Chapter 2—Communication and Culture: The Voice and the Echo
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which explanation accurately reflects the “Interpersonal needs” use of communication?
a.
it assists in helping us learn about other people
b.
it helps us decide how to present ourselves to other people
c.
it provides a sense of inclusion and affection
d.
it allows us to shape the behaviors of others
e.
A and B
2. The idea that “Self is not innate, but is acquired in the process of communicating with others” best
describes what use of communication?
a.
person perception
b.
identity
c.
interpersonal needs
d.
influence
e.
control
3. The definition of communication used in the text includes all of the following ideas except:
a.
dynamic process
b.
share thoughts
c.
using symbols
d.
general settings
e.
particular settings
4. Which component of communication is most accurately represented If Andy is trying to decide how to
explain a change in plans to Bill and Chris.
a.
messages
b.
encoding
c.
decoding
d.
feedback
e.
noise
5. Noise in communication could be:
a.
a bad telephone connection
b.
other conversations
c.
being cold or hungry
d.
A and B
e.
A, B, and C
6. Andy asked Bill to tell Chris about the plan. Bill nodded in agreement. The nod is:
a.
Bill as receiver
b.
noise
c.
encoding
d.
feedback
e.
decoding
7. The idea that communication is a dynamic process is reflected in:
a.
messages sent can’t be unsent
b.
communication is an ongoing activity
c.
sending and receiving messages involve a host of variables simultaneously
d.
A and B
e.
A, B, and C
8. When the authors refer to words that mean different things in different languages, to what
characteristic of communication are they referring?
a.
communication is contextual
b.
communication is symbolic
c.
communication is dynamic
d.
communication is static
e.
A, B, and C
9. The idea that you might talk differently in front of a few people than you might in front of hundreds is
reflects what characteristic of communication:
a.
contextual
b.
source-centered
c.
dynamic
d.
symbolic
e.
receiver-centered
10. Of the following, which example(s) reflect the contextual characteristic of communication?
a.
a conversation at a restaurant
b.
a conversation at church
c.
a conversation at work
d.
A, B, and C
e.
None of the above
11. Most communication behavior is:
a.
innate
b.
inborn
c.
learned
d.
habitual
e.
A and D
12. Culture is accurately reflected in which of the following statements?
a.
culture is innate
b.
culture and communication are inseparable
c.
culture is monolithic
d.
culture includes opera but not sporting events
e.
A and C
13. A good analogy for the relationship between a culture and a group of people would be:
a.
a car and its driver
b.
gasoline for an engine
c.
a mind and its body
d.
self and brain
e.
personality and self
14. The definition of culture preferred by the authors includes all of the following concepts except ____.
a.
the biological parts of human life
b.
subjective elements
c.
the non-biological parts of human life
d.
objective elements
e.
A and D
15. What is the basic function of culture?
a.
to teach people how to adapt to their environment
b.
to teach people ethical behavior
c.
to perpetuate itself
d.
to differentiate one group from another
e.
to satisfy ego and identity needs
16. Element(s) of culture include:
a.
social organizations
b.
religions
c.
values
d.
A and B
e.
A, B, and C
17. Proverbs ____.
a.
are oversimplifications of a people’s values and beliefs
b.
are learned easily and repeated with regularity
c.
with similar ideas are often found in different cultures
d.
B and C
e.
A, B, and C
18. Pinocchio’s nose is an example of ____.
a.
learning culture through proverbs
b.
learning culture through folktales, legends, and myths
c.
learning culture through art
d.
deceitfulness
e.
public shame
19. Which of the following is not true about culture:
a.
culture is transmitted from generation to generation
b.
culture is based on symbols
c.
culture does not have boundaries
d.
culture is an integrated system
e.
culture is dynamic
20. How cultural traits “make sense” in that culture’s context reflects culture as:
a.
an integrated system
b.
internalization
c.
structuration
d.
ideation
e.
perpetuation
TRUE/FALSE
1. A sense of self is acquired through the process of communicating with others.
2. All people, regardless of culture, have a need to communicate and interact with others.
3. Encoding is an external activity.
4. Skype is a software application that allows people to communicate with live audio and video in
real-time. Skype uses a different channel than typical face-to-face interactions.
5. Every communicative event is characterized by a multitude of competing stimuli.
6. Not every culture uses symbols.
7. Most communication behavior is innate or inborn.
8. All of our messages, to some degree or another, do something to someone else.
9. The authors argue that improving intercultural requires a clear understanding of the phenomenon of
culture.
10. Culture is made up of only those objective elements which have increased the probability of survival
in the past.
11. History, unlike religion and culture, give objective guidance for daily life.
12. Values reflect culture, but they play no role in perpetuating the culture.
13. Language is fundamental to the functioning of culture.
14. Schools represent informal ways of learning culture.
15. Because of the brevity of proverbs, their influence is often overlooked.
16. Folktales are often simple morality lessons focusing on what the culture’s perspective is on right and
wrong or good and evil.
17. Art is influenced by culture, but the relationship is not reciprocal.
18. Television has been directly linked to socialization.
19. As people grow up, they learn symbols but not the cultural meaning of those symbols.
20. Historically, societies have insisted that religions adapt their own cultural traditions rather than the
other way around.
ESSAY
1. What is the relationship between communication and identity?
2. Discuss at least two of the four uses of communication presented in chapter two.
3. Provide a definition of communication and compare to the one presented in the text.
4. What are the major components of communication?
5. Provide an example of how noise might impact the encoding and decoding process.
6. Define individualism and collectivism. Provide at least two specific cultural examples of each.
7. What does it mean to say communication is contextual? Include examples based on location, occasion,
time, and number of participants.
8. Is communication behavior mostly learned or mostly innate? Explain.
9. What are the functions of culture?
10. List and describe at least three of the five elements of culture discussed in the text.
11. Defend the idea that culture is learned.
12. What are proverbs and what impact do they have on culture? Provide at least one example of a native
and non-native proverb.
13. How do folktales, legends, and myths “teach” culture?
14. Does art reflect culture or does culture reflect art? Use examples in your explanations.
15. What is the role of the mass media in culture?
16. Explain why culture is dynamic.
17. Provide at least two examples of how culture is an integrated system.