Chapter 3 Study Guide — Culture Multiple-Choice Review

Which statement best distinguishes culture from society in sociological terms?

• Culture is the genetic makeup of a population; society is the climate of a region.

• Culture is government; society is the economy.

• Culture is the shared symbols, values, norms, and artifacts; society is the people who share that culture within a territory.

• Culture and society are synonyms and used interchangeably in sociology.

Which pair correctly classifies material vs. nonmaterial culture?

• Patriotism (material); flag (nonmaterial)

• Religious doctrine (material); incense burner (nonmaterial)

• Smartphone (material); time-discipline/punctuality (nonmaterial)

• Traffic light (nonmaterial); the rule ‘stop on red’ (material)

Cultural universals are best defined as:

• Practices found only in modern industrial societies.

• Traits that appear across human groups because of shared needs, such as kinship, humor, or rituals surrounding death.

• Values unique to Western nations that spread via globalization.

• Artifacts produced by mass media conglomerates.

A traveler insists local diners should tip 20% because “that’s the right way.” This is primarily an example of:

• Cultural relativism

• Ethnocentrism

• Xenocentrism

• Culture shock

Feeling disoriented by unfamiliar meal times and greeting rituals when abroad illustrates:

• Culture shock

• Reification

• Socialization

• Technological determinism

Which is MOST clearly a folkway rather than a more or law?

• Standing in line and taking turns at a coffee shop

• Prohibition against theft

• Statutory requirement to carry a driver’s license

• Academic integrity code prohibiting plagiarism with suspension

Mores differ from folkways primarily because mores:

• Are never written down

• Carry strong moral weight and serious sanctions when violated

• Are optional personal preferences

• Refer only to fashion and dress

Which is the best example of a positive informal sanction?

• A fine for parking in a fire lane

• A dean’s warning letter for repeated absences

• Peers applauding a student’s presentation

• Expulsion for academic fraud

A wedding ring most directly functions as which cultural element?

• Belief

• Symbol/material artifact communicating commitment

• Value

• Law

The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, in its moderate (weak) form, proposes that:

• Language fully determines what speakers can think.

• Language influences attention and habitual perception, shaping tendencies in thought.

• Language has no relation to perception or memory.

• Grammar reflects cognition but never shapes it.