INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Intercultural communication is distinguished from cross-cultural communication primarily by:

B. comparison across cultures vs meaning negotiation in interaction

In the “communication as process” definition, communication is best treated as:

C. primarily a cognitive encoding/decoding procedure

Which is the strongest implication of “communication is irreversible”?

C. interaction has durable consequences for relationships/interpretations

The claim “communication is about making assumptions” is most compatible with

B. interactional/constructivist models of meaning-making

“Communication as symbolic” most strongly supports which statement?

B. symbols require shared conventions for meaning to stabilise

Which of the statements is true about symbolic meaning:

C. symbolic meanings vary and must be interpreted contextually

“Communication as intentional and unintentional” is illustrated with pupils, posture, and mimicry. The best inference is that

B. unintentional cues can still be consequential and interpreted

The statement that “communication as power-infused” implies that analytic attention should include

B. who has the floor, who is heard, and whose knowledge is treated as legitimate

Which metaphor for communication is explicitly tied to Shannon & Weaver (1949) in the slides?

B. transmission

Carey’s ritual metaphor positions communication primarily as

B. participation and community

Hall’s definition of culture as “outside conscious awareness” is closest to

B. culture as tacit patterns guiding behaviour

Socialisation is distinguished from enculturation mainly by

B. socialisation = broad learning of roles/norms; enculturation = learning one’s group culture through experience/observation

The “culture as shared” related contrast between speech community and discourse community implies that

C. discourse communities are organised around genres/registers and purposes

“Culture as relative” (Agar; Bennett) best supports the claim that

B. culture becomes visible through contrast with an outsider/newcomer

CAT (Giles et al.) convergence strategies are defined as:

B. social distance reduction

In Bell’s audience design framework, the key contrast noted is

B. code-switching vs style shifting

Ruben’s (1976) intercultural competence components include all except

C. grammatical accuracy

In Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck’s framework, “activity orientation” is concerned with

B. being vs becoming vs doing

Hall’s claim that much of culture is “silent” most directly challenges which assumption in communication studies?

B. Communication is mainly explicit and consciously controlled

Which interpretation is most consistent with the high-context talk?

B. Indirectness can be sophisticated because context carries meaning

The Air Florida Flight 90 case illustrates a failure primarily in

B. the interactional management of risk through authority and mitigation

In Hall’s terms, low-context environments tend to treat written follow-up after meetings as

B. normal because it reduces ambiguity about decisions and tasks

Which pairing is correct?

C. Sweden – low-context

A high-context speaker may interpret repeated summaries from a low-context partner primarily as

B. distrust or over-control

A low-context speaker may interpret indirectness and circling around a topic primarily as

B. lack of transparency or discipline

For meetings and communication style, which behaviour most fits a high-context preference?

B. Long written messages when writing is used

Which statement best captures the “time logic” contrast in Hall’s framework?

B. Monochronic treats schedules as binding; polychronic treats them as guidelines

In polychronic contexts, “I’ll try” or “we’ll see” is best analysed as

B. a culturally patterned way of managing commitment indirectly

A monochronic project manager interpreting a delayed deliverable as “disrespect” is most directly drawing on

A. “time is money” logic

Which statement best reflects the meaning of silence in high-context cultures?

B. Silence may carry disagreement or shared understanding

Which statement best reflects the meaning of silence in low-context cultures?

B. Silence often creates pressure to speak because words carry meaning

In a high-context environment, repeated requests for detail may be interpreted as

B. lack of social sensitivity

Which is a typical misreading (of the polychronic culture) from the monochronic side?

B. “They’re disorganised, always late, keep changing plans.”

Which is a typical misreading from the polychronic side?

A. “They care more about the clock than people.”

Which pair of orientations best predicts a preference for explicit planning, written timelines, and frequent summaries?

B. Low-context + monochronic

In Hofstede’s “collective programming of the mind” model, culture is positioned as

B. learned and specific to groups/categories

Which dimension most directly addresses acceptance of hierarchy and unequal power distribution?

C. Power Distance

The “core distinction” for hierarchical (high PDI) cultures is

B. powerful/dependent

In democratic (low PDI) cultures, the core distinction is framed in terms of

C. responsible for task X / not responsible for task X

The claim “communication tends to be restricted and comes from the top” is typical of

B. high PDI cultures

41. A manager relocating to a higher-PDI setting is advised to

C. give clear directions and not expect initiative from subordinates

A manager relocating to a lower-PDI setting is advised to

B. involve others in decision-making and expect informality

Which list best matches the high vs low PDI examples?

B. High: Philippines, Venezuela; Low: Denmark, Israel

Individualism is primarily defined as differences in

B. rights of individuals versus those of the group

In individualist cultures, communication is described as more

B. direct, explicit, personal

Which is a collectivist core distinction?

B. ingroup/outgroup

The proverb “When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion” illustrates

B. collectivism

When “going to a country with a lower I score” praise should be directed to

B. the team rather than individuals

Which country grouping matches individualism scores?

A. UK high; China low

Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) is defined as

B. acceptance for uncertainty and ambiguity

High-UA cultures are described with a core value and distinction of

B. certainty; true/false

A high-UA “positive connotation” set includes

B. structure, law, predictable

A high-UA profile includes all EXCEPT

C. bosses may say “I don’t know”

A low-UA profile includes

C. willingness to change employer

The low-UA examples are

C. Singapore, Jamaica

A high-masculinity profile emphasises

B. winning and achievement

Long-term orientation (LTO) is derived from

B. a Chinese Value Survey distributed across 23 countries

The short-term orientation is associated with a core value of

B. saving face

Indulgence vs restraint is defined as differences in

B. gratification of basic drives versus suppression by strict norms

Cross-cultural communication focuses on comparing patterns across cultures rather than interactional negotiation.

T

Communication is reversible if an apology is offered

F

Communication is reversible if an apology is offered

F

“Communication as symbolic” implies that gestures have stable meanings across all contexts.

F

Pupillary dilation is an intentional communicative strategy.

F

The “chameleon effect” is purposeful imitation for deception.

F

“Communication as pervasive” includes the claim that even without speech, messages can pass between people.

T

“Language choices frame whose knowledge counts and whose voices are marginalised” is part of the powerinfused view.

T

The ritual metaphor is attributed to Shannon & Weaver (1949)

F

Socialisation is defined as a broad process of learning societal norms and roles.

T

Enculturation involves observation, interaction, and imitation and can be conscious and unconscious.

T

Values are defined as shared understandings of what is true or real.

F

Cultural schemas are mental frameworks that guide interpretation of experiences.

T

Cultural scripts are sequenced expectations about appropriate behaviour in a context.

T

A discourse community is defined in terms of shared communicative purposes and genres/registers.

T

“Culture as contested” explicitly brings in power/ideology and struggles over authenticity and normality.

T

CAT convergence is defined as strategies for reducing social distance.

T

Ruben’s competence model includes “tolerance for ambiguity” as a component.

T

Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck’s “social relations orientation” concerns humans’ relation to the spiritual world, living things, and nature.

F

Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck’s “time orientation” is defined only as past vs present vs future.

F

Hall’s “silent culture” claim implies that some key communicative rules are not consciously articulated by members.

T

High-context communication requires attention only to literal word meaning.

F

Low-context communication tends to externalise rules and expectations through explicit statements or writing.

T

Kenya is among high-context cultures.

T

Sweden is among high-context cultures.

F

“Repetition and summaries are appreciated” is associated with low-context communication.

T

Meta-communication is defined as explicitly talking about cultural expectations and adjusting communication.

T

Monochronic time is described as “one thing at a time” and schedule-focused.

T

Polychronic time is described as “multi-tasking” and interruption-tolerant.

T

In polychronic contexts, schedules are always treated as binding commitments.

F

“Time is money” fits monochronic orientation.

T

. In monochronic contexts, delays are typically interpreted as inefficiency or disrespect.

T

In polychronic contexts, interruptions can function as relationship maintenance.

T

Monochronic contexts tend to separate socialising from “real work” more than polychronic contexts.

T

In polychronic contexts, small talk and digressions can be treated as part of building trust.

T

In monochronic contexts, vagueness about deadlines may be interpreted as lack of commitment.

T