Chapter 08 – Culture, Communication, and Conflict
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CHAPTER EIGHT
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A perceived or real incompatibility of goals, values, expectations, processes, or outcomes
between two or more independent parties is known as _____.
a. accommodation
2. Irwin is unsure of how to handle a conflict with his girlfriend, Wendy. She wants to spend
their vacation with family, while he would like to take a trip to a place they’ve never been to
before. They have not argued, but Irwin is confused about how to resolve their different
desires. In this scenario, Irwin is discovering that there is a great deal of _____ in
intercultural conflicts.
d. pacifism
3. Sarah liked Denver ever since they were classmates in college. Soon after college, she started
developing romantic feelings for Denver, but he never reciprocated. Sarah used to wonder
why Denver never returned her calls or asked her out on a date. When she found out that
Denver was dating Mary, it deeply upset her. Since then, Sarah has been avoiding Denver
and does not wish to be his friend. In this scenario, Sarah and Denver have a(n) _____.
d. goal conflict
4. Which of the following statements is true about value conflict?
a. It occurs when people disagree about a preferred outcome.
5. June and Keith have a disagreement over how to use Keith’s yearly bonus money. June is of
the opinion that they should save that cash, while Keith thinks they should use it to go on an
international trip to Amsterdam. In this scenario, June and Keith have a(n) _____.
a. affective conflict
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6. Ben and Jenny, his wife, have a disagreement over what kinds of investments they should
make for long-term financial security. Ben wants to invest heavily in risky ventures while
Jenny prefers secure options such as savings bonds. In this scenario, Ben and Jenny have a(n)
_____.
a. affective conflict
7. Robert tells Joan, his wife, that he has been offered an upper management position by his
employer. He informs her that if he accepts the offer, he will be required to relocate and work
in Japan for the next seven years. He thinks accepting this offer will make their family
financially stable. However, his wife is not happy with this offer because it will involve her
quitting her job and their children losing an entire year of college. She thinks this will
adversely affect their family. In this scenario, Robert and Joan have a(n) _____.
a. affective conflict
8. Lisa and her roommate Kristen argue over how often they should clean their apartment.
Kristen does not mind things being out of place or an occasional sweater on the couch. Lisa,
however, prefers a more orderly environment in which everything has a place and is in it. In
this scenario, Lisa and Kristen are experiencing a(n) _____.
a. affective conflict
9. When dealing with conflict, Julie concentrates on using very precise language and though she
does not always feel comfortable with face-to-face conflict, she feels it is important to say
what is on her mind. In this scenario, Julie probably uses a(n) _____ approach to conflict.
a. indirect
10. Brendan sees conflict as ultimately destructive for relationships, so he tends to use a(n)
_____ approach to conflict, which includes going along with group decisions even when he
disagrees.
d. direct
11. Julia thinks it is better to get angry rather than hide or suppress her feelings so that her
husband knows she really cares about the issue. In this scenario, Julia probably uses a(n)
_____ approach to conflict.
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d. indirect
12. People who think of conflict as a threat to interpersonal and community harmony are likely
to use _____ and take a nonresistant response like dealing with the conflict indirectly.
d. compromise
13. Isabella asked her friend Emma to talk to her roommate about playing her music too loud late
at night. In this scenario, Isabella probably has a(n) _____ approach to conflict.
a. direct
14. Tammy, a Korean American, believes it is best to discuss issues in a calm manner. She thinks
that showing too much emotion can do more harm than good and so tries to make her
relationships stronger by keeping her emotions in check. In this scenario, Tammy probably
has a(n) _____ approach to conflict.
d. indirect
15. Abdul’s most recent argument with his friend Donald escalated from where they should have
dinner to a critique of Donald’s inability to make decisions. Abdul shared all of his
frustrations verbally and nonverbally so that Donald would understand that he cared and just
wanted to make a change. In this scenario, Abdul probably used a(n) _____ conflict style.
a. direct
16. John strongly values his girlfriend Celia and encourages her to try new things. When she
talks about going skydiving, he does not like the idea because he thinks it is too dangerous.
John keeps his emotions in check and tries to find a creative way to let Celia try new things.
In this scenario, John is probably using a(n) _____ approach to conflict in his relationship
with Celia.
d. expressive
17. Identify a true statement about people who use a restraint conflict style.
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a. They consider it unimportant to control and internalize one’s feelings during conflict and to
avoid nonverbal emotion.
18. Many gays and lesbians believe that their inability to marry legally is unjust and is a clear
case of inequality, resulting from prejudice and discrimination. This would be an example of
a(n) _____ conflict.
a. international
19. Jossette, a Native American, was pleased to hear that Arizona renamed Squaw Peak to honor
a Native American woman who died in Iraq. For Jossette, that decision helped to settle a(n)
_____ conflict because she saw the word “squaw” as an insult to Native American women.
a. environmental
20. The _____ style of conflict resolution combines the direct and emotionally restrained
dimensions and emphasizes a verbally direct approach for dealing with disagreements—to
“say what you mean and mean what you say.”
d. dynamic
21. Donna and Lisa are having an argument. Donna says to Lisa, “You never fill my car with gas
when you use it and you always just take me for granted.” In this scenario, Donna’s
statements may be leading them to a(n) _____ conflict.
a. productive
22. The _____ style of conflict resolution emphasizes an indirect approach for dealing with
conflict and an emotionally restrained manner.
d. dynamic
