Unit 3-Cultural Patterns and Processes

Identify which of the following concepts or processes is symbolized by the pagoda in the image.

Acculturation

Material culture

Assimilation

Cultural trait

Syncretism

Cultural Trait

Why? The pagoda shown in the image is representative of a religious belief system, a nonmaterial cultural trait.

Which of the following geographic concepts can be identified using information evident in the image?

Cultural diffusion

Acculturation

Forced migration

Sequent occupance

Cultural relativism

Cultural Diffusion

Why? The image shows a Chinese New Year celebration in a city located in a country outside of China. Ethnic Chinese living in the city are celebrating their cultural traditions, which provides evidence of cultural diffusion.

Identify the cultural trait that influences the architecture of the cultural landscape shown in the image.

Ethnicity

Language

Taboos

Religion

Gender

Religion

Why? The image shows Paro Taktsang, a Buddhist pagoda and monastery in Bhutan. The pagoda is a common architectural style within Buddhism, traced back to the concept of a stupa, used to enshrine sacred relics.

Which of the following statements explains the regional location in the United States where the figures shown in the image are most likely part of the cultural landscape?

The Northeast, because residents are influenced by British Protestantism.

The Southeast, because residents are influenced by traditional religions from West Africa.

The Great Plains, because residents are influenced by Native American traditional religions.

The Southwest, because residents are influenced by Spanish Catholicism.

The Northwest, because residents are influenced by Russian Orthodoxy.

The Southwest, because residents are influenced by Spanish Catholicism.

Why? The Day of the Dead figures in the image are associated with Spanish Catholicism, which diffused from Spain and Mexico, and are most likely found in the cultural landscape of the United States Southwest.

The map shows the distribution of the language family that has the largest number of speakers in the world. Which statement correctly identifies the language family shown and the method of diffusion that best explains the pattern?

The map shows the distribution of the Amerindian language family, which diffused from its hearth in Canada and spread southward into South America through contagious diffusion and into Europe and Asia through trade and hierarchal diffusion.

The map shows the distribution of the Sino-Tibetan language family, which diffused from its hearth in China and spread into Europe by contagious diffusion and to the Americas through stimulus diffusion.

The map shows the distribution of the Uralic language family, which diffused from its hearth in Iceland and spread into northern Europe through contagious diffusion by Norse trading groups.

The map shows the distribution of the Indo-European language family, which diffused from its hearth in the Caucasus Mountains and spread throughout Eurasia through contagious diffusion and into the Americas, Africa, and Australia through colonialism and relocation diffusion.

The map shows the distribution of the Afro-Asiatic language family, which diffused from it hearth in Egypt and spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula and into Eurasia through contagious diffusion and into the Americas through colonialism and relocation diffusion.

The map shows the distribution of the Indo-European language family, which diffused from its hearth in the Caucasus Mountains and spread throughout Eurasia through contagious diffusion and into the Americas, Africa, and Australia through colonialism and relocation diffusion.

Why? The map shows the wide distribution of Indo-European languages across several continents. The Indo-European languages spread through trade and contagious diffusion and later through exploration, colonialism, and relocation diffusion.

The image shows a religious structure in Mexico City. Which of the following conclusions can be drawn based on the image?

Social class divisions determined by the Spanish aristocracy are evident in Latin American cities.

Socialist planning resulted in segregation of Mexico City.

Gentrification of the central market area of an urbanized zone led to an increase economic development.

Spanish colonialism influenced architecture of the cultural landscape.

Mass transportation systems were designed to alleviate traffic congestion.

Spanish colonialism influenced architecture of the cultural landscape.

Why? The Spanish settlement of Mexico caused Catholicism to diffuse in Mexico. Catholic churches such as the one shown in the image were constructed in Mexico City and throughout Latin America, altering the spatial patterns of the cultural landscape.

Chinese porcelain was highly valued in Europe for its beauty, style, and durability. However, imported porcelain from China was very expensive. Crafters in Germany and England developed new methods of making porcelain using feldspar and bone rather than the kaolin that was used in China. This new porcelain was viewed as having similar quality to Chinese porcelain, and the new methods continued to be used in Europe. This example describes what type of diffusion?

Relocation diffusion, because the Chinese brought their porcelain to Europe

Stimulus diffusion, because the Europeans adapted a Chinese concept to fit their own needs

Contagious diffusion, because people throughout the world adopted the use of porcelain

Hierarchical diffusion, because only the wealthy could afford porcelain

Expansion diffusion, because the porcelain-making process spread from China to Europe

Stimulus diffusion, because the Europeans adapted a Chinese concept to fit their own needs

Why? The description is an example of stimulus diffusion, as the idea of porcelain remained while the method to produce it changed.

Which of the following scenarios best exemplifies the concept of hierarchical diffusion?

The practice of selling pizza by the slice in America, whereas pizzas in Italy were traditionally sold as whole pies

The addition of hands-free driving features to cars manufactured by companies headquartered throughout the world

The migration of asylum seekers from Syria to Europe

The increasing popularity of Korean pop music around the world because of social media

The increasing sales of clothing brands endorsed by professional athletes to customers in Europe

The increasing sales of clothing brands endorsed by professional athletes to customers in Europe.

Why? Hierarchical diffusion occurs when something spreads from people or places with more authority to people or places with less authority. In this example, a brand of clothing spreads from a celebrity athlete to fans of the athlete.

Which of the following language-location pairs best exemplifies the process of relocation diffusion of language in the twentieth century?

English in India

Mandarin in China

French in Canada

Hmong in the United States

Russian in Brazil

Hmong in the United States

Why? The Hmong settled in areas such as California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Carolina because of the refugee crisis following the Vietnam War in the 1970s and 1980s.

Which of the following best explains how Christianity became the dominant religion in the Philippines?

Christianity was brought to the Philippines through relocation diffusion when the Spanish colonized the Philippines in the sixteenth century.

Christianity entered the Philippines through the ministry of representatives from the Russian Orthodox church.

A secondary hearth for Christianity arose in the Philippines in the twelfth century, and since that time Christianity has remained the dominant religion in the Philippines.

Christianity entered the Philippines through contagious diffusion because of its proximity to Indonesia.

Export-oriented logging companies from Japan brought Christianity to the Philippines during the twentieth century.

Christianity was brought to the Philippines through relocation diffusion when the Spanish colonized the Philippines in the sixteenth century.

Why? The Spanish brought Christianity to the Philippines in the sixteenth century during colonization of the islands through the process of relocation diffusion.

Which of the following statements best explains why English is the most widely spoken language in North America?

The English language initially diffused to North America through the process of relocation diffusion. A number of colonies were established and settled by people from Great Britain.

The English language diffused throughout North America through the process of hierarchical diffusion. The language was initially spoken in cities and was gradually adopted by people living in rural areas.

The English language diffused to North America through the process of contagious diffusion. Christian missionaries were responsible for the spread of the language among the indigenous population.

The English language was established as the official language of all of the British colonies in North America. Over time, it diffused throughout the population from the colonial leadership to the population.

The English language became a widely spoken language in North America in the twentieth century. This primarily occurred as a way of unifying the immigrant populations in both the United States and Canada.

The English language initially diffused to North America through the process of relocation diffusion. A number of colonies were established and settled by people from Great Britain.

Why? The initial spread of the English language to North America was caused by the migration of English-speaking settlers. This is an example of relocation diffusion, which occurs when people move to a new location and bring cultural traits with them.

Which of the following best explains how the English language diffused to the location shown in the image?

This location is the hearth of the English language, and English is the area's traditional language.

English was the standard language of the Catholic Church and diffused to this location through religious practices.

English was voluntarily adopted in this location as a useful lingua franca.

English came to this location recently via imported popular culture such as movies and music.

The English language was imposed on this location through a process of economic and political domination.

The English language was imposed on this location through a process of economic and political domination.

Why? The image shows a location in Ireland. The English language was imposed on Ireland, largely displacing the traditional language of Irish Gaelic. Along with military might, the forced use of language is a common strategy of political and economic domination.

The state of California, often considered a hearth of environmental laws, will be the first state to ban plastic straws. Which of the following statements best describes the likely spread of this environmental practice?

This practice will likely spread via hierarchical diffusion when the president of the United States signs an executive order banning plastic straws in all states.

This practice will likely spread via social media and stimulus diffusion when other states enact identical laws banning plastic straws.

As regional news organizations report on the ban, this practice will likely spread through contagious diffusion only to western states adjacent to California.

Strong lobbying by the plastics industry will likely curtail the diffusion of the ban, and this practice will be limited to California.

Similar environmental laws will likely spread through stimulus diffusion to other states via political activism.

Similar environmental laws will likely spread through stimulus diffusion to other states via political activism.

Why? Stimulus diffusion involves the spread of an underlying idea. California's ban on plastic straws is likely to result in similar environmental laws being enacted in other states through lobbying and political activism.

Which of the following best exemplifies the diffusion of popular culture throughout the world in contemporary society?

The increasing popularity of a fashion trend that originates in a large city, such as New York, and spreads to small rural towns

The spread of an Internet meme via social media applications

The spread of a religion through the migration of adherents of the religion

The increasing popularity of a new band that spends a year touring cities around the world

The spread of new slang that becomes widely used in government-funded schools

he spread of an Internet meme via social media applications

Why? Social media applications play an integral role in the spread of popular culture today. Ideas can spread through social media via contagious diffusion (for example, friend to friend) and hierarchical diffusion (for example, celebrities to their followers).

Which of the following best explains the Internet's homogenizing effect on global language patterns?

The English language is widely used on the Internet.

Social media applications commonly support dozens of different languages.

Many governments censor citizens' Internet access.

An increasing number of Internet users communicate exclusively through emojis.

The Internet accelerates communication so that people from different cultures can interact quickly and easily.

The English language is widely used on the Internet.

Why? The English language serves as a lingua franca for Internet users throughout the world. An increased use of English can cause global language patterns to become more homogeneous and less varied.

Based on the two images, which of the following statements best explains the geographic process that took place as Islam diffused from its hearth?

Islam is confined to the Middle East because it is an ethnic religion that appeals to only one group of people in one region.

The diffusion of Islam has resulted in a cultural landscape in China that has been radically altered to reflect Islamic architecture.

Islam diffused hierarchically to the west through conquest and to the east through relocation via missionaries along trade routes.

The diffusion of Islam has had a minimal impact on regions to the west and east of its hearth in the Middle East.

The universalizing nature of Islam has allowed it to become worldwide in scope and the dominant religion in North America and Europe.

Islam diffused hierarchically to the west through conquest and to the east through relocation via missionaries along trade routes.

Why? The images show mosques in Morocco and China. The presence of mosques in both Morocco and China represents the diffusion of Islam from its hearth in present-day Saudi Arabia to regions east and west of the Middle East. Islam diffused hierarchically to regions west of the Middle East through conquest and to the east through relocation via missionaries along trade routes into South, East, and Southeast Asia.

How does the map illustrate global diffusion of the French language from its cultural hearth in Paris?

The map shows how French-language movies, music, and literature dominate global entertainment media.

The map shows how France was an ancient-culture hearth from which the French language spread through expansion diffusion.

The map shows how in many areas of the former French empire the language persists despite the independence of former colonies.

The map shows how French civil servants established schools in many parts of the French colonial empire.

The map shows how people's love of French food has facilitated the spread of the French language to many parts of the world.

The map shows how in many areas of the former French empire the language persists despite the independence of former colonies.

Why? Most parts of the former French colonial empire still use French as an official language, with the exception of former colonies in Algeria and Southeast Asia where there were rebellions against French rule. French is also an official language in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is a former Belgian colony. And the map shows the French région d'outre-mer of French Polynesia and New Caledonia and département d'outre-mer such as Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Reunion that have been incorporated into France (similar to Hawaii in the United States).

The sign shown in the image includes an Internet address for the county government. Explain how the sign illustrates the cultural tensions between traditional languages and English.

The Internet spreads the use of English as a global lingua franca, but the Internet is also a place where traditional languages can be communicated and thrive.

English is used for business and commerce on the Internet, while traditional languages such as Gaelic can only be heard in poems and music recordings but not written on the Internet.

The Internet is produced only in English; as a result, many traditional languages disappear due to the dominance of English-language communication.

Many countries ban the use of English-language Internet sites in an effort to resist the forces of globalization and protect their traditional languages.

English is being used less outside of the United Kingdom. Speaking a traditional language as a first language has become the norm in former British colonies.

The Internet spreads the use of English as a global lingua franca, but the Internet is also a place where traditional languages can be communicated and thrive.