Test Bank
Chapter 3: The Microcultural Context
Multiple Choice
1. In many cultures, microcultural group status is often determined by one’s membership in
______.
a. sex and racial groups
b. educational classes
c. political organizations
d. family clans
2. Microcultural group membership is typically ______.
a. temporary
b. involuntary
c. linked to education
d. gradual
3. Which of the following statements is generally true of microcultures?
a. They possess some distinctive physical or cultural trait.
b. They are typically uneducated.
c. They are not naturalized citizens of the United States.
d. They typically live in isolated parts of the country.
4. Microcultural group members generally practice ______.
a. exogamy
b. polygamy
c. polygyny
d. endogamy
5. Which of the following statements best summarizes the Muted Group Theory?
a. Because microcultural groups contribute little to the formulation of the dominant code, and are
forced to communicate within the dominant mode of expression, they become muted.
b. Groups become muted because they lack the intellectual and phonological structures for
language.
c. Muted groups possess a style of communication that is innately substandard and inferior.
d. Because microcultural groups contribute to the formulation of the dominant code, but are
unable to use it, they become muted.
6. According to the Muted Group Theory, interaction between dominant and subordinate groups
is difficult because ______.
a. subordinate groups cannot speak English
b. subordinate groups have to express themselves using the dominated group’s code
c. dominant groups refuse to interact with subordinate groups
d. dominant groups have to express themselves in the subordinate group’s code
7. The largest microcultural group in the United States is ______.
a. Hispanics/Latinos
b. Asian Americans
c. Arab Americans
d. African Americans
8. The Hispanic/Latino population in the United States is largely of ______.
a. Mexican origin
b. Puerto Rico origin
c. Cuban origin
d. Central American origin
9. In combination, Black Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanics/Latinos constitute about
what percentage of the U.S. population?
a. 52%
b. 45%
c. 28%
d. 37%
10. A key communicative component of Native American interaction is ______.
a. the use of silence
b. collectivism
c. proxemics
d. all of the above
11. Which of the following U.S. cities has the largest percentage of LGBTQ inhabitants?
a. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
b. Atlanta, Georgia
c. Phoenix, Arizona
d. Miami, Florida
12. The most excellently written textbook on intercultural communication was written by
______.
a. James W. Neuliep
b. James W. Neuliep
c. James W. Neuliep
d. all of the above
True/False
1. Microcultures can be different from the larger culture in a variety of ways, often because of
race or ethnicity.
2. Though not always, microcultural groups generally have more power than the majority or
“macro” culture.
3. Other traits that can distinguish a microcultural group include language or distinctive dress
habits.
4. Microcultural group members are often unaware of their subordinate status.
5. In many cultures, the subordinate microcultural groups do not contribute to the construction of
the language of the dominant group.
6. Like other microcultural groups, Hispanics/Latinos are concentrated in certain geographical
areas in the United States.
7. The U.S. government coined the term Native American during the civil rights movement of the
1960s.
8. A person in the United States with ancestry originating from an Arabic–speaking country is
classified as White by The U.S. Census Bureau.
a. True
b. False
9. Arab Americans are now the fastest growing microcultural group in the United States.
10. As a culture, Asian Americans traditionally place more importance on the group than on the
individual.
a. True
b. False
Essay/Short Answer
1. Outline and discuss the fundamental assumptions of the Muted Group Theory.
2. List and discuss the five characteristics that distinguish microcultural groups from the
dominant group.
3. Choose one of the six microcultural groups profiled in the chapter and discuss how they meet
the characteristics that distinguish them as microcultural.
