D) indulgent

Question 35

Seeing your own culture as inherently better than other cultures is _______.

A) stereotyping
B) enculturation
C) ethnocentrism
D) acculturation

Question 36

Culture is passed from generation to generation genetically.

Question 37

Acculturation is the process by which you learn the rules and norms of a culture different from your native culture.

Question 38

Which of the following is TRUE about stereotypes?

A) People communicating online rarely rely on stereotypes.
B) They can operate below the level of conscious awareness.
C) Stereotypes are always negative.
D) They are an ever-changing impression of a group of people.

Question 39

The first stage in culture shock is the _______.

A) crisis
B) honeymoon
C) adjustment
D) recovery

Question 40

Which of the following is a way to achieve cultural sensitivity?

A) Attempt to overlook differences in meaning.
B) Ignore your own fears of acting inappropriately toward members of different cultures.
C) Be rule conscious.
D) Downplay the differences between yourself and those from other cultures.

Question 41

Enculturation is the process through which you learn the culture into which you were born.

Question 42

Organizations can be viewed in terms of masculinity and femininity.

Question 43

Gender is determined by biology while sex is shaped by culture.

Question 44

Collectivist cultures are competitive; individualistic cultures are cooperative.

Question 45

Your culture influences how happy you are.

Question 46

The melting pot is a more accurate metaphor for cultural diversity in the U.S. than the tossed salad.

Question 47

According to communication accommodation theory, we are more attracted to people who have communication patterns similar to our own.

Question 48

What are four major distinctions among cultures, and how does the United States rank for each?

Question 49

Members of masculine cultures are more likely to seek win-win solutions.

Question 50

In high-power-distance cultures, students are encouraged to challenge the teacher during classroom discussions.

Question 51

Cultural relativism means accepting and agreeing with the customs of another culture.

Question 52

In high-context cultures, criticism should only take place in private.

Question 53

The adage, "Say what you mean and mean what you say," exemplifies a high-context culture.

Question 54

What is enculturation? How were you enculturated into your native culture?

Question 55

Describe at least three ways to improve intercultural communication, and provide examples where appropriate.

Question 56

A person in a collectivist culture is proud to stand out or above the crowd.

Question 57

Cultures with long-term orientation believe that mothers do not need to say home to care for their children.

Question 58

Cultures with an exclusionist orientation teach respect for other cultures and their beliefs.

Question 59

Define ethnocentrism and identify and discuss the five distances on the ethnocentric continuum.

Question 60

Interpersonal competence is universal across cultures.

Question 61

should we learn about other cultures and develop intercultural competence? Discuss at least three reasons why we need to improve our intercultural competence.