CHAPTER 5 Identity and Intercultural Communication
CHAPTER 5
IDENTITY AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Women who join social groups exclusive to women are highlighting their _____ identity.
a. gender
b. age
c. ethnic
d. religious
2. In the United States, a 40-year-old man who lives with his parents and spends most of his time
playing video games and chasing women is generally not seen as enacting his _____ identity.
a. gender
b. age
c. ethnic
d. sexual
3. Typically, _____ identity includes knowledge of a group’s traditions, customs, values, and a
feeling of belonging to that group.
a. gender
b. age
c. ethnic
d. religious
4. U.S. Americans who identify not only with being U.S. citizens but also as being members of
ethnic groups are often called _____.
a. global nomads (TCKs)
b. culture brokers
c. hyphenated Americans
d. model minorities
5. A person who wears a crucifix around his or her neck is probably communicating his or her
_____ identity.
a. ethnic
b. national
c. religious
d. class
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6. Trailer trash or white trash are terms used to mark _____ differences in U.S. society.
a. ethnic
b. racial
c. religious
d. class
7. Anu was born in the United States. Her parents were born in India. When Anu interacts with
the children of other Indian immigrants, she is most likely enacting her _____ identity.
a. ethnic
b. national
c. religious
d. class
8. Belle is from South Carolina. She is proud that she speaks with an accent and has no real
desire to visit or live in the West. Belle affirms her _____ identity.
a. ethnic
b. national
c. regional
d. class
9. The stage of minority identity development characterized by the lack of exploration of
ethnicity is known as _____.
a. conformity
b. resistance and separatism
c. unexamined identity
d. integration
10. Manuel accepts the values and attitudes of the majority culture. Although he is Mexican
American, he is often embarrassed by other members of his group. He has a strong desire to
assimilate into the mainstream. Manuel is probably in the _____ stage of minority identity
development.
a. unexamined identity
b. resistance and separatism
c. conformity
d. integration
11. Simone, an African American, is not interested or concerned with ethnicity. “Why would I
need to learn about black history?” she asks. She says, “I’m just into my own thing.” Simone is
probably in the _____ stage of minority identity development.
a. unexamined identity
b. resistance and separatism
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c. conformity
d. integration
12. In the _____ stage of minority identity development, individuals internalize the values and
norms of the dominant group and may have negative attitudes toward themselves or toward their
group in general.
a. unexamined identity
b. resistance and separatism
c. conformity
d. integration
13. In the _____ stage of minority identity development, individuals may reject the values and
norms associated with the dominant group while embracing all the attitudes and values attributed
to his or her own group.
a. unexamined identity
b. resistance and separatism
c. conformity
d. integration
14. Bertina, a Native American, believes that Navajo customs and traditions provide the most
effective responses to everyday issues. She rejects Westernized medicine when she is sick and
refuses to be cured by anyone but a traditional healer. Bertina is probably in the _____ stage of
minority identity development.
a. conformity
b. unexamined identity
c. integration
d. resistance and separatism
15. A person with a strong sense of his or her own group identity and an appreciation of other
cultural groups is probably in the _____ stage of minority identity development.
a. unexamined identity
b. resistance and separatism
c. conformity
d. integration
16. Vivian, an African American, is proud to be black. She admires, however, many Latin
Americans’ emphasis on family and applauds the successes of many Asian Americans. Vivian is
probably in the _____ stage of minority identity development.
a. integration
b. conformity
c. resistance and separatism
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d. unexamined identity
17. A person who is aware of some physical and cultural differences, but does not fear other
racial or ethnic groups or feel a sense of superiority is probably in the _____ stage of majority
identity development.
a. resistance
b. acceptance
c. redefinition and integration
d. unexamined identity
18. A person who doesn’t question the basic racial inequities in society and who may even
believe that minority groups need help to assimilate is probably in the _____ stage of majority
identity development.
a. resistance
b. acceptance
c. redefinition and integration
d. unexamined identity
19. Ted, a white American, doesn’t think of himself as being white. He knows that minority
groups are economically disadvantaged and supports educational efforts to expose minorities to
European music, art, and literature. Ted is probably in the _____ stage of majority identity
development.
a. resistance
b. unexamined identity
c. redefinition and integration
d. acceptance
20. When a person moves from blaming minority members for their conditions to blaming the
social system as a source of racial or ethnic problems, he or she is probably in the _____ stage of
majority identity development.
a. acceptance
b. unexamined identity
c. redefinition and integration
d. resistance
21. Dianna is comfortable being white although she can appreciate other groups. She recognizes
that prejudice and racism are factors in our society but also realizes that blame, guilt, or denial
doesn’t really help eliminate racism. Dianna is probably in the _____ stages of majority identity
development.
a. resistance
b. acceptance
CHAPTER 5 Identity and Intercultural Communication
c. redefinition and integration
d. unexamined identity
22. Duncan has a white father and a Korean mother. He feels torn between two different cultures.
He has difficulty making decisions, is troubled by ambiguity, and feels pressure from both
groups. Here, Duncan is a(n) _____.
a. assimilated
b. encapsulated marginal
c. global nomad
d. constructive marginal
23. _____ are multicultural people who see themselves as choice makers. They seem to thrive
in their lives on the margins of two cultures.
a. Culture brokers
b. Encapsulated marginals
c. Global nomads
d. Constructive marginal
24. After 15 minutes of their first conversation, Chris tells MacKenzie that he (Chris) is gay.
Clearly, _____ is an important aspect of how Chris identifies himself.
a. age identity
b. religious identity
c. sexual identity
d. ethnic identity
25. Which of the following best describes the term interpellation?
a. the fundamental beliefs that are shared by the members of a cultural group
b. the communication process by which one is pulled into the social forces that place people into
a specific identity
c. the identification with the cultural notions of masculinity and femininity and what it means to
be a man or a woman
d. the identification with feelings of connectedness to others and higher meanings in life
26. A person whose gender identity matches the biological sex that she or he was born into is
known as a(n):
a. transgender.
b. ipso gender.
c. model minority.
d. cisgender.
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27. _____ is a sense of belonging to a group that shares similar economic, occupational, or social
status.
a. Class identity
b. Personal identity
c. National identity
d. Regional identity
28. People who grow up in many different cultural contexts because their parents relocated are
referred to as:
a. model minorities.
b. culture brokers.
c. global nomads.
d. stereotypes.
TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS
29. Microagressions are subtle insults directed toward cultural groups, often automatically or
unconsciously.
30. Old age is revered in the United States and many other societies.
31. The racial classification of a person is largely determined by biology.
32. A person in the redefinition and integration stage of majority identity development may
minimize his or her communication with whites and seek out interactions with people of color.
33. A multicultural person with a secure sense of self and exposure to more than one culture’s
norms and values is in the self-acceptance and assertion stage of multicultural identity
development.
34. Individualism is a core symbol of Mexican American identity.
35. People with disabilities do not usually go through discernible stages of identity development
because they are also members of larger cultural groups.
36. White people have an advantage of race privilege.
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37. Gender is the same as biological sex.
38. Individualized identity, evident in many collectivististic cultures, stresses the importance of
emotional connectedness to and interdependence with others.
39. According to the identity negotiation theory, cultural variability influences our sense of self
and ultimately influences how successful we are in intercultural interactions.
40. Ascription is the process by which individuals portray themselves, whereas avowal is the
process by which others attribute identities to them.
41. Core symbols tell us about the fundamental beliefs and the central concepts that define a
particular identity.
ESSAY QUESTIONS
42. How might white privilege affect intercultural communication?
43. What is the relationship between communication and identity?
44. How are racial categories constructed? How are they different from ethnic categories?
45. Identify and discuss three common characteristics shared by white people in the United
States.
46. Why would U.S. Americans not like to discuss class distinctions? What are the ramifications
of lack of recognition of class?
47. What communication strategies are used to place someone in the class hierarchy in the
United States?
48. At what stage in the identity development model are you? Why? What experiences have
facilitated or hindered your own identity development?