Experience Communication, 2e (Child)
Chapter 6 Intercultural Communication
1) Although some people think of Asian people as one racial group, Asians are actually highly
diverse, and there are many cultural differences between, for example, Japanese, Korean, and
Vietnamese people.
2) Looked at scientifically, the concept of race is vague, as are the dividing lines between what we
think of as racial categories.
3) Both technology and improved transportation are factors that allow people to interact with
people from cultures that are different from their own.
4) Businesses have become increasingly global.
5) Among other factors, improvements in transportation and changes in immigration patterns
mean that you are likely to have people from different cultures and ethnic groups in the classes you
take in college.
6) Because the world is made up of such a diversity of cultures and ethnic groups, it is rare for
someone to believe that her or his own culture could be superior to that of all other groups.
7) Everyone likes a compliment, so you can expect that people who are described with a positive
stereotype (for example, “women are such good listeners”) will be flattered.
8) Stereotyping and prejudice often result from ignorance and lack of experience interacting with
the group one views as odd, inferior, or frightening.
9) You learn that a classmate is a refugee from South Sudan. He is very tall, has very dark skin, and
has many mannerisms that you do not understand. You are curious about him, but you feel nervous
about how to approach him or what to say. One good strategy would be to examine your own
attitudes and discomforts.
10) Good advice for improving your intercultural communication is to avoid conflict at all costs.
11) Culture includes all of the following features EXCEPT
A) language.
B) religion.
C) food.
D) intelligence.
12) Race is a concept that refers to
A) biological features.
B) cultural characteristics.
C) language-based groups.
D) scientifically based categories.
13) Which item below is NOT a feature of ethnicity?
A) hair color and texture
B) meeting and greeting practices
C) food choices
D) religious practices
14) To say someone is Polish is to identify his or her
A) race.
B) ethnicity.
C) geographical location.
D) language.
15) In the United States, which group is considered the dominant culture?
A) women, because they outnumber men
B) educated, employed white males, because they hold most of the power and wealth
C) Hispanics, because they are the fastest-growing group
D) African Americans, because of their influence on popular culture
16) Which group does NOT constitute a co-cultural group in the United States?
A) women
B) gay men and lesbian women
C) white men
D) Hispanic people
17) The 2010 census form made significant changes in its approach to defining race and ethnicity.
However, it did NOT
A) allow people to check more than one box to identify their race.
B) create a separate category for people of Hispanic origins.
C) allow people to identify themselves as belonging to races other than those listed on the form.
D) eliminate the concept of race altogether.
18) Which of the following options is NOT a reason why women are considered a co-culture in the
United States?
A) They outnumber men.
B) They earn less than men even in the same jobs.
C) They are relatively rare in leadership positions in business and industry.
D) They are relatively rare in leadership positions in state and national government.
19) Which statement about women in the United States is INACCURATE?
A) Women earn more high school diplomas, bachelor’s degrees, and master’s degrees than men.
B) Entry-level pay is about the same for men and women, but women fall behind by age 30.
C) Salaries for college-educated women tend to peak around age 39, at $60,000 annually.
D) Women often fall behind in earnings because they lack strong math skills.
20) Unlike the United States, India, Pakistan, and Brazil
A) have all elected a woman as head of state.
B) have all passed laws requiring pay equity for women.
C) have all denied women the right to vote in national elections.
D) restrict a woman’s right to marry without her parents’ consent.
21) On the 2010 U.S. Census form, “Black, African Am., or Negro” is listed as a category for
A) co-culture.
B) ethnicity.
C) race.
D) citizenship.
22) Salaries tend to
A) peak for men and women at about the same age.
B) peak for men about five years earlier than for women.
C) peak for women nearly a decade earlier than for men.
D) peak in a manner unrelated to gender.
23) Levi, a man from Ohio, is Amish, which is classified as being
A) an individualistic culture.
B) the dominant culture and an explicit-rule culture.
C) a race.
D) a co-culture and an ethnic group.
24) Groups of people in a region or area who have less power and influence, for one reason or
another, belong to
A) the dominant culture.
B) an explicit-rule culture.
C) a co-culture.
D) an individualistic culture.
25) A unique combination of traditions and customs that is transmitted through learning and that
shapes the beliefs and behavior of the people who live within it is referred to as
A) culture.
B) ethnicity.
C) race.
D) ethnocentrism.
26) Recent changes in business and technology mean today’s college graduates will be
A) less likely to interact with other cultural groups at work.
B) more likely to interact with people from other cultures at work.
C) isolated from people from other cultures at work.
D) unwilling to interact with people from other cultures at work.
27) By the middle of the twenty-first century, it is projected that Hispanics will make up ________
of the U.S. population.
A) 30 percent
B) 50 percent
C) 25 percent
D) 15 percent
28) The tendency to think that one’s own culture is the best is called
A) ethnocentrism.
B) code sensitivity.
C) xenophobia.
D) prejudice.
29) Linda is a middle-aged white woman born and raised in Chicago. Imagine that you are having
a conversation with Linda about cultures around the world, and she makes the following
statements. Which of these statements demonstrates cultural relativism on the part of Linda?
A) It is incomprehensible that people in some countries eat dog meat.
B) Women in countries with hot climates should not be forced to dress head-to-toe in black.
C) The custom of bowing in Japan rather than shaking hands or embracing might help prevent the
spread of infectious diseases.
D) The custom of Zulu men having multiple wives is troublesome and wrong.
30) What is an appropriate response when one is being stereotyped?
A) respectfully confronting the speaker
B) aggressively rebutting the speaker
C) turning the other cheek
D) avoiding the speaker in the future
31) The word prejudice means
A) the tendency to generalize about all individuals in a group based on the characteristics of a few
of its members.
B) a negative attitude toward a group of people just because they belong to that group.
C) the belief that your own group or culture is superior to all other groups or cultures.
D) a hatred directed at a group about which the hater knows very little.
32) Despite being a majority, which of the following groups still experiences prejudice in the
United States?
A) women
B) Hispanics
C) African Americans
D) Native Americans
33) Nations high in individualism tend to feature all of the following characteristics EXCEPT
A) higher rates of divorce.
B) celebration of cooperation over competition.
C) celebration of personal accomplishment.
D) limited loyalty to employers.
34) “The nail that sticks up gets hit by the hammer” is an expression in a(n) ________ culture.
A) collectivist
B) Muslim
C) Christian
D) individualist
35) Which kind of culture below is most likely to be uncertainty-accepting?
A) one led by royalty
B) one led by an elected leader
C) one led by a military junta
D) one led by a dictator
36) A Filipino professor reports that he does not feel comfortable working in Japan. He believes it
is because of his distinct racial/ethnic makeup. It’s possible that he is correct because Japan is
considered to be a(n) ________ culture.
A) uncertainty-rejecting
B) collectivist
C) implicit-rule
D) explicit-rule
37) You find yourself in a culture where everyone knows where to stand, where to sit, and who
starts eating first. Most likely you are in a(n) ________ culture.
A) Northern European
B) implicit-rule
C) acceptance-rejecting
D) Asian American
38) Which nation is most likely to have an explicit-rule culture?
A) Canada
B) Mexico
C) Brazil
D) Iran
39) All descriptions below are characteristic of M-time cultures EXCEPT a tendency for people to
A) be heavily scheduled, with times allotted for many different activities.
B) arrive at appointments, classes, or events on time.
C) allow a chance meeting with a friend to delay an on–time arrival.
D) believe that time can be wasted and saved.
40) In what region listed below are you most likely to find M-time culture?
A) the Middle East
B) Central America
C) Africa
D) Scandinavia
41) Which statement below about M-time and P-time cultures is INACCURATE?
A) People in M-time cultures prefer to conduct business in private places, while those in P-time
cultures prefer public places.
B) Reflecting their Chinese heritage, Singapore and Hong Kong have P-time cultures.
C) Currently the world has more P-time than M-time cultures.
D) A person from an M-time culture may feel uncomfortable in a P-time culture because events do
not start on time and people are comfortable showing up late.
42) Which of the following is characteristic of uncertainty-accepting cultures?
A) “Saving face” is an important issue.
B) Cultural rules are set and largely unquestioned.
C) People tend to reject hierarchy and value flexibility.
D) People tend to value cooperation over competition.
43) In which places listed below is it customary for people to go to great lengths to avoid insulting
another person?
A) South and Central America
B) Great Britain and Australia
C) Norway, Sweden, and Denmark
D) United States and Canada
44) You join an organization on campus. You learn that the members have many traditions, rituals,
and events that can be dated back to the origin of the group. This sounds like an
A) implicit-rule culture.
B) explicit-rule culture.
C) uncertainty-accepting culture.
D) M-time culture.
45) You recently traveled to Jamaica and were delighted with how open and talkative the Jamaican
people were. These are features of
A) an M-time culture.
B) a P-time culture.
C) an individualistic culture.
D) an explicit-rule culture.
46) Which of the following is NOT an example of code sensitivity?
A) When visiting with a group of Native Americans, you notice that silence is valued over talk.
B) When talking to someone who does not know your language well, you avoid jokes, sarcasm,
and irony because you know they are difficult to understand in another language.
C) When talking to someone from China, you point out to him that you have trouble understanding
his words because he has difficulty pronouncing the English letter T.
D) When talking to someone who is not a native speaker of your language, you avoid colloquial
expressions like “what’s up?” that you do not literally mean.
47) Reflexivity is a concept in intercultural communication that means
A) learning from interactions with the intent of improving future interactions.
B) being flexible in approaching cultures about which you know little or nothing.
C) being able to switch from very proper English to the language of the street.
D) being multilingual and able to easily switch from one language to the other.
48) The ability to adapt to the verbal and nonverbal language of the individual with whom you are
communicating, regardless of cultural or co-cultural differences, is known as
A) language barrier.
B) stereotyping.
C) ethnocentrism.
D) code sensitivity.
49) Barry is promoted to a position in which he will be increasingly interacting with people from
other cultures. The night before a big meeting with clients from around the world, Barry realizes he
has some negative feelings about several cultures, even though he has really interacted with
anyone from those cultures. What should Barry do?
A) request that all participants use English so everyone is on the same wavelength and treated
equally
B) assess his own beliefs so he will treat people from different cultures fairly despite his
preconceived notions
C) avoid asking any questions for clarification so he does not inadvertently offend others
D) explain to people why he has reservations about their cultures so they will avoid actions he may
find offensive
50) Which of the following should April avoid if she wants to improve her intercultural
communication skills?
A) code sensitivity
B) descriptive feedback
C) ethnocentrism
D) reflexivity