Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Test Bank
Chapter 4: The Environmental Context
Multiple Choice
1. The amount of information contained or perceived in the environment per some unit
of time is also referred to as ______.
a. the built environment
b. one’s monochronic time orientation
c. one’s polychronic time orientation
d. the information rate
2. Which list of terms best describes an environment with a high load?
a. certain, redundant, and probable
b. fast-paced and quick
c. crowded, immediate, and dense
d. sluggish, slow, and lingering
3. Which list of terms best describes an environment with a low load?
a. certain, redundant, and probable
b. fast-paced, and quick
c. crowded, immediate, and dense
d. sluggish, slow, and lingering
4. Many Western societies believe that nature is ______.
a. to be controlled, domesticated, and subjugated
b. an omnipotent force that is unmanageable
c. consistent, orderly, and cyclical
d. random, chaotic, and disorderly
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
5. The built environment consists mainly of ______.
a. high load situations, including randomness
b. low load situations, including patterns
c. the physical geography of the earth, including climate
d. adaptations to the terrestrial environment, including housing
6. Which of the following best describes fixed-feature space?
a. moveable space such as furniture and seating
b. permanent space such as walls, floors, and windows
c. perceptual space that varies according to the movement of the interactants
d. psychological space such as monochronic and polychronic orientations
7. Which of the following best describes semifixed space?
a. moveable space such as furniture and seating
b. permanent space such as walls, floors, and windows
c. perceptual space that varies according to the movement of the interactants
d. psychological space such as monochronic and polychronic orientations
8. Which of the following best describes informal space?
a. moveable space such as furniture and seating
b. permanent space such as walls, floors, and windows
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
c. perceptual space that varies according to the movement of the interactants
d. psychological space such as monochronic and polychronic orientations
9. According to Hall’s classification of social distances, personal space is defined as
______.
a. that which is reserved for intimate contact, including touching
b. a comfortable distance that is about an “arm’s length”
c. public distance that is reserved for public speaking situations
d. the spacing people practice at social gatherings and in working situations
10. According to Westin’s classification of privacy, solitude refers to ______.
a. the state of being free from observation of others
b. a state of being with another person, but free from the outside world
c. the state of being unknown, even in a crowd
d. the state in which a person employs barriers to control unwanted intrusion
11. Which of the following statements best describes a monochronic time orientation?
a. Time is not tangible, multiple activities can be performed simultaneously, and little
emphasis is placed on scheduling.
b. Time is compartmentalized but multiple activities can be performed simultaneously.
c. Time is compartmentalized, schedules are paramount, and time is tangible and
valuable.
d. Multiple activities can be performed simultaneously, but scheduling is paramount.
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
12. Which of the following statements best describes a polychronic time orientation?
a. Time is not tangible, multiple activities can be performed simultaneously, and little
emphasis is placed on scheduling.
b. Time is compartmentalized but multiple activities can be performed simultaneously.
c. Time is compartmentalized, schedules are paramount, and time is tangible and
valuable.
d. Multiple activities can be performed simultaneously, but scheduling is paramount.
13. Perhaps the most important consequence of a monochronic time orientation is that it
______.
a. requires a great deal of time to practice
b. complies with the natural and gradual progression of human communication
c. conflicts with the terrestrial and built environments
d. denies the natural context and progression of human communication
14. Tomi comes from a culture where people know about each other’s business. When
they go to a public office, there are no lines, and everyone is in the same room. People
interact with each other at the same time. Tomi comes from a ______orientation culture.
a. monochronic
b. polychronic
c. pedantic
d. monolithic
15. Sato works for a company that often holds long, uninteresting, non-productive
meetings. However, everyone attends and is on time. After work, co-workers often go
out for dinner and drinks and do not return home until midnight or even later. Sato lives
in a culture that is ______.
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
a. monochronic
b. polychronic
c. a blend of monochronic and polychronic
d. unconcerned with the constraints of time
16. Albert Mehrabian developed several ways to compare one environment with
another. The result you get is called the information ______.
a. rate
b. load
c. coordinate
d. equation
17. Sebastian owns a shop in southern Spain. During the warm-weather season, the
shop is often closed from midday until late afternoon because his shop is not air-
conditioned. This is an example of cultural adaptation to the ______environment.
a. economic
b. meteorological
c. terrestrial
d. psychological
18. Diba was at a party and was talking and laughing with Sam. A little later, Diba
overheard two people talking about it. “Did you see how close Diba was standing to
Sam? Did you see Diba lean on Sam’s shoulder? I hope Sam’s partner doesn’t hear
about it.” Diba was confused because Sam is just a friend. Diba misunderstood the
concept of ______ distance.
a. public
b. intimate
c. social-consultative
d. personal
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
19. According to Sixsmith, a home is composed of three main structures. The personal
home is ______.
a. a place to share, entertain and build relationships
b. the architectural style
c. the space where we keep our personal artifacts
d. an extension of one’s emotional expression
20. The idea that people will self-disclose online even if they feel there might be risks or
it might not be safe is called ______.
a. reasonable security risk (RSR)
b. online risk coefficient
c. privacy calculus
d. privacy paradox.
Multiple Select
1. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. The Masai have a unique way of classifying people by
age. Rather than using a calendar of years, the Masai belong to age sets. The age
set(s) ______.
a. determines privileges and responsibilities.
b. is determined by family position and hierarchy
c. is measured by seasons and months according to rainfall
d. is influenced by birth order and gender.
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
2. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. The environmental context refers to which of the
following?
a. natural environment
b. physical environment
c. linguistic environment
d. terrestrial environment
3. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Kent, an ethnoarchaeologist, has studied Navajo
housing. According to Kent’s research, the hogan is ______.
a. open at the top of the structure
b. used differently by occupants according to their sex
c. perceived as a sacred dwelling
True/False
1. An environment that has a high information rate has a high load, whereas one with a
low information rate has a low load.
2. The terrestrial environment for all cultures is the planet Earth.
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
3. An individual’s vulnerability to a natural disaster is influenced by the social hierarchy
within which that individual exists. In this sense, natural disasters are as much social
phenomena as they are natural ones.
4. The psychological environment of any culture consists mainly of adaptations to the
terrestrial environment, including architecture, housing, lighting, and landscaping.
5. Fixed-feature space includes that which is moveable (usually within semifixed-feature
space), such as furniture.
6. Although the need for privacy is innate and universal, the degree to which an
individual human feels the need for seclusion varies considerably across cultures.
7. The 1974 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, also known as the Buckley
Amendment, allows colleges and universities to disclose academic records without
student approval.
8. The term privacy calculus refers to the idea that people rarely self-disclose online
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
because it is not secure.
9. People with a monochronic time (or M-time) orientation allow the natural context to
guide behaviors and stress multiple activities with little emphasis on scheduling.
10. Due to their lack of focus on time, many people within a monochronic time-oriented
culture are unable to tell time.
11. Polychronic time oriented cultures tend to wear Rolex watches whereas people in
Essay/Short Answer
1. Compare and contrast high and low load environments.
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
2. Kluckhohn argues that cultures can be described as having one of three orientations
toward nature. List and provide a brief description of each one.
3. Explain how the physical structure of your home, school, or work environment
illustrates your culture’s perception and use of space.
4. Compare and contrast monochronic and polychronic time orientations.
Instructor Resource
Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
5. Analyze the impact online privacy has on people using social media to establish and
create relationships.