SCC Cultural Analysis 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)
- Cultural diffusion
- Multiculturalism
Correct answer: Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is the practice of evaluating other cultures according to the norms and values of one's own culture.
Question 2: A researcher studying a Brazilian carnival avoids imposing American values when interpreting its meaning. This approach is called:
- Ethnocentrism
- Cultural imperialism
- Cultural relativism (Correct answer)
- Assimilation
Correct answer: Cultural relativism
Cultural relativism involves understanding a culture on its own terms rather than measuring it against another culture's standards.
Question 3: The spread of McDonald's restaurants and Hollywood films across the globe is an example of:
- Cultural lag
- Cultural leveling
- Cultural imperialism (Correct answer)
- Subculture formation
Correct answer: Cultural imperialism
Cultural imperialism refers to the imposition of one culture's values, practices, and products on other societies, often by dominant nations.
Question 4: William Ogburn's concept of 'cultural lag' refers to:
- The delay between material and non-material culture adapting to change (Correct answer)
- The loss of cultural identity through globalization
- The resistance of subcultures to dominant norms
- The gradual blending of two cultures
Correct answer: The delay between material and non-material culture adapting to change
Cultural lag occurs when non-material culture (values, laws, norms) takes time to catch up with changes in material culture (technology, tools).
Question 5: Which term describes a group within a larger society that shares distinct values, norms, and practices?
- Counterculture
- Subculture (Correct answer)
- Dominant culture
- Folk culture
Correct answer: Subculture
A subculture is a group that maintains its own norms and values while existing within and alongside the dominant culture.
Question 6: Heavy metal music fans who reject mainstream pop culture most closely represent a:
- Subculture
- Counterculture (Correct answer)
- High culture
- Cultural universal
Correct answer: Counterculture
A counterculture actively opposes the dominant culture's values and norms, not merely differing from them.
Question 7: The process by which cultural elements spread from one society to another is called:
- Cultural assimilation
- Cultural diffusion (Correct answer)
- Cultural accommodation
- Cultural integration
Correct answer: Cultural diffusion
Cultural diffusion is the transmission of cultural elements—ideas, practices, and material objects—from one culture to another.
SCC Cultural Analysis 2
Which concept describes the tendency to judge other cultures by the standards of one's own culture?