Culture - Test Questions
10) ________ postulated that myths involve binary opposition, in which two opposing ends of some dimension are represented (such as good versus evil). A) Levi-Strauss B) Freud C) Hofstede D) Bettelheim
Answer: A
13) Grooming rituals express two kinds of binary opposition: private/public and ________. A) work/leisure B) self/others C) pride/modesty D) innocence/experience
Answer: A
15) Which of the following is NOT one of the three distinct stages of gift-giving rituals? A) convention B) gestation C) presentation D) reformulation
Answer: A
18) ________ consumption occurs with objects and events that are considered to be ordinary and everyday. A) Profane B) Sacred C) Objectified D) Ritualized
Answer: A
27) Which of the following is an object that is admired strictly for its beauty or because it inspires an emotional reaction? A) an art product B) a reality-engineered product C) a craft product D) a trial product
Answer: A
28) ________ occurs as marketers appropriate elements of popular culture and convert them for use as promotional vehicles. A) Reality engineering B) Crescive norming C) Desacralization D) Product placement
Answer: A
30) Which functional area is consistently a part of a cultural system? A) ecology B) anthropology C) psychology D) technology
Answer: A
37) Pavel was an inventor. He read that there were several million people who could not sleep at night until they looked under the bed. He invented a light that could be put under a bed and went on automatically when someone looked there. Pavel's product is designed to help people perform a ________. A) ritual B) symbolic exchange C) convention D) rite of passage
Answer: A
44) Raymond Chandler wrote classic American detective stories. By always using certain roles for his characters and props that were appropriate to the genre, Chandler's novels followed a(n) ________. A) cultural formula B) enacted norm C) fashion cycle D) innovation process
Answer: A
6) A ________ is a custom with a strong moral overtone. A) more B) superstition C) convention D) monomyth
Answer: A
12) Brands that we closely link to our rituals are called ________ brands - once they become imbedded in our rituals we are unlikely to replace them. A) fighter B) fortress C) transcultural D) sacralized
Answer: B
21) When a sacred item or symbol is removed from its special place or is duplicated in mass quantities, then it becomes profane as a result of ________. A) sacralization B) desacralization C) defamation D) objectification
Answer: B
25) Which of the following statements is most likely true about styles? A) A style typically starts in a large group of people as a safe but unique statement. B) Styles are often a reflection of more fundamental societal trends. C) Influential people play only a minor role in deciding which styles will succeed. D) Styles most often result from a deliberate statement from ordinary consumers that has been met by a rather spontaneous response from designers.
Answer: B
26) In the cultural production process, the people who control the flow of information between producers and customers are called ________. A) lead users B) cultural gatekeepers C) cultural transformers D) innovators
Answer: B
32) The Japanese greatly value products that make efficient use of space because of the cramped conditions in urban areas in Japan. This is an example of ________ in Japan's cultural system. A) social structure B) ecology C) ideology D) dogma
Answer: B
33) What do we call the learning process when we learn the beliefs and behaviors endorsed by our own culture? A) acculturation B) enculturation C) immersion D) modeling
Answer: B
34) Gen Akoi greatly values his micro-refrigerator. The refrigerator is so small it will fit almost anywhere. Gen believes that the efficient use of space is one of the characteristics any good product should have. With respect to the functional areas of a cultural system, Gen is focusing on ________ as a variable in selecting his products. A) ideology B) ecology C) social structure D) socio-psychology
Answer: B
38) Ralf and his brother had a business in a Midwest college town taking SUVs and modifying them into tailgating machines. These "awesome party wagons" were equipped with the owner's desired team logo on the front, side, and back- gas grills, and large beverage coolers. Their business boomed, especially when the university had a winning season. Ralf and his brother were creating and selling what could be best described as ________. A) myth carriers B) ritual artifacts C) symbolic exchange objects D) attitudinal reciprocity products
Answer: B
40) Carl Thorne has just passed the final test to become a member of a college fraternity. This rite of passage has moved Carl from being an individual to being a member of a bonded group. When Carl receives his fraternity pin in a final ceremony and joins his new brothers, he will have passed through the final stage of a rite of passage. According to the text, what is this stage called? A) separation B) aggregation C) liminality D) finality
Answer: B
42) Country singers Marty Stewart and Travis Tritt and their record label decided to change the culture of the Country and Western music scene. With their now famous "No Hats" tour, the singers abandoned conventional country and western fashion (they threw away their hats, let their hair grow long, and wore t-shirts) and tried to appeal to larger and younger audiences with a grinding, sexy message. The process that these singers went through is best described as a ________. A) cultural funnel B) culture production system (CPS) C) culture distribution system (CDS) D) culture gatekeeping process (CGP)
Answer: B
45) Kyle liked to think he could program anything digital. He created a new video game, and a major industry firm wanted to buy it from him. He was bothered by their insistence that he modify the game by including a popular product's logo on the clothing of his main character. In this example, Kyle is concerned about the practice of ________. A) cultural jamming B) advergaming C) pretailing D) plinking
Answer: B
47) The ________ assumes that people link very specific product attributes to terminal values. A) knowledge structure theory B) means-end chain model C) diffusion of innovation D) cultural production system model
Answer: B
48) Which of the following best supports the argument that tourism is a sacred experience? A) Tourism rarely involves the binary opposition of work and leisure. B) Tourism involves seeking authentic experiences that differ from daily, mundane activities. C) Tourism involves the four most important dimensions of culture. D) Tourism provides opportunities for individuals to better understand their culture's crescive norms through interaction with other cultures.
Answer: B
5) We explicitly decide on ________ norms, such as the rule that a green traffic light means "go" and a red one means "stop." A) crescive B) enacted C) reciprocal D) ritualized
Answer: B
1) Culture is best described as society's ________. A) attitude B) consciousness C) personality D) history,
Answer: C
11) A set of multiple symbolic behaviors that occur in a fixed sequence and tend to be repeated is called a ________. A) myth B) more C) ritual D) convention
Answer: C
16) As a relationship grows and progresses, gift giving tends to become more ________. A) exchange oriented B) reciprocal C) altruistic D) reformulated
Answer: C
2) Which functional area of culture is most closely related to the idea of a common worldview? A) ecology B) social structure C) ideology D) socio-psychology
Answer: C
20) The systematic acquisition of a particular object or set of objects is called ________. A) prioritizing B) hoarding C) collecting D) ritualizing
Answer: C
23) All of the following are subsystems in a culture production system EXCEPT ________. A) creative subsystem B) managerial subsystem C) marketing subsystem D) communications subsystem
Answer: C
24) Products are winnowed out as they make their way down the path from conception to consumption, a process called ________. A) diffusion B) cooptation C) cultural selection D) cultural mapping
Answer: C
29) Promoters attempt to have their products shown prominently in full-length films. This type of promotion is referred to as ________. A) desacralization B) objectification C) product placement D) advertainment
Answer: C
3) ________ usually dictate what is right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable. A) Myths B) Theories C) Norms D) Rituals
Answer: C
31) The aspect of a cultural system which describes the mental characteristics of a people and the way they relate to their environment and social groups is known as ________. A) ecology B) social structure C) ideology D) anthropology
Answer: C
36) The story goes that George Washington (as a small child) cut down his father's cherry tree with a hatchet. When asked who might have committed this act (even though young Washington was afraid of punishment for the act), George replied, "I cannot tell a lie. I cut down the cherry tree." This story has taken on mythical proportions in the United States. Which of the following functions does this myth best match? A) metaphysical B) cosmological C) psychological D) anthropological
Answer: C
39) Sharon is upset with her secretary. Though everyone in the office agreed not to give Christmas presents this year, Sharon's secretary gave her an expensive bottle of perfume. Which of the following best identifies the source of Sharon's feelings? A) objectification B) self-serving guilt C) the reciprocity norm D) role transference
Answer: C
41) Thomas and his family recently toured the Gettysburg battlefield on their vacation. The area was rich in history. While walking, Thomas remembered all the accounts of the battle that he had read in school. He finally understood why this place had such a special meaning in American history and to Americans in general. This tour is best classified as an example of ________ consumption. A) profane B) objectified C) sacred D) crescive
Answer: C
46) What term refers to desired end states that can apply to many different cultures? A) instrumental values B) more C) terminal values D) norms
Answer: C
49) In a culture production system, the communications subsystem ________. A) generates new symbols and products B) selects and manages the distribution of new symbols and products C) gives meaning to new products and provides a symbolic set of attributes D) organizes the sharing of symbols
Answer: C
7) Interest in the occult is most likely to increase in a society when ________. A) economic conditions begin to improve B) there has been a major triumph, such as winning a war C) people feel overwhelmed or powerless D) people become less religious
Answer: C
8) A story containing symbolic elements that express the shared emotions and ideals of a culture is called a ________. A) norm B) ritual C) myth D) more
Answer: C
14) Researchers primarily see the gift-giving ritual as one of ________ exchange. A) transactional B) stylistic C) psychological D) economic
Answer: D
17) A special ritual marking a person's change in social status is called a ________. A) convention B) sacralization C) cycle D) rite of passage
Answer: D
19) Through the process of ________, objects associated with sacred events or people become sacred in their own right. A) congregation B) reciprocity C) desacralization D) contamination
Answer: D
22) It is quite common for mainstream culture to modify symbols identified with "cutting edge" subcultures and present these to a larger audience. Such cultural products undergo a process of ________, by which their original meanings are transformed by outsiders. A) innovation B) transformation C) diffusion D) cooptation
Answer: D
35) J. P. Stevens always looks perfect in his business suit. The colors are always right for the season and prevailing style. His tie has the proper knot, he does not wear a tie-tac, his handkerchief is the proper "two-fingers" above the pocket, and his socks and shoes do not distract from his overall look. Which of the following does J. P. seem to be adhering to with his "correctness"? A) enacted behaviors B) customs C) mores D) conventions
Answer: D
4) Crescive norms are ________. A) strict "must do" rules of behavior in a society B) followed only by the females of a culture C) associated with monetary rewards and punishments D) subtle rules discovered as we interact with others
Answer: D
43) The Macah, a Native American tribe from the Northwest, built functional seagoing canoes that are considered works of art by modern shipbuilders. By definition, these boats would be considered ________. A) high art products B) style and cultural icons C) low art products D) craft products
Answer: D
9) Myths serve four interrelated functions in a culture. All of the following are among those functions EXCEPT the ________ function. A) cosmological B) sociological C) psychological D) anthropological
Answer: D
