Deck 2: The Role of Culture

Question 1

Which of the following is a characteristic of culture?

A) It is individualized.
B) It is innate.
C) It is transmitted from one generation to the next.
D) It is declining.

Answer 1

It is transmitted from one generation to the next.

Question 2

The primary transmitter of culture is__________.

A) parents
B) everyday experience
C) language
D) facial expressions

Answer 2

language

Question 3

According to interactionists, social interaction among people of different cultures may be difficult because__________________.

A) they may not share the same definitions of symbols
B) people have a natural reluctance to relate to strangers
C) strangers are intimidated by the natives of the host country
D) one group tries to dominate the other

Answer 3

they may not share the same definitions of symbols

Question 4

The Thomas theorem states that________________________.

A) you've got to be taught to hate and fear
B) if people define a situation as real, it becomes real in its consequences
C) the world of reality is taken for granted
D) each generation passes its cultural values on to the next generation

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of material culture?

A) money
B) the exchange of ideas
C) religion
D) acculturation

Question 6

The fact that cultures owe a substantial debt to other cultures because of the spread of ideas, inventions, and practices is called

A) cultural transmission.
B) convergence.
C) cross-cultural integration.
D) cultural diffusion.

Question 7

Students who sit quietly in class and take careful notes are fulfilling unwritten societal rules of behavior, which are called_________.

A) mores
B) values
C) norms
D) material culture

Question 8

Settling in an area already containing family, friends, or compatriots is known as____________.

A) chain migration
B) joined resettlement
C) parallel social institutions
D) emigration

Question 9

Sociologists call a minority group's establishment of its own clubs, organizations, stores, churches, newspapers, and schools

A) convergent subcultures.
B) parallel social institutions.
C) structural pluralism.
D) subcultural networking.

Question 10

Many of Ahmed's family have moved from Yemen to the U.S., adapting and adopting to much of American culture while retaining a number of beliefs and customs from home. Ahmed's aunt, who still lives in Yemen worries that this Americanized family is no longer Yemeni. Ahmed's teenage daughter feels like her family is not American. Sociologically speaking, Ahmed's family is experiencing ___________.

A) ethnogenesis
B) culture shock
C) pluralism
D) chain migration

Question 11

Living under the norms of both a dominant culture and a subculture may result in stress and _____________.

A) marginality
B) assimilation
C) amalgamation
D) acculturation

Question 12

When Rona arrived in Milan she had a hard time adjusting to the fact that people drank wine during working lunches. This is an example of_______________.

A) cultural transmission
B) culture irrelevance
C) culture diffusion
D) culture shock

Question 13

The most noticeable form of pluralism in most societies is __________.

A) structural pluralism
B) cultural pluralism
C) convergence
D) amalgamation

Question 14

The equation A+B+C=A illustrates which concept?

A) amalgamation
B) assimilation
C) desegregation
D) pluralism

Question 15

The equation A+B+C=D illustrates which concept?

A) amalgamation
B) assimilation
C) immigration
D) pluralism

Question 16

Nonmaterial culture contains more physical objects than material culture.

Question 17

Most minority groups eventually adapt their distinctive cultural traits to those of the host society.

Question 18

Secondary structural assimilation involves close personal interactions among dominant and minority groups in intimate settings like parties and clubs.

Question 19

Linguistic relativity refers to the fact that every race has its own language.

Question 20

Paralinguistic signals include sounds but not words.

Question 21

Ralph Linton calculated that any given culture contains about 90 percent borrowed elements.

Question 22

Explain and illustrate the differences between material and nonmaterial culture. Which would change faster? Why?

Question 23

Explain how our knowledge of language and cultural symbols shapes our perception of reality. Provide examples to support your answer.

Question 24

Explain and illustrate the differences between cultural diffusion and cultural transmission.

Question 25

Compare and contrast the theories of assimilation, amalgamation, and pluralism.

Question 26

Define white culture and provide evidence of its existence.