RUPP/Institute of Foreign Languages Global Studies

301
Department of English Worksheet 1

Chapter 1: Culture
I. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Work in small groups and discuss the following questions based
on your prior knowledge.
1. How would you define the term ‘culture’? Are we born with it? Why or why not?
2. Have you ever experienced a culture shock? If so, describe your experience.
3. Do you agree with the statement, “Language allows culture to exist.”? Why or why not?
4. What do you think are the values – the ideas of what is desirable in life – in Cambodian society?
5. What would be your reaction if you saw someone walking naked in the street? Cheating during
an exam? Drinking alcohol in the class room?
6. How do you think technology influences culture? Explain with examples.
7. To what extent do you think Cambodian culture has been influenced by other cultures? How
serious are these influences? How should we deal with them?

II. KEY WORDS: Match the following words on the left with their definitions on the right.

Words Definitions
1. Grasp (v) a. existing as a natural or basic part of something
2. Inherent (adj) b. said in a clear and short way; expressing what needs to be said without
3. Immerse (v) unnecessary words
4. Orientation (n) c. to become completely involved in something
5. Pervasive (adj) d. the traditional stories and culture of a group of people
6. Imperceptible (adj) e. almost impossible to see or notice
7. Perceive (v) f. to hurt someone or do something harmful to them because they have done
8. Internalize (v) or said something harmful to you
9. Surreptitious (v) g. done secretly, without anyone seeing or knowing
10. Yardstick (n) h. to put something firmly and deeply into something else, or to be put into
11. Embed (v) something in this way
12. Folklore (n) i. very simple and basic
13. Ingrained (adj) j. someone or something that represents or is very typical of a quality or an
14. Succinct (adj) idea exactly
15. Retaliate (v) k. to accept or absorb an idea, opinion, belief, etc. so that it becomes part of
16. Elicit (v) your character
17. Rudimentary (adj) l. a person’s basic beliefs or feelings about a particular subject
18. Embodiment (n) m. present or noticeable in every part of a thing or place
19. Distill (v) n. to understand something, especially something difficult
20. Stumble on sth (v) o. to understand or think of something or someone in a particular way
p. to discover something by chance
q. a standard by which you can judge the success or value of something
r. so firmly held that they are not likely to change
s. to get or produce something, especially information or a reaction
t. to get the essential meaning or ideas from thought, information,
experiences, etc.

WRITE YOUR ANSWERS HERE.

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RUPP/Institute of Foreign Languages Global Studies
301
Department of English Worksheet 1

III. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS: Answer the following questions based on the information in
the textbook.
1. Briefly explain Ralph Linton’s quote (1936), “The last thing a fish would ever notice would be
water.”
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2. Provide some specific examples of Cambodian material and non-material culture.

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3. What is ethnocentrism? What are its positive and negative consequences?

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4. Why is cultural relativism an imperfect paradigm?

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5. What are gestures? What are its positive and negative consequences?
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6. Is it true that there are no universal gestures? Why or why not?

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7. Explain the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.
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RUPP/Institute of Foreign Languages Global Studies
301
Department of English Worksheet 1

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