Chapter 07 Communicating across Cultures Answer Key
True / False Questions
1.
Cross-cultural business communication skills are only necessary for employees of
companies that do business internationally.
2.
Our dominant culture has little impact on who we are and how we think.
7-2
3.
There can be many subcultures within one culture.
4.
Geography, history, and religion all play major roles in influencing culture.
5.
Ethnocentrism is sensitivity to the different dimensions of cultural difference.
7-3
6.
Hand gestures vary in meaning from culture to culture.
7.
Some nonverbal communication movements, such as eye contact, are the same in every
culture.
7-4
8.
People in the United States tend to be monochronic, meaning they view time in a relaxed
way.
9.
Edwardo and his co-workers often show up and start meetings fifteen or even thirty
minutes later than scheduled, indicating that they are probably members of a polychronic
culture.
7-5
10.
In low-context cultures, individualism is highly valued.
11.
High-context cultures have stable traditions and a strong group orientation. This allows
Because they spend a lot of time explaining background information, people from high-
context cultures often seem evasive and indecisive to people from low-context cultures.
7-6
12.
The measure of how people view relationships between superiors and subordinates is
referred to as culture context.
13.
A word in one language may or may nothave a corresponding word in another language.
7-7
14.
Back translating involves translating a sentence beginning with the last word and ending
with the first word in order to ensure a literal translation.
15.
Two-word verbs combine a verb with a second element to create a different meaning than
the two words would have on their own.
7-8
16.
Colloquialisms add color and an additional level of meaning to messages, so they should
be used frequently when communicating with nonnative English speakers to help them
better understand your message.
17.
If you plan to do business abroad, you should focus your research solely on the people of
the culture you are about to visit.
7-9
18.
Researched cultural stereotypes can serve as useful basic models to help you adapt your
behavior to interacting with other cultures.
19.
When communicating with a nonnative English speaker, it is best to err on the side of
simplicity to increase the likelihood of clear communication.
7-10
Multiple Choice Questions
20.
Which of the following statements about good cross-cultural communication skills is
not
true?
7-11
21.
The way that Calista and the other people from her native city collectively understand and
interpret the world is referred to as their
7-12
22.
Which of the following statements about culture is true?
7-13
23.
Which of the following statements about factors that affect culture is true?
7-14
24.
The tendency to see only the features of your own culture as “normal” is called
7-15
25.
Danny is an American whose company has sent him to handle a business deal in Japan.
While he is there, Danny’s host offers him unfamiliar foods, refuses to make prolonged eye
contact, and bows frequently. Danny thinks the food and frequent bowing are weird and
that refusing to make eye contact is rude. In his mind, the way things are done in the
United States is the “right” way. What tendency is Danny exhibiting?
7-16
26.
Which of the following statements about body movements is true?
7-17
27.
A culture that sees time as something that must be planned to be used as efficiently as
possible is
7-18
28.
Langdon always makes it to appointments on time and feels that meeting deadlines is an
important part of his job. Langdon most likely belongs to a(n) ______ culture.
7-19
29.
When meeting with clients, Rachelle avoids spending time chatting about things like what
they did last weekend or what movie they saw most recently. Instead, she focuses on
getting down to business so that the meeting ends on time and she can move on to her
next task for the day. Rachelle most likely belong to a(n) ______ culture.
7-20
30.
Which type of culture thinks extensive planning is unwise and views being on time to an
event as being fairly unimportant?