CHAPTER 4 History and Intercultural Communication
CHAPTER 4
HISTORY AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Histories that focus on political events in the past such as the rise of Hitler to power are part of
_____ histories.
a. political
b. religious
c. social
d. family
2. Histories that focus on the transmission and development of ideas or ways of thinking are
called _____ histories.
a. political
b. intellectual
c. social
d. family
3. As part of her “Introduction to Education” class, Catherine finds that she is required to read
about the development of the U.S. educational system from medieval times. Catherine will be
reading _____ histories.
a. personal
b. social
c. intellectual
d. political
4. Writers who attempt to understand everyday life experiences of groups in the past are
documenting _____ histories.
a. national
b. personal
c. social
d. family
5. A book about the lives of women pioneers in the old West is a part of _____ histories.
a. national
b. gender
c. political
d. social
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6. Histories which are often not written down but passed orally from one generation to another
are known as _____ histories.
a. family
b. national
c. political
d. social
7. Jeff has a sword that was used by his great-granduncle Frederick in the Civil War. When his
father gave him the sword, he also told Jeff the story of how Frederick died in the arms of his
sweetheart who tracked him down in a makeshift Army hospital. The history represented by
Jeff’s sword is part of _____ histories.
a. national
b. religious
c. social
d. family
8. The history of Muslim immigrants to the United States and their settlement in the Midwest
constitutes _____ histories.
a. national
b. religious
c. social
d. family
9. Charlene’s family did not migrate to the United States until the late 1800s. Still, Charlene is
very familiar with the story of Abraham Lincoln’s boyhood. Charlene has learned about _____
histories.
a. national
b. cultural group
c. social
d. family
10. Histories not typically included in national history but which explain current demographic
and sometimes economic conditions of particular groups are known as _____ histories.
a. personal
b. cultural-group
c. social
d. sexual orientation
11. In the context of intercultural communication, the historical experiences of gays and lesbians
are recorded as:
CHAPTER 4 History and Intercultural Communication
a. sexual-orientation histories.
b. gender histories.
c. racial and ethnic histories.
d. social histories.
12. The unified story of humankind that long dominated how people thought of the past, present,
and future is known as _____.
a. the grand narrative
b. the homo narrans
c. a religious history
d. an oral history
13. A book about the daily lives of Native Americans, before European settlement, is a part of
_____ histories.
a. national
b. gender
c. political
d. social
14. Stories concerning persecution of gays and lesbians during World War II are part of _____
histories.
a. national
b. racial and ethnic
c. social
d. sexual-orientation
15. The attempt to document and understand the Japanese internment camps established in the
United States during World War II constitutes _____ histories.
a. political
b. racial and ethnic
c. intellectual
d. sexual orientation
16. A book detailing the migration and resettlement of the Irish all over the world as a result of
the potato famine in the late 1800s is a part of _____ histories.
a. political
b. diasporic
c. intellectual
d. colonial
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17. A book which details the use of Chinese immigrants in the building of the railroad across the
United States in the 1800s is a part of _____ histories.
a. political
b. racial and ethnic
c. social
d. colonial
18. A book which details the impact of Spanish settlement on Central and South America
constitutes _____ histories.
a. political
b. colonial
c. intellectual
d. diasporic
19. Histories concerning the motivation and effects of white settlement in Southern Africa are a
form of _____ histories.
a. political
b. diasporic
c. intellectual
d. colonial
20. An explanation of the role of poverty in the migration of people from Central America to the
United States is a form of _____ histories.
a. colonial
b. national
c. social
d. socio-economic
21. Jerrod’s family migrated to Utah with Brigham Young. He is proud that his family helped to
settle in what is now Salt Lake. The stories passed down to Jerrod by his father and grandfather
constitute _____ histories.
a. diasporic
b. religious
c. social
d. family
22. Accounts of past events which are not included in national or mainstream history are known
as _____ histories.
a. hidden
b. religious
c. social
CHAPTER 4 History and Intercultural Communication
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d. family
23. An explanation of why Spanish is spoken in most of the Western Hemisphere would
constitute _____ histories.
a. colonial
b. religious
c. social
d. family
24. A revised history resulting from the communication practice of changing historical events to
serve particular ideological goals is known as:
a. hidden history.
b. altered history.
c. absent history.
d. alternative history.
25. The histories that have been forgotten by the mainstream representations of past events and
suppressed or marginalized in the understanding of the past are known as:
a. altered histories.
b. diasporic histories.
c. absent histories.
d. hidden histories.
26. _____ refers to the notion that better communication between groups is facilitated simply by
putting people together in the same place and allowing them to interact.
a. The modernist identity
b. A grand narrative
c. The contact hypothesis
d. A diaspora
27. Which of the following statements best defines the term diaspora?
a. It is a massive migration caused by war, famine, or persecution that results in the dispersal of a
unified group.
b. It is a record of the historical experiences of gays and lesbians.
c. It is the identity that is grounded in the Western tradition of scientific and political beliefs and
assumptions.
d. It is a unified history and view of humankind.
28. The histories of the ways in which international cultural groups were created through
transnational migrations, slavery, religious crusades, or other historical forces are known as:
CHAPTER 4 History and Intercultural Communication
a. cultural-group histories.
b. socioeconomic class histories.
c. colonial histories.
d. diasporic histories.
29. Typically, we learn social histories in school.
30. Socioeconomic class distinctions are often overlooked in understanding migration and
acculturation of groups around the world.
31. History is constructed through narrative.
32. Generally, a grand narrative includes stories of different ethnic groups as well as the
intellectual and social histories of a nation.
33. It is fairly easy to write about women’s history so long as one has access to public documents
and public records.
34. The languages we speak are rooted in issues of power and dominance rather than ethnicity or
cultural origin.
35. Most historical events are documented in formal histories.
36. Diasporic migrations often cause people to cling more strongly to their group’s identity.
37. Many Japanese nationals are proud of the success of Japanese Canadians, Japanese
Americans, and Japanese Peruvians.
38. A book about the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima is a part of social histories.
39. Gays and lesbians were victims of the Holocaust.
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40. Altered history is the same as alternative history in which authors try to speculate on what the
world would look like if particular scenarios in the past had happened.
41. The languages that people speak influence their intercultural interactions.
42. Religious histories are histories that legitimize international invasions and annexations.
43. Absent histories are written histories that focus on everyday life experiences of various
groups in the past.
Ans: F
ESSAY QUESTIONS
44. Why would it be important to examine the role of history in intercultural communication?
45. How might hidden histories affect intercultural interactions?
46. Compare and contrast family histories with national histories.
47. Why would U.S. Americans want to escape or ignore history?
48. Compare and contrast the effects of diasporic and colonial histories.
49. How is the history of gays and lesbians relevant to intercultural communication?
50. How might Native American history impact intercultural communication with whites today?
51. How can we negotiate histories in interactions?