Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A Canadian thinks citizens of another country are barbarians if they like to attend
bullfights. Which of the following concepts best describes this reaction?
cultural relativism
ideal culture
ethnomethodology
ethnocentrism
As Inuit children learn their language they learn distinctions between types of
snowfalls in a way that non-Inuit children do not. Which of the following
perspectives is reflected in this example?
folkways
the cultural lag thesis
ethnocentrism
the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
As you are rushing from one class to the next, you absentmindedly forget to hold
the door open for the person coming through behind you. The consequence is that
the person has the door slammed in his face. Which of the following cultural
components has been violated as a result of your behaviour?
taboos
values
folkways
mores
Canadian society is made up of many different groups. Which of the following terms
would a sociologist use to describe this type of society?
an ideal culture
a melting pot
a pluralistic society
a counterculture
Heavy metal adherents who glorify Satanism, cruelty, and sexism would be
examples of ________________.
subculture
counterculture
ethnocentrists
value contradiction
One of the textbook authors describes his reaction to life in Morocco. Which of the
following best describes what he was feeling?
cultural relativism
cultural levelling
culture shock
cultural diffusion
Subcultures _____________________.
are a world within a world
All of the above.
include occupational groups
have values and related behaviours that set members apart from the
dominant culture
There are computer tests that outperform physicians in diagnosing and prescribing
treatment, yet most of us still visit doctors and rely on their judgment. What does
this situation reflect?
cultural diffusion
technological determinism
core values
cultural lag
Today, bagels, falafels, and hammocks are all a part of Canadian culture. The
adoption of these objects illustrates which of the following processes or concepts?
cultural diffusion
nonmaterial culture
cultural universals
cultural levelling
What is the perspective that views human behaviour as the result of natural
selection and considers biological characteristics to be the fundamental cause of
human behaviour?
natural science
sociobiology
anthropology
social science
Which of the following makes it possible for human experience to be cumulative and
for people to share memories?
computers
gestures
cultural universals
language
Which of the following reflects the conditions under which value contradictions can
occur?
societies that experience very little social change
a value, such as the one that stresses group superiority, comes into direct
conflict with other values, such as democracy and equality
a series of interrelated values bound together to form a larger whole
societies exhibiting a high level of ethnocentrism
are universal.
can lead to misunderstandings and embarrassment.
are defined as complex systems of written symbols.
are studied by anthropologists but not sociologists.
Ideal culture
watched.
Ideal culture
everyday life.
Ideal culture
to uphold.
Ideal culture
group.
is the norms people follow when they know they are being
consists of the norms and values people actually follow in
reflects the values and norms which people in a culture attempt
is a value, norm, or other cultural trait that is found in every
Which of the following would you use to describe a group's ways of thinking and
doing, including language and other forms of interaction?
material culture
ideological culture
nonmaterial culture
values
True
False
Although certain activities are present in all cultures, the specific customs differ
from one group to another.
True
False
Canadians, in general, have relatively liberal moral values.
True
False
Concern for the environment has always been a core value in Canadian society.
True
False
Culture has little to do with people's ideas of right and wrong.
True
False
John Porter remarked that Canadians, unlike Americans, are brought up with a
central unifying national ideology.
True
False
Individuals have a tendency towards ethnocentrism.
True
False
Motorcycle enthusiasts who emphasize personal freedom and speed, while
maintaining values of success, form a counterculture.
True
False
Few are entirely successful at practicing cultural relativism.
True
False
Only a small minority of Canadians believe the government should more actively
intervene to narrow the gap between the rich and poor.
True
False
Youth and self-fulfillment are core values in both Canadian and American society.
True
False
Research by Allen and Beatrice Gardner provides evidence that animals are capable
of acquiring language.
True
False
Robert Edgerton is among the critics of cultural relativism, arguing that cultures
should be rated on the basis of their "quality of life."
True
False
Sanctions are positive or negative reactions to the ways people follow or violate
norms.
True
False
Speech, gestures, beliefs, and customs are usually taken for granted by people.
True
False
The gesture of nodding the head up and down to indicate "yes" is universal.
True
False
While folkways may change across cultures, mores are universally the same.
True
False
While new technologies may affect material culture, including the way things are
done in a society, it has only minimal impact on nonmaterial culture, including the
way people think and what they value.
True
False
All countercultures are fundamentally negative and destructive.
True
False
Language is a complex system of symbols that gives human beings a highly
developed ability to think abstractly and convey ideas across time and space.
True
False
The belief that murder is wrong and that it is rude to pick one's nose are examples
of mores.
True
False
A subculture is a group in which most of its core values and norms stand in direct
opposition to those of the mainstream, dominant culture.
True
False
All countercultures are subcultures, but not all subcultures are countercultures.
True
False
An understanding of how different cultural groups use gestures and symbols is
unimportant because etiquette and the behaviours associated with being polite are
universal.
True
False
Material and nonmaterial culture remain constant and unchanged throughout the
existence of the group to which it belongs.
True
False