Question 1

__________ is the process by which different cultures are absorbed into a single mainstream culture.

Accepted Answer

Assimilation is the process where a minority culture is absorbed into a dominant culture, resulting in a single mainstream culture. This can happen through various means, such as intermarriage, adoption of dominant cultural values, and language acquisition. Multiculturalism, on the other hand, refers to the coexistence of multiple distinct cultures within a society, without any one culture dominating the others. Ethnocentrism is the belief in the superiority of one's own culture, and apoliticism refers to the avoidance or indifference towards political involvement.

Question 2

According to the textbook,what percentage of human societies uses speech?

Accepted Answer

The textbook states that "all human societies use speech." Therefore, the correct choice is A) 100 percent.

Question 3

Juanita is studying why some behaviors and social relations seem to be a part of every human society.She is researching:

Accepted Answer

Cultural universals refer to the common behaviors, values, and social practices found in every society. Juanita's research suggests that she is studying these shared cultural patterns.

Question 4

The __________ argues that the language we use influences our perceptions of the world.

Accepted Answer

The linguistic relativity hypothesis, also known as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, argues that the language we use influences our perceptions of the world. This means that our language shapes the way we think and understand the world around us, as well as our cognitive processes. The other options are not related to this concept.

Question 5

Ana is studying the ways different societies socially sanction and formally approve of certain sexual relationships.She is researching:

Accepted Answer

Ana is researching the social sanctioning and formal approval of certain sexual relationships which is most closely related to the institution of marriage.

Question 6

Danny looks at U.S.culture differently than Maria does.In turn,he studies how different immigrant communities in the United States maintain more or less separate cultures but might still manage to participate equally in economic and political life.He is studying:

Accepted Answer

Danny is studying multiculturalism, which refers to the coexistence of different cultures within a society or community. He is observing the ways in which immigrants maintain their own distinct cultures while still participating in the economic and political life of the United States. This is different from assimilation, which involves immigrants adopting the dominant culture and losing their own cultural identity. It is also different from cultural resistance, which involves actively opposing the dominant culture, and from nationalism, which involves a strong attachment to one's own country or culture.

Question 7

Sapphire studies differences between nations that are largely Islamic and those that are largely Christian.She takes great care in her research to examine the differences she finds neutrally and without value judgments.Sapphire's position might be called:

Accepted Answer

Sapphire's position is one of cultural relativism, in which she examines the differences between nations without imposing her own values or judgments on them. This approach is based on the idea that every culture has its own set of values and beliefs that should be understood within their own unique context, rather than being evaluated based on the standards of another culture.

Question 8

Adherents to __________ acknowledge not only that most people in a society share certain central cultural values but also that certain important differences deserve to be preserved.

Accepted Answer

Multiculturalism is the only option that acknowledges and values cultural differences while still recognizing a shared set of values. Ethnocentrism, on the other hand, implies a belief in the superiority of one's own culture, while assimilation prioritizes the adoption of a dominant culture over preserving differences. Apoliticism is not directly related to cultural values.

Question 9

According to the text,the practice of judging a society by its own standards is called:

Accepted Answer

The practice of judging a society by its own standards is called cultural relativism. This means that cultural practices and beliefs are evaluated in the context of that particular culture, rather than based on the values and standards of another culture (as in ethnocentrism) or attempting to merge with another culture (as in assimilation). Multiculturalism is a policy or approach that supports and values multiple cultures coexisting within a society.

Question 10

Karl notes that in all human societies,people use symbols to communicate ideas to one another.Karl is taking note of:

Accepted Answer

Symbols are used in language to communicate ideas and meaning between individuals in all human societies. Morality, marriage, and political economy may also involve symbols, but they are not as universally used and recognized as language.

Question 11

Maria wants to look at how immigrant communities in the United States come to acquire the dominant culture into which they have moved.She is studying the process of:

Accepted Answer

Maria's focus on how immigrant communities acquire the dominant culture suggests that she is interested in the process of assimilation. Assimilation involves new members of a society adopting the dominant culture and leaving behind their original culture. Maria is likely studying how this process occurs among immigrant communities in the United States.

Question 12

Why do sociologists try to avoid judging other cultures based on their own cultural values?

Accepted Answer

Sociologists try to avoid judging other cultures based on their own cultural values because human cultures vary so widely that people belonging to one culture frequently find it difficult to understand the ideas or behavior of those from a different culture. Therefore, it is important to approach other cultures with an open mind and to try to understand their values and beliefs in their own context, rather than imposing one's own cultural values onto them.

Question 13

__________ might be defined as judging other cultures in terms of the standards of one's own.

Accepted Answer

Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own cultural group or ethnicity is superior to others. It involves judging other cultures based solely on the values and standards of one's own culture, and often results in a negative or dismissive attitude towards other cultures.

Question 14

Alan notes that some groups who have many different words for snow tend to perceive snow differently than groups who use English.Alan is noting __________ at work.

Accepted Answer

Alan is noting the linguistic relativity hypothesis, which suggests that language shapes the way people perceive and think about the world.

Question 15

The textbook asserts that each of the following is a function of language EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

The assertion that language is never used by some groups to dominate others in a collective is not a function of language, but rather an ethical and political issue related to power dynamics and social inequalities. The other choices highlight important functions of language such as preserving cultural heritage (A), defining group identity (B), and representing the world through symbols and signs (D).

Question 16

According to the textbook,two cultural universals particularly stand out in human societies.They are __________ and __________.

Accepted Answer

The two cultural universals that particularly stand out in human societies are ways of expressing meaning through language, art, music, and other forms of symbolic communication, and material goods such as tools, clothing, and shelter. While money and market relations may be important elements of many societies, they do not qualify as universal cultural patterns.

Question 17

Yang is researching how many groups that live in Spain seem to have their own sets of norms and values that are at times different from mainstream Spanish norms and values.Which sociological concept best describes what he is studying?

Accepted Answer

Yang is studying subcultures, which are groups within a society that have their own norms and values that may differ from those of the mainstream culture.

Question 18

Shannon notes that women in some cultures voluntarily alter their bodies with sometimes painful piercings that look weird from the point of view of her culture.She takes from this that women in those cultures must be horribly oppressed compared with women in her own culture.Shannon's position might be best interpreted as:

Accepted Answer

Shannon's perspective reflects ethnocentrism, which is the tendency to view one's own culture as superior and to judge other cultures from the perspective of one's own culture. Her assumption that women in other cultures who engage in body modification must be horribly oppressed because it is not typical in her own culture illustrates this bias.

Question 19

Michelle claims that all human cultures are different and cannot be compared.How might sociologists critique her claim?

Accepted Answer

Sociologists would critique Michelle's claim by pointing out that there are certain cultural universals that seem to be shared by all human cultures, such as the belief in a higher power or the existence of social norms. Therefore, it is possible and meaningful to make comparisons across different cultures.

Question 20

__________ is one of the best examples for demonstrating both the unity and the diversity of human culture,because there are no cultures without it.

Accepted Answer

Language is the best example for demonstrating both the unity and the diversity of human culture. It is a universal feature of human societies, as every culture has some form of communication through language, but different cultures have their own distinct languages with unique vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. The diversity of language reflects the diversity of human expression and thought, while the commonality of language shows that humans share a fundamental need to communicate and connect with one another.

Quiz 2: Culture and Society