SYG 2000 - CHAPTER 3 - CULTURE
QUESTIONS ANSWERED CORRECTLY
LATEST UPDATE 2026
Section 1: Defining Culture
1. In sociology, "culture" refers to:
A) The biological and genetic traits that distinguish different human populations
B) Beliefs, values, behavior, and material objects that, together, form a people's
way of life
C) The economic and political systems of a given society
D) The geographical and environmental factors that influence a population
Answer: B
Rationale: Culture encompasses all learned and shared aspects of human life, including
both tangible objects and intangible patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that are
passed from generation to generation. This is a foundational definition in Chapter 3 .
2. Art, buildings, clothing, and technology are all examples of:
A) Nonmaterial culture
B) Material culture
C) Cognitive culture
D) Symbolic culture
Answer: B
, Rationale: Material culture refers to the tangible, physical objects that distinguish a group
of people—their "stuff." This is in contrast to nonmaterial culture, which consists of ideas,
beliefs, and norms .
3. Values, beliefs, and norms are all components of:
A) Nonmaterial culture
B) Material culture
C) Cultural lag
D) Cultural universals
Answer: A
Rationale: Nonmaterial culture (also called symbolic culture) is a group's way of thinking
(beliefs and values) and way of doing things (norms) .
4. The disorientation you might feel when encountering an unfamiliar culture is
known as:
A) Ethnocentrism
B) Cultural relativism
C) Culture shock
D) Cultural lag
Answer: C
Rationale: Culture shock is the anxiety and disorientation you experience when you cannot
make sense of a new culture's norms, values, and behaviors .
Section 2: Norms, Values, and Sanctions
QUESTIONS ANSWERED CORRECTLY
LATEST UPDATE 2026
Section 1: Defining Culture
1. In sociology, "culture" refers to:
A) The biological and genetic traits that distinguish different human populations
B) Beliefs, values, behavior, and material objects that, together, form a people's
way of life
C) The economic and political systems of a given society
D) The geographical and environmental factors that influence a population
Answer: B
Rationale: Culture encompasses all learned and shared aspects of human life, including
both tangible objects and intangible patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that are
passed from generation to generation. This is a foundational definition in Chapter 3 .
2. Art, buildings, clothing, and technology are all examples of:
A) Nonmaterial culture
B) Material culture
C) Cognitive culture
D) Symbolic culture
Answer: B
, Rationale: Material culture refers to the tangible, physical objects that distinguish a group
of people—their "stuff." This is in contrast to nonmaterial culture, which consists of ideas,
beliefs, and norms .
3. Values, beliefs, and norms are all components of:
A) Nonmaterial culture
B) Material culture
C) Cultural lag
D) Cultural universals
Answer: A
Rationale: Nonmaterial culture (also called symbolic culture) is a group's way of thinking
(beliefs and values) and way of doing things (norms) .
4. The disorientation you might feel when encountering an unfamiliar culture is
known as:
A) Ethnocentrism
B) Cultural relativism
C) Culture shock
D) Cultural lag
Answer: C
Rationale: Culture shock is the anxiety and disorientation you experience when you cannot
make sense of a new culture's norms, values, and behaviors .
Section 2: Norms, Values, and Sanctions
