– Chapter One –
Test Items
1. According to McDaniel and Samovar, intercultural communication has had a substantial impact on all
of the following global changes EXCEPT_______________.
2. During which major event was the academic discipline of intercultural communication born?
3. When people communicate, they do so to ________.
4. Which part of the framework of communication involves any action taken by the receiver of a
message as a result of the meaning he or she assigns to that message?
5. The different types of interference or distractions that can negatively affect communication are known
as ________.
6. A bad connection during a cell phone conversation is an example of ________.
7. Culture is ________.
8. What is/are the basic function(s) of culture?
9. The applied definition of culture presented by McDaniel and Samovar states that
culture ________.
10. The statement, “If exposed only to a U.S. cultural orientation, it is likely that you would develop the
idea that your way of life was superior, and you would tend to view the rest of the world from that
perspective,” best illustrates which of the following characteristics of culture?
11. Which characteristic of culture would be especially detrimental to intercultural communication
according to McDaniel and Samovar?
12. Those things we hold important in life, such as morality, ethics, and aesthetics reflect our ________.
13. An individual’s orientation toward philosophical concepts such as religion, the universe, nature, etc.
is that person’s ________.
14. An example of a nonverbal behavior associated with culture is ________.
15. Which of the following is one of the three basic facts for a theory of culture and intercultural
understanding according to Bernard Saint-Jacques?
16. Saint-Jacques does not endorse using the cultural dimensions of individualism and collectivism in
part because _______.
17. According to Saint-Jacques, identities are ________.
18. Which of the following statements accurately describes a way that Japanese culture is changing to
become more individualistic?
19. Saint-Jacques argues that understanding one’s own culture ________.
20. According to Miike, the form of cultural coexistence in which all cultures are considered equal and
people learn different outlooks from different cultures is known as ________.
21. Which layer of culture in Ishii’s (1997) model refers to artifacts such as tools and clothing?
22. Which layer of culture in Ishii’s (1997) model is the most invisible?
23. The core values of the Enlightenment mentality that dominates the Eurocentric worldview include all
of the following EXCEPT______________.
24. The core values of the Eurocentric worldview have ________.
25. According to Miike, conflict arises _______.
26. Which of the following is NOT an Asiacentric proposition regarding communication and
worldview?
27. According to Korzenny, human communication does all of the following EXCEPT__________.
28. Ethnocentrism involves _______.
29. Korzenny argues that we must ________.
30. The cultural rules that govern communication are ________.
1. Describe the ways that intercultural communication has been instrumental in creating change on a
2. How do McDaniel and Samovar define “culture”? According to those authors, what does culture do?
3. Describe how the mechanism of diffusion produces change in a culture.
4. Identify, define, and give an example of each of the five characteristics of culture as explained by
5. Describe how beliefs, values, and attitudes are interrelated and their relation to communication.
6. Identify and explain the eight major structural components in the framework of communication.
7. Discuss ways that nonverbal communication varies across cultures, giving specific examples from
8. Identify and explain the “three basic facts” that Saint-Jacques argues are essential for any theory of
9. Discuss the three reasons why Saint-Jacques believes that the cultural dimensions of individualism
10. Explain the connection between language and culture and discuss how the differences in the personal
11. According to Saint-Jacques, what are the four meanings of “culture”?
12. Differentiate between learning about cultures and learning from cultures and discuss how the two
13. Explain Ishii’s (1997) model of culture, giving examples of each layer of culture and discussing how
14. What does Miike mean when he says that humanity is an expression of Eurocentrism?
15. In Miike’s view, what are the three steps to cross-cultural dialogue?
16. Explain the five Asiacentric worldview communication propositions as proposed by Miike.
17. What are the four major barriers that obstruct intercultural communication practice? Provide a brief
18. Imagine you want to justify your study of intercultural communication to a friend who doubts the
value of such knowledge. Share at least five of Korzenny’s reasons why the study of culture and
19. Compare and contrast two of the definitions of “culture” from the essays in Chapter 1. Which
20. Drawing on all four of the essays in Chapter 1, discuss the connection between globalization and