Chapter 3 SOCIO

Which of the following statements about culture is true?

All of these statements about culture are true

How is a subculture different from a counterculture?

Both are distinct from mainstream culture, but a counterculture actively opposes important aspects of the mainstream

Which of the following statements about norms is false

Both of these are false statements

Although languages differ considerably from one culture to another, the meanings of gestures are commonly understood in the same way by people throughout the world.

False

cultural relativism and ethnocentrism are extremely similar concepts

False

norms that are not strictly enforced, such as etiquette in the cafeteria and the dress code for class, are referred to as

Folkways

Which of the following is true concerning ideal culture and real culture?

Real culture and ideal culture do clash with each other at times

How is the study of culture different for sociologists than anthropologists?

Sociologists usually study a culture they belong to

In many Middle Eastern countries, showing someone the bottom of your shoe is considered to be very rude, so American military personnel stationed in the Middle East had to be instructed to keep their feet inside helicopters when flying low. Why was this instruction needed?

The meaning of gestures is not universal

In an academic honors society, everyone would probably agree that getting "straight A's" in school is a worthwhile cause. Why?

These are values of the group

Why do ethnocentric people tend to view other cultures as abnormal?

They use their own culture as a standard of judgement

Which of the following is least likely to be considered a subculture in the United States?

White males

A subculture is

a group within society that is differentiated by its distinctive values, norms, and lifestyle

Although many people feel that expectations for personal space (usually about 18 inches for Americans) are innate, members of many cultures are used to noticeably less personal space than we are, which helps to demonstrate that our expectations for personal space are

a part of our culture and as such are learned, rather than innate

Which of the following is a way to suspend one's own ethnocentrism, at least temporarily

adopting cultural relativism

Which of the following is an example of a sanction

all of these

According to sociologist, what are signs

anything designed to meaningfully represent something else

According to sociologists, what are signs?

anything designed to meaningfully represent something else

During the American occupation of Japan following World war II, the Japanese observed soldiers playing baseball and later adopted it as one of their pastimes. This is an example of

cultural diffusion

The spread of of Mcdonald's restaurants throughout Asia is an example of

cultural diffusion

A student who tries to objectively analyze the food that the people of a different culture eat is using:

cultural relativism

The ability to understand another culture in terms of its own norms and values, without reference to any other cultural standards is called

cultural relativism

Let's say you go on a study abroad program with classmates this summer. When you get off the plane in a different country, some of your friends start making fun of the locals because the way they dress is "ridiculous" What behavior are they exhibiting

ethnocentrism

What is the tendency to use your own group's way of doing things as the yardstick for judging other called

ethnocentrism

A person wearing sandals while dressed in a suit is likely violating a

folkway

Which of the following is clearly an example of a taboo in American society

incest

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (also called the principle of linguistic relativity) suggests that

language can structure our perception of reality

Cultural groups have physical objects that are collectively known as that group's

material culture

In America, a married man who has several mistresses is violating a ____________, but if he is married to more than one woman at the same time he is violating a ___________

more; law

A perspective that values diverse racial, ethnic, national, and linguistic backgrounds and encourages the retention of cultural differences within society is called

multiculturalism

If you are trying to get your friends to conform to your values and norms, and increase social cohesion amongst your group members, the formal and informal mechanisms you might use would be called

social control

A cultural group that exists harmoniously within a larger, dominant culture is called a

subculture

Which of the following lists norms in order from the most severely enforced to the least?

taboos, mores, folkways

Marijuana laws over the course of U.S. history illustrate:

that norms change overtime and across contexts, and that changes in such norms are not always predictable

Which of the following would be considered a counterculture

the Black Panthers

It might be hard for you to picture an animal called a "gato" if you don't speak spanish. The idea that language structures our thoughts and influences our way of looking at the world is called

the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Which of the following is not true of technological change

when sociologists discuss technology and technological change , they are referring to electronic technology alone, and not to other tools to reshape our material and cultural environments

If you get a ticket for speeding, you got in trouble because

you broke a law