Full Name: ………………………………………………………………………………..

Khadija High School

2nd Bac Arts Number: ………………… Quiz N°1 S2 Tr. Redouane A.

READ THE TEXT CAREFULLY AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW

[1] Culture is a design for living. Values are ideas about what is right and wrong, desirable and undesirable,
normal and abnormal, proper and improper. Our world comprises many different cultures and accompanying
values. We have witnessed and are continuing to experience major shifts in world politics due to globalization.
One result of this is immigration. To participate successfully in our globalized world, we must understand the
values and cultures that characterize it.

[2] Theorist Althen identifies some key values of Americans such as individualism, equality, informality,
change and progress and time. One of the greatest attributes of Americans is individualism. Engrained in their
nature, Americans are trained from young to be separate individuals, responsible for themselves and the decisions
they make. Not belonging to a particular group, community or any collective unit, Americans are rugged
individualists.

[3] Privacy is a major value associated with individualism and Americans value time alone, since they are
very independent. Equality is a key ingredient in what it means to be American. Americans live by the statement,
“all men are created equal.” Another feature of the American mindset is informality (their speech, dress and body
language, are very informal).

[4] Americans value technological progress, the future and change. While aware of the past and historical
traditions, Americans aspire to change their environments in a positive manner, with the hopes of significant
improvements. Being fundamentally good-natured is critical for Americans. They believe in the goodness of
humanity. One of the foremost aspects of the American culture is self-help. Americans believe in education as
critical to advancement.

[5] Americans believe in democratic government and volunteerism. These traits are inherent in their
individualism, freedom and equality. For Americans, time is a very valuable resource. They are always well
organized and participate in activities geared toward saving time. Americans value people who are achievers and
action-oriented. They are always on the go and can be classified as materialistic; a person’s success is based on
his financial status, title, career and other possessions.

[6] Consequently, according to Hofstede’s dimensions, we can derive that America is a nation with a low
power distance, since equality is the main thrust of the society. The country has a high individualism score, since
they are rugged individualists. America has a low uncertainty avoidance score since they are action-oriented and
highly organized. Finally, America has a low masculinity score, since all are treated equally. Based on Kluckhohn
and Strodtbeck’s theory, America focuses on the present and future, they are in harmony with the natural
environment, they relate to each other hierarchically as equals, the prime motivation for their behavior is to
achieve and they believe that human nature is inherently good.

By Dana-Marie Seepersad, https://patimes.org/

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (10 pts)

I. CHOOSE THE BEST TITLE TO THE TEXT: 0.5 pt ....................................................................

1. Cultural Values in the World
2. Cultural Values and Globalization
3. Americans’ Cultural Values
II. ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY: 3 pts
1. According to the author, Americans seem to be sociable and love to be with people.
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2. American people would dress up casually without any formalities.
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3. Americans are characterized by taking practical actions in their lives.
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III. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS: 3 pts
1. What should people do to get engaged successfully in the globalized international community?
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2. How do Americans see education in their society?
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3. Why could Americans be considered ‘materialistic’?
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IV. COMPLETE THESE SENTENCES WITH INFORMATION FROM THE TEXT: 2 pts
1. Americans are characterized by some major values; for instance ..................................................
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2. American society has a high level of individualism since ..............................................................
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V. FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS THAT MEAN THE SAME AS: (1 pt)
1. Conscious of (paragraph 4): ..........................................................................................................
2. As a result (paragraph 6): ..............................................................................................................
VI. WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO? (1 pt)
1. their (paragraph 2): ......................................................................................................................
2. These (paragraph 5): .....................................................................................................................