Free Culture and Society MCQs with Answers
216 Culture and Society MCQs from Sociology, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.
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216 questions · page 6 of 22
51. Mass-society theory suggests that______________?
- A. the content of the media is determined market forces
- B. the subordinate classes are dominated by the ideology of the ruling class
- C. the media manipulate the masses as vulnerable passive consumers
- D. audiences make selective interpretations of media messages
Explanation: Mass-society theory portrays ordinary people as isolated and vulnerable masses who can be manipulated by powerful mass media. Selective interpretation belongs to active-audience approaches, not the mass-society view.
Correct answer: the media manipulate the masses as vulnerable passive consumers52. In its study of language, which sociological perspective focuses on how people rely on shared definitions of phrases expressions in both formal speech everyday conversation ?
- A. functionalist perspective
- B. conflict perspective
- C. interactionist perspective
- D. ethnocentric perspective
Explanation: The interactionist perspective studies how people create and use shared meanings in everyday interaction, including the meanings attached to words and expressions. Functionalism and conflict theory focus more on social order and inequality than on conversational meaning.
Correct answer: interactionist perspective53. Which of the following is an aspect of culture ?
- A. a comic book
- B. patriotic attachment to the flag of the United States
- C. burial of a family pet in a cemetery plot
- D. all of the above
Explanation: Culture includes material objects such as comic books, nonmaterial beliefs such as patriotic attachment, and shared practices such as burying a pet in a cemetery. Therefore, all three examples represent aspects of culture.
Correct answer: all of the above54. A Hispanic woman and a Jewish man working together as computer programmers for an electronics from overcome their initial prejudices and come to appreciate each other,s strengths and talents This is an example of____________?
- A. the contact hypothesis
- B. a self-fulfilling prophecy
- C. amalgamation
- D. reverse discrimination
Explanation: The contact hypothesis holds that meaningful cooperation between members of different social groups can reduce prejudice and encourage mutual understanding. Working together and recognising each other’s abilities illustrates this process.
Correct answer: the contact hypothesis55. In the United States we often formalize norms into_____________?
- A. folkways
- B. mores
- C. values
- D. laws
Explanation: Norms become laws when they are formally written, publicly enforced and backed by the authority of the state. Folkways and mores are generally enforced through social approval or disapproval rather than legal penalties.
Correct answer: laws56. A list of cultural universals was compiled by anthropologist_______________?
- A. Max Weber
- B. George Murdock
- C. Margaret Mead
- D. William F. Ogburn
Explanation: Anthropologist George Murdock compiled a comparative list of cultural universals, such as family, language, religious practices and division of labour. Weber was a sociologist, while Mead is better known for cultural studies and socialisation research.
Correct answer: George Murdock57. According to Davis (1995) women may seek cosmetic surgery because_____________?
- A. they have a deep-rooted sense of ineffectiveness and are striving for control
- B. they are in pursuit of the perfect body fueled by images of beauty
- C. they perceive a part of their body as stigmatizing in relation to a cultural ideal
- D. their male partners pressurize them to look like supermodels
Explanation: Davis links cosmetic surgery to a perceived bodily stigma, where a feature is judged negatively against a culturally defined ideal of appearance. The other options describe broader pressures or motives but not this specific constructionist explanation.
Correct answer: they perceive a part of their body as stigmatizing in relation to a cultural ideal58. Personal distance and gestures are examples of forms of_______________?
- A. folkways
- B. non-verbal communication
- C. cultural integration
- D. values
- E. material culture
Explanation: Personal distance and gestures convey meaning without spoken or written words, so they are forms of non-verbal communication. Folkways are customary norms, not specifically communication signals.
Correct answer: non-verbal communication59. The global economy and the concept of global interdependence is often accused of having_______________?
- A. too many rules and regulations that weigh progress down
- B. a disregard for cultural assimilation
- C. a positive influence on multicultural development
- D. too much concern for non-material culture
- E. few boundaries
Explanation: Globalisation is often criticised for weakening national and cultural boundaries through the movement of goods, capital, information and people. This makes “few boundaries” the best fit, rather than the positive effects listed in other options.
Correct answer: few boundaries60. The destruction of a culture through conquest is referred to by anthropologists as_____________?
- A. infanticide
- B. homicide
- C. pesticide
- D. cultural extinction
- E. ethnocide
Explanation: Ethnocide means the deliberate destruction or suppression of a people’s culture, often through conquest, while the people may physically survive. Homicide and infanticide refer to killing persons, not cultures.
Correct answer: ethnocide