Test Bank
Chapter 12: Acculturation, Culture Shock, and Intercultural Competence
Multiple Choice
1. The mode of acculturation, called assimilation, occurs when ______.
a. individuals desire contact with the host culture while not necessarily maintaining an identity
with their native culture
b. individuals desire a high level of interaction with the host culture while maintaining their
identity with their native culture
c. individuals prefer low levels of interaction with the host culture while desiring a close
connection with their native culture
d individuals choose not to identify with their native culture or the host culture
2. The mode of acculturation, called marginalization, occurs when ______.
a. individuals desire contact with the host culture while not necessarily maintaining an identity
with their native culture
b. individuals desire a high level of interaction with the host culture while maintaining their
identity with their native culture
c. individuals prefer low levels of interaction with the host culture while desiring a close
connection with their native culture
d. individuals choose not to identify with their native culture or the host culture
3. The mode of acculturation, called separation, occurs when ______.
a. individuals desire contact with the host culture while not necessarily maintaining an identity
with their native culture
b. individuals desire a high level of interaction with the host culture while maintaining their
identity with their native culture
c. individuals prefer low levels of interaction with the host culture while desiring a close
connection with their native culture
d. individuals choose not to identify with their native culture or the host culture
4. One mode of acculturation, called integration, occurs when ______.
a. individuals desire contact with the host culture while not necessarily maintaining an identity
with their native culture
b. individuals desire a high level of interaction with the host culture while maintaining their
identity with their native culture
c. individuals prefer low levels of interaction with the host culture while desiring a close
connection with their native culture
d. individuals choose not to identify with their native culture or the host culture
5. The anxiety and tension associated with acculturation is called ______.
a. culture shock
b. culture stress
c. acculturative stress
d. acculturative shock
6. Host conformity pressure refers to ______.
a. the extent to which natives within the host culture exert pressure on newcomers to conform to
their values, beliefs, and practices
b. the amount of influence the newcomer’s group wields in the host culture
c. the receptivity of the host culture toward newcomers
d. the receptivity of the newcomers toward the host culture
7. The initial stage of culture shock, called something like the tourist or honeymoon stage is
characterized by ______.
a. actively engaging with newly learned problem-solving and conflict resolution tools
b. feelings of helplessness, isolation, and depression
c. actively seeking out effective problem-solving and conflict resolution techniques
d. intense excitement and euphoria associated with being somewhere different and unusual
8. The second stage of culture shock, called the culture shock stage, is characterized by ______.
a. actively engaging with newly learned problem-solving and conflict resolution tools
b. feelings of helplessness, isolation, and depression
c. actively seeking out effective problem-solving and conflict resolution techniques
d. intense excitement and euphoria associated with being somewhere different and unusual
9. The third stage of culture shock, called the adjustment stage, is characterized by ______.
a. actively engaging with newly learned problem-solving and conflict resolution tools
b. feelings of helplessness, isolation, and depression
c. actively seeking out effective problem-solving and conflict resolution techniques
d. intense excitement and euphoria associated with being somewhere different and unusual
10. The fourth stage of culture shock, called the adaption stage, is characterized by ______.
a. actively engaging with newly learned problem-solving and conflict resolution tools
b. feelings of helplessness, isolation, and depression
c. actively seeking out effective problem-solving and conflict resolution techniques
d. intense excitement and euphoria associated with being somewhere different and unusual
11. The process of change that results from ongoing contact between two or more culturally
different groups is called ______.
a. culture shock
b. intercultural communication competence
c. acculturation
d. intercultural conflict
12. To the extent that a person endeavors to acquire the beliefs of a single cultural group with the
ultimate goal of becoming indistinguishable from other members of the host culture, that person
has become ______.
a. marginalized
b. integrated
c. isolated
d. assimilated
13. Which of the following has the greatest impact on the degree to which a person experiences
culture shock?
a. ability to adapt to new climates
b. familiarity with foreign foods
c. degree of cultural similarity between host and native culture
d. age
14. According to the “W curve” model of culture shock, ______.
a. when people return home after an extended stay in a foreign culture, they experience another
round of culture shock, this time, in their native culture
b. when people return home after an extended stay in a foreign culture, they experience a sense
of “well-being,” thus, the “W” curve
c. when people return home after an extended stay in a foreign culture, they experience a sense
of “weariness,” thus, the “W” curve
d. when people return home after an extended stay in a foreign culture, they experience no more
culture shock
15. The knowledge component of intercultural communication competence consists of ______.
a. the degree to which a person approaches or avoids intercultural communication
b. the actual enactment of appropriate verbal and nonverbal behaviors
c. how much a person knows about the culture of the person with whom one is interacting
True/False
1. Some cultural groups enter acculturation voluntarily, such as immigrants entering a country,
whereas other groups experience acculturation involuntarily, as did African slaves brought to
countries like the United States and Brazil.
2. To the extent that the cultures are more similar than different, less acculturative stress is
experienced.
3. Neuliep’s textbook, Intercultural Communication: A Contextual Approach, is excellently
written.
4. Anyone can experience culture shock, although some are more prone to it than others.
5. During the tourist–honeymoon phase of culture shock, people actively seek out effective
problem–solving and conflict resolution strategies.
6. Reentry shock occurs when people return home after an extended stay in a foreign culture and
they experience another round of culture shock, this time in their native culture.
7. Intercultural competence is something that is perceived about another person, rather than
something an individual inherently possesses.
8. The affective component of intercultural competence consists of how much one knows about
the culture of the person with whom one is interacting.
9. The affective component of intercultural communication is the degree to which one
approaches or avoids intercultural communication—that is, one’s level of motivation to interact
with others from different cultures.
10. The psychomotor component of intercultural communication is the degree to which one
approaches or avoids intercultural communication—that is, one’s level of motivation to interact
with others from different cultures.
Essay/Short Answer
1. Identify and discuss the four modes of acculturation.
2. Identify and discuss cultural transmutation and how it differs from the four modes of
acculturation.
3. Select three of the five personality dimensions linked to long–term success in intercultural
encounters. Explain a situation in which these dimensions would aid an individual in overcoming
acculturative stress and culture shock.
4. Identify and discuss the four components of intercultural competence.