quiz 4

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

Within a few blocks in midtown Manhattan, you can purchase a bagel with cream cheese, a hot dog, a steak, a polish sausage, or a pizza, as well as chow mein, lamb curry, sushi, lasagna, falafels, chicken couscous, enchiladas, and a host of ethnic specialties. This range of culinary possibilities illustrates the process of ________.

Cultural diffusion

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

Incest

In many Middle Eastern countries, showing someone the bottom of your foot or 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 is this instruction needed?

The meaning of gestures is not universal

If Alice came to class wearing a soiled and torn blouse, she would be violating a ________. But if Alice came to class not wearing a blouse (or any other garment), she would be violating a ________.

folkway; more

Recently curators at museums have experienced problem with plastic objects, almost all of which disintegrate over time. The Smithsonian collection contains the first-ever plastic toothbrush, which soon will be nothing more than a pile of crumbs, leading many historians to worry that we will lose the history of our____________.

material culture