Chapter 13: Culture and Diversity
1. When a home-bound patient expresses her past -oriented ancestral heritage
and famil y rituals, the nurse recognizes that the patient is expressing her
a. Race
b. Assimilation
c. Subculture
d. Ethnic identit y
CORRECT ANSWER: D
Feedback:
Ethnicit y or ethnic identit y refers to self -conscious, past -oriented form
of identit y based on a notion of shared cultural and perhaps ancestral
heritage, and current position in larger societ y. Race is based on
biologic characteristics; assimilation refers to new customs and
attitudes that are acquired through contact and communicati on among
persons of a particular culture; and a subculture refers to group of
people within a culture who have ideas and beliefs which are different
from the rest of that societ y.
2. A nurse in the hospital is caring for a Native American male. What person
is most important to include in the care of the patient?
a. Famil y
b. Physician
c. Tribal medicine man
d. Physical therapy aid
CORRECT ANSWER: C
, Feedback:
Observance of rituals in times of stress and uncertaint y helps to restore
a sense of control, competence , and familiarit y; to that extent, these
rituals are a desirable adjunct to nursing care.
3. A Catholic priest baptizes a stillborn baby of a Catholic family. What t ype
of practice is this considered?
a. Necessary
b. Expected
c. A ritual
d. A birth rite
CORRECT ANSWER: C
Feedback:
Rituals are common and observable expressions of culture in hospitals,
clinics, homes, schools, and work settings.
4. The nurse caring for several patients on a hospital unit notices that the
American patient makes eye contact with the staff while an elderl y patient
of Japanese descent does not make eye contact when speaking to the staff.
What cultural concept explains this difference?
a. Cultural diversit y
b. Cultural negativit y
c. Cultural relativit y
d. Cultural neutralit y
CORRECT ANSWER: C
, Feedback:
Cultural relativit y refers to the concept that cultures relate differentl y
to the same situations, such as the meaning of eye contact. Americans
view eye contact as demonstrating engagement in a conversation,
whereas elderl y Japanese view avo idance of eye contact with a superior
(the nurse in this scenario) as a sign of respect.
5. Healthcare facilities that sponsor health -promotion activities onl y in
affluent areas are considered
a. Culturall y sensitive
b. Culturall y blind
c. Culturall y affluent
d. Culturall y different
CORRECT ANSWER: B
Feedback:
Another way of thinking about ethnocentrism in nursing is that it can
reflect an individuals, a groups, or an agencys cultural blindness, or
lack of capacit y to reach out effectivel y to minorities or cult urall y
stigmatized groups.
6. A patient says to the nurse, Why dont you wear a white cap like nurses do
on the soap operas? This is an ethnocentric statement based on the
a. Nursing personalit y
b. Past history
c. Media
d. Genetics
1. When a home-bound patient expresses her past -oriented ancestral heritage
and famil y rituals, the nurse recognizes that the patient is expressing her
a. Race
b. Assimilation
c. Subculture
d. Ethnic identit y
CORRECT ANSWER: D
Feedback:
Ethnicit y or ethnic identit y refers to self -conscious, past -oriented form
of identit y based on a notion of shared cultural and perhaps ancestral
heritage, and current position in larger societ y. Race is based on
biologic characteristics; assimilation refers to new customs and
attitudes that are acquired through contact and communicati on among
persons of a particular culture; and a subculture refers to group of
people within a culture who have ideas and beliefs which are different
from the rest of that societ y.
2. A nurse in the hospital is caring for a Native American male. What person
is most important to include in the care of the patient?
a. Famil y
b. Physician
c. Tribal medicine man
d. Physical therapy aid
CORRECT ANSWER: C
, Feedback:
Observance of rituals in times of stress and uncertaint y helps to restore
a sense of control, competence , and familiarit y; to that extent, these
rituals are a desirable adjunct to nursing care.
3. A Catholic priest baptizes a stillborn baby of a Catholic family. What t ype
of practice is this considered?
a. Necessary
b. Expected
c. A ritual
d. A birth rite
CORRECT ANSWER: C
Feedback:
Rituals are common and observable expressions of culture in hospitals,
clinics, homes, schools, and work settings.
4. The nurse caring for several patients on a hospital unit notices that the
American patient makes eye contact with the staff while an elderl y patient
of Japanese descent does not make eye contact when speaking to the staff.
What cultural concept explains this difference?
a. Cultural diversit y
b. Cultural negativit y
c. Cultural relativit y
d. Cultural neutralit y
CORRECT ANSWER: C
, Feedback:
Cultural relativit y refers to the concept that cultures relate differentl y
to the same situations, such as the meaning of eye contact. Americans
view eye contact as demonstrating engagement in a conversation,
whereas elderl y Japanese view avo idance of eye contact with a superior
(the nurse in this scenario) as a sign of respect.
5. Healthcare facilities that sponsor health -promotion activities onl y in
affluent areas are considered
a. Culturall y sensitive
b. Culturall y blind
c. Culturall y affluent
d. Culturall y different
CORRECT ANSWER: B
Feedback:
Another way of thinking about ethnocentrism in nursing is that it can
reflect an individuals, a groups, or an agencys cultural blindness, or
lack of capacit y to reach out effectivel y to minorities or cult urall y
stigmatized groups.
6. A patient says to the nurse, Why dont you wear a white cap like nurses do
on the soap operas? This is an ethnocentric statement based on the
a. Nursing personalit y
b. Past history
c. Media
d. Genetics
