Mass Comm Bachelor of Communication Bachelor of Communication: Intercultural Competency 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which concept describes the tendency to judge other cultures by the standards of one's own culture?
- Cultural relativism
- Ethnocentrism (Correct answer)
- Polychronism
- Code-switching
Correct answer: Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own culture is superior and the tendency to evaluate other cultures against it.
Question 2: In high-context cultures, communication is primarily based on:
- Explicit verbal messages
- Written contracts
- Shared background and implicit cues (Correct answer)
- Direct confrontation
Correct answer: Shared background and implicit cues
High-context cultures rely on implicit meaning, shared history, and nonverbal signals rather than explicit verbal statements.
Question 3: The 'cultural iceberg' model suggests that most cultural values are:
- Easily visible in daily behavior
- Hidden beneath the surface of observable behavior (Correct answer)
- Expressed through national flags and symbols
- Documented in legal codes
Correct answer: Hidden beneath the surface of observable behavior
Like an iceberg, the majority of cultural values—beliefs, assumptions, worldviews—are invisible beneath surface-level behaviors.
Question 4: Which of Hofstede's dimensions measures the degree to which people in a society accept unequal distribution of power?
- Individualism vs. Collectivism
- Uncertainty Avoidance
- Power Distance (Correct answer)
- Long-Term Orientation
Correct answer: Power Distance
Power Distance Index (PDI) reflects how much less powerful members of a society accept and expect power to be distributed unequally.
Question 5: When a communicator shifts language, tone, or style to match their conversational partner's background, this is called:
- Culture shock
- Code-switching (Correct answer)
- Linguistic determinism
- Ethnocentrism
Correct answer: Code-switching
Code-switching involves adjusting one's language, tone, or style based on the social or cultural context of the interaction.
Question 6: A US businessperson schedules a meeting for exactly 9:00 AM and becomes frustrated when international partners arrive at 9:20 AM. This reflects a conflict between:
- High and low power distance cultures
- Monochronic and polychronic time orientations (Correct answer)
- Collectivist and individualist values
- High-context and low-context communication
Correct answer: Monochronic and polychronic time orientations
Monochronic cultures treat time as fixed and linear, while polychronic cultures treat it as flexible and relationship-centered.
Question 7: Which stage of Milton Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity involves actively seeking out cultural differences?
- Defense
- Minimization
- Adaptation (Correct answer)
- Denial
Correct answer: Adaptation
In the Adaptation stage, individuals develop the skill to shift perspective and behavior to fit different cultural contexts.
Mass Comm Bachelor of Communication Bachelor of Communication: Intercultural Competency 2
Which concept describes the tendency to judge other cultures by the standards of one's own culture?