Chapter Three Test

How are norms enforced in everyday settings?

By sanctions

During the American occupation of Japan after 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

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

Sociologists usually study a society to which they belong.

Jill is visiting her boyfriend's family in China. During a conversation, she points to him with her index finger, which his family doesn't seem to like. Later, her boyfriend explains that she should point with an open hand instead of using a finger. Why is this instruction needed?

The meaning of gestures is not universal.

Which of the following groups is MOST likely to be classified as a counterculture?

a militia group living in Montana

Today, it is possible to travel all over the world, especially if you visit major metropolitan areas, without ever having to eat anything but McDonald's food. This is an example of

cultural leveling

What do sociologists call it when cultures that were once distinct become increasingly similar?

cultural leveling

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

cultural relativism.

Conflicts within mainstream society about which values and norms should be upheld or shifted are called

culture wars

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

ethnocentrism.

What do sociologists call informal rules and guidelines for behavior that are considered acceptable within a group?

folkways

What is the sociological term for signs people make with their bodies?

gestures

Coca-Cola was first marketed in the 1860s as a patient medicine, designed to offer the energy boost of cocaine without the vices of alcohol. The new beverage was invigorating and popular. Today, however, cocaine is not just banned but widely demonized. This is an example of

mainstream culture once approving of behaviors that are now considered deviant.

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

they use their own culture as standard of judgement

Which of the following is an example of something that would be part of a person's or a society's material culture?

weapons of war

How is a subculture different from a counterculture?

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

In the article "Jihad vs. McWorld," Benjamin R. Barber points out that "in November of 1991 Switzerland's once insular culture boasted best-seller lists featuring Terminator 2 as the #1 movie, Scarlett as the #1 book, and Prince's Diamonds and Pearls as the #1 record album." Many people worry that the prominence of American culture goes beyond the media and represents the wholesale imposition of American values on other cultures, which is a process called

Cultural imperialism

What is the definition of "culture"?

Culture is the entire way of life of a group of people and it acts as a lens through which we view the world.

________ studied the Hopi of the southwestern United States and concluded that language not only allows us to express our thoughts but also shapes the way we think.

Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf

Which of the following is one of the functions of symbolic culture?

It enables people to communicate.

How is culture transmitted and internalized?

We learn values and beliefs slowly and incrementally.

In 2005 the Northwestern University women's lacrosse team won an NCAA championship and was invited to the White House to receive congratulations from the president. Controversy erupted after the team's visit when the official photograph revealed that several team members were wearing flip-flops. Despite the outcry, the athletes took the criticism in stride, talking about it on The Today Show and auctioning the offending footwear for charity. Given the reaction and the team's response, what kind of norm did the athletes break by wearing flip-flops to the White House?

a folkway

Although many people believe that expectations for personal space are innate, members of many cultures are accustomed to noticeably less personal space than those of others. This helps demonstrate that people's expectations for personal space are

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

Which of the following is an example of a culture war?

anti-abortion advocates demonstrating in front of a family planning clinic

Which of the following is an example of something that would be part of a person's symbolic culture?

belonging to a political party

Which of the following is a subculture?

bodybuilding

The article "Body Ritual among the Nacirema" is useful to sociologists because it

challenges people's inability to observe their own cultures.

The values, norms, and practices of the most powerful group within a society are called

dominant culture

The famous anthropologist Margaret Mead said that the United States of America is the best place to raise a female child. Her assertion is an example of

ethnocentrism

What has been achieved when the dominant culture, without the use of force, persuades the rest of society that its beliefs and values are the only or best values?

hegemony

Sociologists refer to the norms and values that people aspire to as ________ culture.

ideal

When Barack Obama's approval ratings were high, polls found that a larger number of people claimed to have voted for him than actually did vote for him. Historians report that the percentage of people who remember voting for any president rises and falls with the president's approval ratings, perhaps because more people believe that they should have voted differently. This belief is an example of

ideal culture

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

incest

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that

language can structure our perception of reality.

Recently, curators at museums have experienced problems with the preservation of 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. This problem is leading many historians to worry that we will lose the history of our

material culture

The widespread use of plastic in American culture is no accident; plastic offers consumers convenience, disposability, and choice. A researcher documenting plastic objects commonly found in American households is researching

material culture

Designer labels on purses and logos on shirts are both examples of

material culture.

The slogan "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" is an example of

moral holiday

A married man in the United States with several mistresses is violating a ________, but he is violating a ________ if he is married to more than one woman at the same time.

mores; law

Which term describes a policy of honoring diverse racial, ethnic, national, and linguistic backgrounds?

multiculturalism

It's all too common to see someone driving a car on a busy freeway while cursing and gesturing at another motorist whose poor driving has offended him or her. Cursing and gesturing are an individual's attempt at

negative sanctions.

Despite the fact that people snack on grasshoppers and crickets in Thailand, many people in the United States express disgust at the idea. This suggests that, in the United States, eating insects is a

taboo

Which of the following sequences lists norms in the correct order, from the most strictly enforced to the least?

taboos, mores, folkways

A space shuttle, graffiti, a new coding language, and a new instrument are all examples of

technology

In the movie Mean Girls, students identify each other using categories like "jocks," "cheerleaders," "skaters," and "nerds." These classifications of different groups represent what aspect of culture?

the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis