Chapter 3

Which is an example of cultural lag?

People have accidents while walking or driving because they are using smartphones. Cultural norms do not yet accommodate this technology well.

__________ is/are an example of material culture, whereas _________ is/are an example of nonmaterial culture.

A school building; the value of education

Between the seventeenth and early twentieth centuries, what process most strongly shaped the social map of the globe as we know it today?

Colonialism

Which research question is focused on nonmaterial culture?

Why do Hindus consider the cow to be sacred?

Which of the following statements about individualism BEST exemplifies the relationship between norms and values? a. Americans often believe strongly in individualism, which is exemplified by a mainstream belief that it is normal and healthy for those who are 18 or older to move out of their parents' house. b. Individualism in the United States is valued because of its link to innovation in American culture, which is also highly prized. c. Beliefs in individualism in the early United States were developed out of the necessity of relatively few English immigrants to learn to survive in an unfamiliar environment. d. The norm of individualism in the United States has led us to place more value on those who disagree with mainstream ideas than on those who agree with them.

a. Americans often believe strongly in individualism, which is exemplified by a mainstream belief that it is normal and healthy for those who are 18 or older to move out of their parents' house. FEEDBACK: Norms are principles or rules of behavior that everyone in a culture is expected to follow and reflect the more abstract ideals that constitute values. Individualism, as an abstract ideal, is reflected in ideas about how people should behave in the course of everyday life.

Match the theorist to their general analysis of the future of industrial society. Society will grow continuously more complex, marked by increasing division of labor and interdependence. The intensifying rationalization of society will ultimately lead to a situation destructive to the freedom and potential of human beings. Class divisions will simplify through a process of struggle and antagonism until a worker's revolution succeeds in creating a classless society. a. Emile Durkheim b. Karl Marx c. Max Weber

a. Emile Durkheim c. Max Weber b. Karl Marx

Why does Ann Swidler's formulation of a culture as a "tool kit" help form a more nuanced approach to understanding human culture? a. It prevents sociological investigations of culture from becoming derailed by philosophical questions about meaning. b. It allows for the incorporation of human agency into ideas about how culture operates and is created. c. It provides a framework within which researchers can detail every possible variation in behavior within a single culture. d. It helps theorists understand the ways in which culture can be used by powerful groups to manipulate the ideas of the masses.

b. It allows for the incorporation of human agency into ideas about how culture operates and is created. FEEDBACK: Swidler's ideas are representative of the cultural turn in sociology, which has resulted in backing away from the idea that culture is an inescapable influence. Instead, this new perspective examines ways that individuals creatively interpret and, in turn, change culture.

__________ consists of the physical objects that a society creates that influence the ways in which people live. a. Scientific technology b. Material culture c. Artistic propaganda d. Infrastructure

b. Material culture FEEDBACK: Material culture consists of all the physical objects created by humans to facilitate social living, including scientific technology, artistic creations, highways, living structures (homes), and so on.

Sofia lives in a small town in rural Kansas where few other Mexican families live. Because she can find little connection to her cultural roots in her town, she joins an online community dedicated to sharing Mexican cultural heritage. Here she meets many other Mexicans, some living in the United States, others in Mexico, and still others in different parts of the world. Participation in this online community strengthens her bonds to, and understanding of, her cultural heritage, which becomes a large part of her identity over time. What might a sociologist conclude from Sofia's experience? a. The preservation of unique cultural ideas and practices is now almost entirely dependent on Internet communication abilities. b. The reordering of time and space prompted by globalization may be as likely to strengthen individual cultures as it is to create a single, global culture. c. Full assimilation to American culture will be made more difficult by Sofia's new online activities. d. Although Sofia may learn a great deal about Mexican heritage from the Internet, she will never really embody Mexican culture unless she moves to Mexico.

b. The reordering of time and space prompted by globalization may be as likely to strengthen individual cultures as it is to create a single, global culture. FEEDBACK: Sociologists disagree over the ultimate impacts on culture that the Internet will have. The ability of the Internet to connect people quickly across time and space not only allows the possibility of developing a unified global culture but equally allows those who have been separated across time and space to establish a communal space in which unique and particular cultural ideas, beliefs, and practices can be reinforced and shared.

According to some of the studies cited at the beginning of this chapter, which of the following is true of the effect of social media use on American young adults? a. The use of social media generally encourages people to become more informed and more open-minded. b. The use of social media can have a detrimental effect on self-esteem and emotional well-being over time. c. The more time individuals spend using social media, the more connected they tend to feel to their communities. d. As individuals increase their use of social media, they have a more difficult time knowing how to interact face-to-face.

b. The use of social media can have a detrimental effect on self-esteem and emotional well-being over time. FEEDBACK: The Internet has ambiguous impacts on individuals and communities. Although Facebook users of all ages report having slightly closer friendships than average Americans, other studies show a direct correlation between increased use of social media and decreased self-esteem.

Which of the following statements applies to hunting and gathering societies? a. Although small, they had more elaborately developed social divisions than even industrial societies. b. There is less inequality in such societies than in any other type of human society discussed. c. The primary social divisions between members were along lines of race and ethnicity. d. Religious values and rituals were not developed by such primitive groups.

b. There is less inequality in such societies than in any other type of human society discussed. FEEDBACK: Although hunters and gatherers had little interest in developing material wealth, religious values and rituals were among their primary concerns. There was little inequality in such societies compared to modern ones, and the primary social divisions were along lines of gender and age.

According to your text, which of the following is true of the majority of countries that constitute the global south? a. They are not sufficiently industrialized to even be considered developing nations. b. They were formerly under colonial rule. c. They suffer from incompetent political leadership. d. They have no political relevance or relationship to the United States.

b. They were formerly under colonial rule. FEEDBACK: The majority of countries in the global south are in areas that underwent colonial rule in South Asia, Africa, and South America. Some formerly impoverished countries in the global south have successfully embarked on a process of industrialization, but the majority of the world's poor and hungry still live in the global south.

Which of the following might be considered a cultural universal? a. having conflicts with ones' in-laws b. decorating one's body c. using smart phones and the Internet d. teaching children how to be self-sufficient

b. decorating one's body FEEDBACK: Cultural universals are values or modes of behavior shared by all human cultures, although specific manifestations of cultural universals vary from one culture to another.

__________ is the process by which different cultures are absorbed into a mainstream culture. a. Conformity b. Multiculturalism c. Assimilation d. Socialization

c. Assimilation FEEDBACK: Assimilation is the acceptance of a minority group by a majority population in which the new group takes on the values and norms of the dominant culture. This model presents a different view from multiculturalism, which sees groups as participating equally in political and economic life while still maintaining most aspects of their cultural forms.

Match the type of human society to the characteristic that best applies. Although male elders have more influence, decision making in these societies was generally participatory. These societies were often primary in desert or mountainous regions where crops were difficult to grow. Only a very small percentage of people in these societies work on the land. These are societies marked by large material and power inequalities, and in which rural agriculture and cities coexist. a. pastoral b. civilizations c. hunting-gathering d. industrialized

c. hunting-gathering a. pastoral d. industrialized b. civilizations

Cultural relativism is the a. idea that one's own culture is superior to all others. b. relationship between the ideas and practices of two similar societies. c. practice of judging a society by its own standards. d. adoption of aspects of one society's culture by another society.

c. practice of judging a society by its own standards. FEEDBACK: Cultural relativism is an effort to avoid ethnocentrism by seeking to understand the origins of practices in other cultures that seem strange or even repulsive in the context of one's own cultural beliefs.

Reza spent all his high school years hanging out with a group of kids who often cut classes to hang out and smoke in a far corner of the school parking lot. After he accepted an invitation to go to the prom with a girl outside of his circle of friends, he found some graffiti in the spot his friends hung out that said, "Reza is a conformist punk." This could be considered an example of __________ within that student subculture. a. socialization b. conformity c. social control d. ethnocentrism

c. social control FEEDBACK: The graffiti is an example of informal social control, in which Reza's action of going to the prom, seen as nonconformity to the social rules of the smoker group, is punished by gossip or ostracizing.

Culture can be defined as a. artistic forms of expression that help cultivate the intellect of members of a society. b. expectations about modes of behavior appropriate to participating in a particular community or society. c. the values, norms, and material objects characteristic of a particular group. d. scientific understandings and the technological advancements that come from them, by which society is built.

c. the values, norms, and material objects characteristic of a particular group. FEEDBACK: Arts, science, and expectations are all parts or manifestations of culture, which contains all of those aspects and more.

Which of the following statements BEST summarizes the general sociological approach to the nature/nurture debate as described in this chapter? a. Genetics and biology are essentially irrelevant compared to the determining force of social forces. b. Sociological understandings of human behavior can allow us to rise above what could otherwise be biological destiny. c. Social forces can be understood as macrocosms of biological forces and interactions. d. Although genetics and biology play a role in human behavior, they manifest in an astounding variety of ways, based on complex interactions with the social environment.

d. Although genetics and biology play a role in human behavior, they manifest in an astounding variety of ways, based on complex interactions with the social environment. FEEDBACK: While genetics and instincts may have an impact on human behavior, the form in which such things are expressed are seen by sociologists to be mediated by culture, which also provides the guidance by which self-consciousness develops.

What is the explanation for the poor record of innovation in Chinese companies, in spite of the fact that Chinese students continuously outperform most others in science, reading, and math? a. Chinese economic structure does not provide incentives for companies or individuals to innovate. b. Chinese people value American products so highly that they are content to make minor improvements to them, rather than rethink them entirely. c. Every other aspect of Chinese culture has remained so much the same that there is little room for change in the educational arena. d. Chinese educational culture, which emphasizes rote learning and memorization as opposed to critical and analytical thinking, is long-standing and deeply engrained.

d. Chinese educational culture, which emphasizes rote learning and memorization as opposed to critical and analytical thinking, is long-standing and deeply engrained. FEEDBACK: While culture is always malleable and changing, deeply held and long-standing values and traditions may prove difficult to adjust. Although there have been dramatic political and social changes in China, the consequences of centuries of emphasis on rote learning and test taking to prove merit are tenacious and difficult to change quickly.

Why does semiotics provide an important contribution to the study of culture? a. It gives researchers a framework through which they can distinguish between symbols and signifiers. b. It helps us understand the underlying meaning of apparently practical uses of language. c. It provides a map through which we can make sense of the relationship between values and norms. d. It provides conceptual tools by which we can understand the symbolic meanings of material culture.

d. It provides conceptual tools by which we can understand the symbolic meanings of material culture. FEEDBACK: Because material culture is not merely practical but also carries symbolic meaning, the study of culture is incomplete without the study of the meaning of material culture. Semiotics is the analysis of nonverbal cultural meanings, which includes material culture.

Which of the following statements might be derived from the linguistic relativity hypothesis? a. People who have small vocabularies are unable to manage complex thoughts. b. The larger the variety of experiences available to people in a culture, the more likely they are to develop larger and more complex vocabularies. c. Forms of language developed by groups different from one's own are inapplicable to one's own experience. d. Learning a different language can be a very good way of understanding the culture and experiences of the group by which that language was developed.

d. Learning a different language can be a very good way of understanding the culture and experiences of the group by which that language was developed. FEEDBACK: The linguistic relativity hypothesis suggests that language influences our perception of the world. Thus, learning vocabulary or even a whole language different from your own can be a window into understanding the way that others perceive the world.

What is the main difference between pastoral societies and agrarian societies? a. Agrarian societies predated pastoral societies by at least several thousand years. b. Agrarian societies were marked by much more divisive inequalities than pastoral societies. c. Pastoral societies only existed in Africa and the Middle East, while agrarian societies were spread across the entire globe. d. Pastoral societies relied mainly on domesticated animals, while agrarian societies relied on agriculture.

d. Pastoral societies relied mainly on domesticated animals, while agrarian societies relied on agriculture. FEEDBACK: Differences in the main source of livelihood distinguish pastoral and agrarian societies, although these differences also engender others.

What is the relationship between colonialism and global inequalities in industrial development? a. Colonial powers concentrated on taking over countries with populations uninterested in industrial development and were unwilling to force industrialization upon such populations. b. Although certain radical sociologists have proposed that colonialism contributed to global inequalities in development, there is no proven connection between the two. c. Because some parts of the world are very rich in natural resources and others are stronger in technological development, colonization helped create a balanced globalized system of production that played to the respective strengths of each part of the globe. d. The wealth obtained from colonized areas, often in the form of raw natural resources, was funneled back to the home countries of colonial powers instead of being invested in the development of the colonized areas.

d. The wealth obtained from colonized areas, often in the form of raw natural resources, was funneled back to the home countries of colonial powers instead of being invested in the development of the colonized areas. FEEDBACK: Nonsettler colonies with large native populations experienced a much lower level of industrial development, largely because much of the wealth produced in these societies was realized by the colonial powers.

What is colonialism? a. a process in which people from populated areas move to uninhabited parts of the world to set up their own societies b. the era during which groups of adventurers began perfecting sailing technologies that allowed them to discover increasingly distant parts of the world c. the establishment of new forms of punishment enabled by travel technology, in which penal work colonies were established in remote areas d. a process whereby Western nations established their rule in parts of the world away from their home territories

d. a process whereby Western nations established their rule in parts of the world away from their home territories FEEDBACK: Colonialism is primarily understood to mean the replacement of indigenous rule in most parts of the world with governance by a distant European power. Sometimes it involved large numbers of European settlers who relocated to the colonized area, but in other cases only enough people relocated to establish political and economic dominance.

Disparaging attitudes towards polygamy (a marriage that includes more than two people) in the United States may be a form of a. cultural relativism. b. assimilation. c. social control. d. ethnocentrism.

d. ethnocentrism. FEEDBACK: Ethnocentrism is the tendency to look at other cultures through the eyes of one's own culture and thereby misrepresent them. Sociologists who study forms of marriage in different cultures must try to understand phenomena like polygamy in the political, economic, and cultural context of the groups in which it is practiced.

Fixed patterns of behavior that have genetic origins and appear in all normal animals in a given species are a. norms. b. indoctrinated. c. sociobiological. d. instincts.

d. instincts. FEEDBACK: Instincts do not have to be learned through socialization, as norms must, but originate in genes to direct behavior on an unconscious level. Although there are some reflexes displayed by all humans, such as babies rooting for a nipple, most sociologists believe that an understanding of human behavior must include a consideration of how human biology and genetics interact with socialization to produce the large variety of behavior displayed by humans across the globe.