Deck 2: Communication, Culture, and Identity

Question 1

The learned life experiences shared by all members of a group with the same norms, values, and traditions form the group's ______.

A) history
B) culture
C) identity
D) social norms

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A global definition of culture ______.

A) focuses on an individual's country of origin
B) views all of humankind as one culture
C) defies categorization of individuals
D) sees every person as a member of multiple cultures

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Two first-year college roommates are getting to know each other. One is from New York City, the only child of an Anglo American father and an Argentine mother, and grew up in the Episcopal Church. The other is from Puerto Rico, has a brother and a sister, a father from Spain, and a mother from Cuba, and is an atheist. Both roommates speak English and Spanish. The two roommates are culturally different because of differences in their ______.

A) sex, gender, geographic region, and sexual identity
B) gender, age, sexual identity, and family background
C) spiritual identity, sex, age, and ethnicity
D) ethnicity, spiritual identity, geographic region, and family background

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which scenario is an example of cultural transmission from one generation to another?

A) giving a child a cookbook so he can learn how to cook dishes from a different culture
B) going to a concert to hear music from a foreign band
C) attending a lecture about world religions
D) listening to one's grandparents sing the songs of their youth

Question 5

The main benefit of enculturation is that it ______.

A) lets people become fully functional in their culture and accepted by their society
B) helps people understand and appreciate the norms and values held by other cultures
C) lets people pass their own culture on to their children
D) helps people adapt to living in a different culture

Question 6

Historically, some European Americans traveled to live with Native Americans and eventually became fully accepted members of Native American cultures. Some of them also acted as trade or military liaisons between Native Americans and European Americans, traveling back and forth between Native and European American communities. Such people were ______.

A) neither enculturated nor acculturated
B) enculturated, but not acculturated
C) not enculturated, but acculturated
D) both enculturated and acculturated

Question 7

People who are committed to coexisting and who have common understandings that help them coexist constitute a ______.

A) culture
B) co-culture
C) community
D) society

Question 8

Three immigrant extended families live on the same block in Queens, New York. One is from Colombia, one is from Armenia, and one is from India. The parents and grandparents in all three families are all foreign-born and have varying levels of proficiency in English, while the children in all three families are all U.S. born and speak fluent English. The three families are part of ______.

A) the same culture
B) different cultures
C) different co-cultures
D) the same co-culture

Question 9

Being a member of a co-culture within a larger national culture gives people ______.

A) a social identity
B) a social role
C) cultural expectations
D) cultural roots

Question 10

Some young people in non-Western cultures that practice arranged marriage approve of the custom and believe their parents will do a better job of choosing spouses for them than they would do themselves. Some Westerners are astonished by this because they believe choosing one's own partner is a universal human right. This is an example of ______.

A) culture shock
B) culture clash
C) cultural imperialism
D) cultural expectation

Question 11

Many employers hire a culturally diverse workforce because they want employees who can bring different perspectives to solving business challenges. Such employers also require employees to attend diversity training so that they can learn how to deal with cultural differences respectfully on the job. This example illustrates how culture clash within a group ______.

A) generally makes it difficult for the group to get things done
B) is seen as a valuable catalyst of creative solutions to problems
C) generally leads to excellent group performance
D) can cause the group to split up if not managed carefully

Question 12

Differences between people in the same broad culture based on geographic location are called ______.

A) regionalisms
B) accents
C) mannerisms
D) cohorts

Question 13

Which of these is an example of the multileveled nature of culture?

A) you and your host family in Germany
B) you and your same-sex best friend
C) you and your grandparents
D) you and an exchange student from Ethiopia

Question 14

Over the past several years, the United States has become more culturally ______.

A) stable
B) assimilated
C) homogenous
D) diverse

Question 15

Which statement best reflects the majority of U.S. voters' attitudes toward immigration?

A) They generally oppose accepting immigrants from non-Western cultures and refugees fleeing war or oppression.
B) They generally welcome immigrants from different cultures and favor large-scale admission of refugees fleeing war or oppression.
C) They generally welcome immigrants from different cultures but oppose large-scale admission of refugees fleeing war or oppression.
D) They generally believe that immigration should be greatly reduced and the United States should protect its borders by hiring more ICE agents and building border walls.

Question 16

In the United States over the past few decades, increases in immigration and the number of refugees seeking asylum have ______.

A) fostered greater understanding and appreciation of immigrant cultures
B) caused increasing anxiety and even sparked an anti-immigrant backlash
C) convinced most U.S. citizens of the need to open the borders and abolish immigration laws
D) convinced most U.S. citizens of the need to ban all immigration

Question 17

Because of the increasing cultural diversity of the United States, it is important to study ______.

A) multiple languages
B) enculturation
C) intercultural communication
D) acculturation

Question 18

One of the most noteworthy influences on culture and interpersonal relationships is ______.

A) the Internet
B) smartphones
C) online gaming
D) outsourcing

Question 19

People all over the world can act as amateur photojournalists, using their smartphones to post live updates and commentary online. This underscores the rising importance of ______ in shaping intercultural communication.

A) journalism
B) demography
C) technology
D) politics

Question 20

The transition from the use of the "melting pot" metaphor to the "salad bowl" metaphor reflects the fact that learning intercultural communication is ______.

A) less important now because immigrants want to retain characteristics of their native culture but still become part of the U.S. demographic
B) more important now because immigrants want to retain characteristics of their native culture but still become part of the U.S. demographic
C) less important now because immigrants want native-born Americans to help them shed their old culture and blend in
D) more important now because immigrants want native-born Americans to help them shed their old culture and blend in

Question 21

Which quote illuminates how individual variations within demographic groups make intercultural communication important?

A) "I love different kinds of Chinese food: Hunan, Szechuan, and Cantonese."
B) "We invited a famous guitarist from Africa to perform at the university, and all the foreign exchange students from Africa were very interested."
C) "I studied Spanish in college, but when my boyfriend's family came to visit from Cuba, I couldn't understand half of what they said."
D) "Many Asian students at universities in the United States choose to live together in the same apartment building to feel more at home."

Question 22

Which situation illustrates the economic imperative of studying intercultural communication?

A) A company hires an overseas call center to handle its customer service calls, but customers soon complain that the customer service representatives are disrespectful.
B) A U.S. publisher outsources its production to a printer in China. The printer then violates the terms of the contract by demanding full payment before delivery.
C) A man moves to the United States and starts a business importing wine from his family's vineyard back home in Argentina.
D) A Chinese restaurant sees its business decline due to the rising popularity of other ethnic cuisines.

Question 23

It is important to understand points of tension from other nations' points of view and to use that understanding to work out such tensions before they result in international conflicts. This is the ______ imperative for learning intercultural communication skills.

A) demographic
B) economic
C) ethical
D) peace

Question 24

Jan and Mike are discussing the concept of privilege. Jan, a member of a minority group, believes "privilege" is immunity from racism and discrimination. Mike, who is from a poor family, believes "privilege" is money and power. Their different concepts of what constitutes privilege come from their different ______.

A) family backgrounds
B) educational levels
C) biases
D) worldviews

Question 25

Some European countries have laws banning women's traditional face coverings and headscarves, saying such customs are repressive to women. However, the women themselves do not feel oppressed by their customs and actually feel oppressed by the laws. These countries are therefore ignoring the ______ imperative to fully understand cultural practices.

A) demographic
B) economic
C) ethical
D) peace

Question 26

The theory that breaks down cultural values into the dimensions of uncertainty avoidance, distribution of power, masculinity-femininity, and individualism-collectivism is called ______.

A) cultural change theory
B) cultural variability theory
C) cultural feminism theory
D) cultural diversity theory

Question 27

Northern European countries (Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland) have a high degree of innovation and a low degree of bureaucracy. These countries are also likely to have a ______.

A) high degree of uncertainty avoidance
B) low degree of uncertainty avoidance
C) high amount of power distance
D) low amount of power distance

Question 28

A key difference between people from cultures with higher or lower degrees of uncertainty avoidance is that they have greater or lesser ______.

A) tolerance for change
B) respect for authority
C) group orientation
D) focus on achievement and material success

Question 29

A young Anglo American man and his foreign-born wife go out to dinner with his parents. The young man criticizes his father for being rude to the waitress, but later, the young man's wife says he should be ashamed for chastising his own father. It is likely that the young woman is from a(n) ______ culture.

A) low-uncertainty-avoidance
B) high-power-distance
C) masculine
D) individualistic

Question 30

The fact that Hindu people in India subscribe to a caste system indicates that Hindu Indian culture is ______.

A) low in uncertainty avoidance
B) high in uncertainty avoidance
C) low in power distance
D) high in power distance

Question 31

Stereotypical notions of how people of different sexes should behave have led some researchers to classify different cultures as ______.

A) male and female
B) masculine and feminine
C) gendered and nongendered
D) gender normative and gender neutral

Question 32

Three generations of an Armenian immigrant family live in New York City. Members of the first generation, who immigrated from Armenia, all live together in the same house. Members of the second generation, who were born in New York, live in the same house with the elders until they get married and then move out. The third generation live with their New York-born parents until they graduate high school and then move out immediately. What does this pattern indicate?

A) The first generation is the most individualistic.
B) The third generation is the most collectivist.
C) Each of the latter two generations is more individualistic than the previous generation.
D) The generations are becoming more collectivist over time.

Question 33

Context orientation theory deals with whether ______.

A) words can have different meanings in different contexts
B) meaning is derived from words or nonverbal cues
C) nonverbal cues can communicate meaning as explicitly as words can
D) nonverbal cues are understandable across cultures

Question 34

What is one difference between high-context and low-context cultures?

A) High-context cultures are more explicit in their verbal messages.
B) High-context cultures have a higher degree of similarity among members.
C) Low-context cultures leave more open to interpretation.
D) Low-context cultures are more likely to use silence to communicate.

Question 35

In China, two otherwise identical texts could have very different meanings if one were written in black ink and the other were written in red ink. This indicates that China is a ______ culture.

A) high-context
B) low-context
C) high-power distance
D) low-power distance

Question 36

Belinda and her new friend Himeko, who is from Japan, take their children to the park to play together. Himeko notices that Belinda directs her daughter, Lacy, what to do and not do more or less constantly. Belinda notices Himeko never instructs her daughter, Eiko, how to behave. This is easily explained by the fact that ______.

A) Japan is a high-context culture while the United States is a low-context culture
B) Japan is a low-context culture while the United States is a high-context culture
C) Japan is a high-power-distance culture while the United States is a low-power-distance culture
D) Japan is a low-power-distance culture while the United States is a high-power-distance culture

Question 37

If you were a hiring manager for a social service agency, would you would be likely to place a candidate from a low-context culture in a job as a social worker for people from a high-context culture?

A) Yes; people from low-context cultures have better verbal communication skills.
B) Yes; people from high-context cultures are often eager to learn better verbal communication skills.
C) No; people from high-context cultures read nonverbal cues with a low degree of accuracy.
D) No; people from low-context cultures may not pick up on nonverbal clues given by people from high-context cultures.

Question 38

Which quote indicates that the speaker may be ethnocentric?

A) "Immigrants to the United States should learn English because it will help them find jobs."
B) "I went to that new ethnic restaurant, but I didn't like the taste of the food."
C) "Immigrant women who wear headscarves are oppressed, even if they don't know it."
D) "I went on a foreign exchange program for a semester, but I had a hard time fitting in."

Question 39

Jonathan has just met Carlos, a student from Brazil. He asks Carlos, "How do you like it here in America?" Carlos says, "I'm from America." What is illustrated by this exchange?

A) defensiveness on Carlos's part
B) ethnocentrism on Jonathan's part
C) language difficulty on Carlos's part
D) rudeness on Jonathan's part

Question 40

Applying perceived characteristics of some members of a group to the entire group is called ______.

A) bias
B) prejudice
C) racism
D) stereotyping

Question 41

Which statement indicates a positive stereotype?

A) "My Korean friend Kim is a good driver."
B) "Mexicans work much harder than anyone else I know."
C) "Adelita works so hard to take care of her family."
D) "The Lopez family runs the best construction business in town."

Question 42

Which statement indicates a negative stereotype?

A) "All the police in this town are on the take."
B) "The Internal Affairs unit has discovered graft and corruption in the police department."
C) "Those two police officers are taking bribes from the mob."
D) "Police officers should be prosecuted for killing unarmed citizens."

Question 43

An older black man tells a younger white man, "When I was born, I was called black. Then I was called African American. Then I was called a person of color, and now I'm called black again. So I really don't care which one you call me as long as you respect me." What is the older man trying to do?

A) help the younger man use his preferred term of group identity
B) help the younger man understand which terms of group identity are offensive
C) lessen the younger man's anxiety and uncertainty over terms of group identity
D) describe his own anxiety and uncertainty over terms of group identity

Question 44

What differentiates in-groups from out-groups?

A) sense of belonging
B) sense of respect for traditions
C) presence or lack of ethnocentrism
D) presence or lack of negative stereotypes

Question 45

Second-generation, third-generation, and fourth-generation members of Latino immigrant families in the United States are progressively less likely to speak Spanish and more likely to speak English only. What can be inferred from this phenomenon?

A) The second generation is the most likely to see people who speak English only as part of their in-group.
B) The second generation is the most likely to see people who speak Spanish only as part of an out-group.
C) The fourth generation is the most likely to see people who speak English only as part of an out-group.
D) The fourth generation is the most likely to see people who speak English only as part of their in-group.

Question 46

At a family gathering, Tristan's grandfather, Ben, asks Tristan if he and Marissa, his guest at the gathering, are "going steady." Tristan says they are "hanging out." Which obstacle to intercultural understanding does this exchange illustrate?

A) stereotyping
B) anxiety and uncertainty
C) misinterpretation of nonverbal and verbal behavior
D) the assumption of similarity or difference

Question 47

In the past, travel guides advised U.S. tourists not to hitchhike in Middle Eastern countries because the traditional American gesture of "thumbing a ride" is considered an obscene gesture there. This is an example of how ______ can cause challenges to intercultural communication.

A) ethnocentrism
B) misinterpretation
C) stereotyping
D) uncertainty

Question 48

Some forms of prejudice are so deeply ingrained in many cultures that people unthinkingly say things that are totally inoffensive to their in-group but may be deeply offensive to an out-group. This is one reason why intercultural understanding requires people to ______.

A) put more effort into assimilating
B) know their biases and stereotypes
C) relate to the individual, not the culture
D) tolerate the unknown

Question 49

One of the best ways to identify your personal biases and stereotypes is to ______.

A) listen carefully to how people who are different from you react to your words and ideas
B) do research on biases and stereotypes
C) ask people from a different ethnic group to tell you what biases they think your ethnic group has
D) attend diversity and cultural sensitivity training

Question 50

The way we respond when others use offensive words or phrases to describe cultural groups reveal our ______.

A) ethnocentrism
B) cultural imperialism
C) biases and stereotypes
D) tolerance of the unknown

Question 51

Speech or behavior toward women that people in the United States view as sexist and offensive may be seen by women in other cultures as normal and acceptable. This makes some Americans uncomfortable. What is the best way for them to deal with such situations?

A) Ask the women from these cultures how they feel about the particular speech or behavior.
B) Educate the women from other cultures about why such behavior is sexist and offensive.
C) Tolerate the behavior if women from these cultures say it's acceptable.
D) Keep their feelings to themselves as it doesn't affect them.

Question 52

______ occurs when members of one culture try to impose their ways of thinking or behaving on another culture.

A) Culture clash
B) Culture war
C) Cultural bias
D) Cultural imperialism

Question 53

Ashlyn accepts that people from other cultures think and relate in different ways, and she tolerates such practices even if she disagrees with or disapproves of them. Ashlyn is demonstrating ______.

A) cultural diversity
B) cultural respect
C) cultural empathy
D) cultural relativism

Question 54

Owen understands the experiences of people from different cultures and communicates that understanding to people of those cultures and to others. Owen is demonstrating ______.

A) cultural diversity
B) cultural respect
C) cultural empathy
D) cultural relativism

Question 55

What is the best way to educate oneself about other cultures?

A) Read the most up-to-date and authoritative books and journals on culture and intercultural communication.
B) Read a broad selection of written and online materials and then talk with individuals from other cultures, using critical thinking at all times to enhance your understanding.
C) Talk with as many people as possible from other cultures about written works on intercultural communications.
D) Go to live with people of other cultures and uncritically accepting what they have to say about their culture.

Question 56

It is possible to have a well-intentioned conversation with someone from a different culture and nevertheless end up offending the person due to intercultural misunderstandings. How should one deal with this possibility?

A) Read as much about the person's culture as possible before meeting with the person.
B) Chat online with other people from that person's culture before meeting with the person.
C) Meet with more than one person from the same culture at the same time so they can clear up misunderstandings with each other.
D) Try to anticipate all potential sources of misunderstanding and preempt them if possible.

Question 57

Although we can make some broad generalizations about particular cultures, it is important to remember that each individual is ______ when communicating with people from other cultures.

A) unique
B) uncertain
C) valid
D) biased

Question 58

When learning about intercultural communication, why is it just as important to get to know individuals from a different culture as it is to read about their culture?

A) It helps you realize the importance of multiculturalism, cultural relativism, and changing your own cultural practices to make others feel welcome.
B) It helps you understand that their cultural practices are just as valid as yours, since they work well for each individual.
C) It helps you not form stereotypes about them and their culture, since getting to know individuals helps you see them as culturally unique.
D) Cultures can change quickly due to intercultural contact via the internet, so anything written about them can quickly become outdated.

Question 59

Using a "global" interpretation of culture, a Latino man born and raised in New York and a Latino man born and raised in Arizona can be said to belong to different cultures.

Question 60

The term culture itself is difficult to define.

Question 61

Age, gender, sexual identity, and spiritual identity are all components of culture.

Question 62

We learn about a culture both consciously and unconsciously.

Question 63

Enculturation is also known as acculturation.

Question 64

We are born with knowledge of our culture.

Question 65

Co-cultures are communities.

Question 66

Some people in the United States have viewed recent increases in immigration and cultural diversity as frightening.

Question 67

Because of backlash against immigration, the United States is less diverse than ever.

Question 68

Since the 9/11 attacks, attitudes in the United States toward immigrants have generally improved.

Question 69

Some Americans believe increasing diversity in the United States is destroying American society.

Question 70

The continuing practice of outsourcing increases the economic imperative to learn intercultural communication skills.

Question 71

Given current levels of conflict around the world, we can infer that it is easy for people of different countries to learn about each other's cultures, develop understanding, and live in peace.

Question 72

The United States is a more masculine than feminine culture.

Question 73

Intercultural communication is challenging only when words are involved.

Question 74

One of the best ways to begin to understand people from a different culture is to have dinner with them, because it is safe to assume that dinner etiquette is basically the same all over the world.

Question 75

To varying degrees, all people are biased and ethnocentric.

Question 76

Members of cultures like the United States with a low degree of uncertainty avoidance can easily tolerate cultural differences with outsiders.

Question 77

We can preempt potential problems related to intercultural communication, but we cannot control all of the variables that can cause negative consequences.

Question 78

When practicing intercultural communication, we can expect individuals will universally adhere to their cultures' prescriptions.

Question 79

A man from Latin America comes to the United States to study at a university. He behaves formally with women on campus--standing up when they enter the room, giving up his seat for them, holding doors for them, and so on. Some of the women tell him that his behavior is sexist and antiquated, and they ask him to stop. But the man replies that they should appreciate his behavior because it is far better than the disrespectful behavior (e.g., unwanted touching, catcalling) exhibited by many other men on campus. What factor involved in intercultural contact is at play here, and why?

Question 80

Why might it be valid to say that when a given ethnic group begins to move into a neighborhood that has been dominated by another ethnic group for a long time, it can undermine the sense of community in that neighborhood?