ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND WESTERN CULTURE

Lecturer: Dr Algirdas Makarevicius

MID-TERM TEST

Please encircle the correct answers (A, B, C, or D) below and also mark them on the test Answer Sheet.

1. The term “Western” is usually associated with

A the cultural tradition that traces its origins to Greek thought, Roman Republic and Christian religion;

B the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and the secular sciences of the modern day;

C the etymology of Europe;

D the Paleolithic period and the Roman Catholic Church.

2. Language is

A communication of thoughts and feelings through a system of arbitrary signals, such as voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols;

B system of signs, symbols, gestures, or rules used in communicating: the language of algebra;

C all of the above are correct;

D none of the above is correct.

3. The correct definition of culture is:

A complex society in which many of the people live in cities and get their food from agriculture, as distinguished from band and tribal societies in which people live in small settlements or nomadic groups and make their subsistence by hunting, or working small horticultural gardens; culture is an exclusive term, applied to some human groups and not others, especially to some undeveloped tribes in central Africa where people have no culture;

B the set of complicated, formal and social institutions in cities and towns, such as organized education;

C the complex set of emotional and unemotional values, customs and traditions, with a gradual transition from a food-collecting to a food-producing culture, and further on, finally reaching its decay; it emphasizes only materialistic values as the basis for the development of cross-cultural relationships among people in a certain country;

D the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group; it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs.

4. The first civilization was in

A Ancient Greece;

B Mesopotamia;

C China;

D Crete.

5. The earliest writings in the world are from

A South-East India;

B Southern Iraq;

C North-East China;

D Ancient Egypt.

6. The Iron Age was

A a period in a civilization’s development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze;

B the period in the development of industry that began with the general use of iron and continued into the modern times;

C the period in human development between the end of the Paleolithic, and the beginning of the Neolithic Period; it began with the end of the last glacial period over 10,000 years ago and evolved into the Neolithic period; this change involved the gradual domestication of plants and animals;

D the Azilian culture, which was centered in the Pyrenees region but spread to Switzerland, Belgium, and Scotland, was one of the earliest representatives of Mesolithic culture in Europe; the Azilian was followed by the Tardenoisian culture, which covered much of Europe; most of these settlements are found on dunes or sandy areas.

7. Greek philosophy focused on

A knowledge, and is often interpreted to mean "knowledge of the true self"; it guided the individual to enlightenment and it paved the way both to modern science and to modern western philosophy;

B ethical precepts for the proper management of society and was used as a political system and a state religion based on Christianity;

C reason and inquiry and paved the way to modern science;

D and was characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being of many forms and natures.

8. Ethics

A is the science which studies the criteria of beauty and gives thought and matter equal status; i.e. the world consists of or is explicable as two fundamental entities – first, the interior and the exterior; second, the physical and the spiritual;

B investigates the nature of knowledge and the process of knowing about the Western culture;

C deals with problems of right conduct; it is the study and evaluation of human conduct in the light of moral principles; it also studies the differences between right and wrong;

D studies the nature of beauty and the criteria of artistic judgment in the fields of dualism, and is related to the categories of rationalism, materialism, emotivism, and religious idealism.

9. The branch of philosophy which investigates the nature of knowledge and the process of knowing is called

A rationalism;

B anthropology;

C metaphysics;

D epistemology.

10. A republic is a type of government that is made up of a mixture of elements from three other types of government:

A monarchy, democracy and plutocracy;

B monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy;

C monarchy, plutocracy and republican constitution;

D none of the above definitions is correct.

11. In most Western countries Julius Caesar is also known as

A the Last Emperor of Rome;

B King Markus Augustus Antonius;

C both above are correct;

D none of the above is correct.

12. Please encircle the correct statement:

A Markus Antonius defeated the combined forces of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra in the naval battle of Actium and became the absolute power in Rome;

B Octavian defeated the combined forces of Antony and Cleopatra in the naval battle of Actium, but was later assassinated by Brutus; Markus Augustus Antonius became the absolute power in Rome and was the Last Emperor of Rome;

C Octavian defeated the combined forces of Antony and Cleopatra in the naval battle of Actium and became the absolute power in Rome;

D none of the above is correct.

13. Aqueducts were first built in

A Egypt;

B China;

C Roman Empire;

D Ancient Greece.

14. Traditional Western Culture is said to have been created by three main historical factors, known by the terms (please encircle the correct answer):

A Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and Christianity;

B Greco-Roman culture, or Judeo-Hellenic-Christian culture;

C Both above are correct;

D None of the above is correct.

15. The culture of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome is collectively labelled

A "Classical culture";

B “Western culture”;

C “Ancient culture”;

D “Minoan culture”.

16. The earliest example of Ancient Greek culture is

A. Socrates;

B Jesus;

C Hippocrates;

D Homer.

17. There was a man (“the Father of Medicine”) in Ancient Greece who was the first to do a treatise on human anatomy and bodily ailments; he also wrote an oath, which lays out ethics for physicians in western countries and which is still in use today; the name of this famous man was (please encircle the correct answer):

A Democritus;

B Socrates;

C Jesus;

D Hippocrates.

18. The founder of Western philosophy was

A Democritus;

B Socrates;

C Herodotus;

D Homer.

19. The Roman Empire was founded in 753 b.c. by

A Princess Europa;

B Romulus;

C Romulus and Remus;

D Remus.

20. Please encircle the incorrect answer:

A Aristotle, a great organizer and philosopher, defined most of the academic categories of Western education. He created biology outright and formed the core study on politics (as well as many other fields of study).

B Socrates's contributions to philosophy were a new method of approaching knowledge, a conception of the soul as the seat both of normal waking consciousness and of moral character, and a sense of the universe as purposively mind-ordered. His method, called dialectic, consisted in examining statements by pursuing their implications, on the assumption that if a statement were true it could not lead to false consequences. His doctrine of the soul led him to the belief that all virtues converge into one, which is the good, or knowledge of one's true self and purposes through the course of a lifetime.

C Democritus is known as the "Father of Medicine". He was the first to do a treatise on human anatomy and bodily ailments. He also wrote an oath, known as the Hippocratic Oath, which lays out ethics for physicians and which is still in use today.

D Pythagoras coined the term Philosophy ("love of wisdom") to describe a wide range of intellectual pursuits. His interests included mathematics, music, and the study of proportion.

21. With Christianity came a movement called monasticism. Monasticism carried Christianity and science to all the countries of Europe and preserved Latin and Christian texts during the Dark Ages. Monasticism is related to

A monarchs and king of the Jews;

B mysticism and aestheticism;

C Romulus and Remus;

D nuns and monks.

22. The resurrection of Jesus is related to

A Christmas;

B Easter;

C Hominids;

D Renaissance.

23. Please encircle the incorrect answer:

A In Roman legend, twin brothers who were raised by a she-wolf founded the city of Rome. They came from a city founded by the son of Aeneas. During the construction of Rome, Remus became incensed at Romulus and killed him. The Romans later made Remus into a god.

B Greeks invented tragedy, the basis of modern plays, skits, and movies; comedy made its appearance with Aristophanes; Greek art and architecture has a strong influence on Western Culture even today.

C Christ is not a name but a title, which comes from the Greek (Christos) via Latin, which means anointed with chrism. The Greek form is a liberal translation of Messiah from Hebrew mashiyakh or Aramaic m'shikha, a word which occurs often in the Hebrew Bible and typically refers to the "high priest" or "king". The title Christ is also sometimes identified with the Latin crestus, meaning "useful", although the words are unrelated in terms of etymology, and Chrestus was often used as a pet name for slaves.

D Crucifixion is an ancient method of execution, in which the victim was tied or nailed to a large wooden cross (Latin: crux) and left to hang there until dead. It was a common form of execution from the 6th century BC to the 4th century AD, especially among the Persians, Egyptians and Romans. Crucifixion has gained notoriety in Christianity as a method used by the Romans to put Jesus to death, and the cross has become the main Christian symbol.

24. Please encircle the correct answer:

A Jesus of Nazareth was a Jewish preacher and healer, the central figure in Christianity. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a location which  is about 10 kilometers south of Jerusalem, standing at an elevation of about 765 meters above the sea, thus only 30 meters higher than Jerusalem. According to some historians, as well as modern priests, his teachings were spread by a group of followers usually referred to as his disciples. According to Christian belief, Jesus raised himself from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion.

B In music, many songs refer to Jesus and Jesus provides the theme for many classical works throughout musical history because Jesus was a musician himself. In this respect he was much more famous than Mozart and Bach put together.

C Jesus has been portrayed in countless paintings and sculptures throughout the ages in Ancient Greece, Egypt and Crete. From the history we know that Jesus is a name and Christ is the title, and that Jesus was born in Nazareth.

D Socrates added the idea of The Truth to the western philosophy and art (a goal to strive for, a purpose of life), thus forming the basis of the classical triad of Truth, Beauty and Goodness in which he portrayed Jesus, Pontius Pilatus and their Twelve Apostles kneeling and praying together in front of the cross – Christian symbol of pain.

25. The Bible was written by

A Socrates;

B Homer;

C Pope John Paul II;

D None of the above is correct.

26. The “Pontiff” is the same as

A Conclave;
B Pontius Pilate;

C Pope;

D Pantomime or Comedy.

27. The first country outside Britain to use English as its first language was

A Scotland;

B America;

C Ireland;

D Brittany.

28. Proxemics is

A the study of action distances and other culturally defined uses of specified communication; most people are aware of the importance of space in communication and they are usually confronted with someone who uses it differently; proxemics is not a form of paralanguage but is culturally related to it;

B. the comparative study of the function, structure, and history of languages and the communication process;

C the study of interaction distances and other culturally defined uses of space;

D the use of gestures, mimics, glances, slight changes in tone of voice, and other auxiliary communication devices to alter or emphasize what we say and do; we learn these highly culture bound techniques over years largely by observing others and imitating them.

29. The five events that shaped the history of English were

A The Anglo-Saxon Settlement, the Scandinavian Settlements, the Norman Conquest, Standardization, Colonization and Globalization;

B The Anglo-Saxon Settlement, the Norwegian Conquest, Colonization, American Civil War, and French Revolution;

C The Anglo-Saxon Settlement, Old English Period, Middle English Period, Scandinavian Conquest, and American Civil War;

D Old English Period, Middle English Period, Shakespeare’s English, Enlightenment, and Christianity

30. English is an official language in all of the following countries:

A Ireland, South Africa, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Swaziland,  Lithuania, Tanzania, The Bahamas, The Gambia, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago;

B Uganda, United Kingdom, Barbados, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, United States, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland;

C  Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Iceland, Solomon Islands, Mauritius; Jamaica;

D Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Canada, Malta, Venezuela, New Zealand, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India.

31. English is not an official language but is commonly understood at least by educated people in all of the following countries:

A United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Libya, Pakistan;

B Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, Qatar;

C Brazil, France, Germany, China, Turkey;

D Cyprus, Norway, Japan, Peru, UK.

32. English is an official language in

A 28 countries;

B 96 countries;

C 52 countries;

D 142 countries.

33. Please encircle the correct answer:

A About 40% of all Internet traffic is in Chinese and Japanese;

B About 9% of all Internet traffic is in Chinese;

C About 90% of all Internet traffic is in English;

D About 65% of all Internet traffic is in English.

34. Paralanguage is nearly the same as

A linguistic anthropology;

B kinetics;

C body language;

D lingua franca.

35. Linguists estimate that the number of languages in the world is

A less than 3000;

B about 850;

C about 6000;

D more than 8000.

36. There are around 900 native languages spoken by the 5-10 million people of New Guinea and its neighboring islands. That is roughly 1/6 of all languages being spoken by far less than 1% of the world's people. New Guinea is located not very far from

A the Caribbean;

B Brazil;

C Indonesia;

D Chile.

37. Those Americans who emigrated to the United States of America from India at the end of the 20^th century are usually called

A American Indian migrants;

B American Indians;

C India’s Americans

D Indian Americans.

38. Local Australians (those who were born in Australia and lived in Australia for thousands of years) are usually called

A Indian Australians;

B Originals;

C Australian Indians;

D Aboriginals.

39. Oceania is one of eight terrestrial ecozones, which constitute the major ecological regions of the planet. It is divided by scientists into

A Macronesia, Melanesia and Antarctica;

B Macronesia, Antarctica, Melanesia, and Australia;

C both above are correct;

D none of the above is correct.

40. Melanesia is

A a country;

B a continent;

C a group of islands;

D none of the above is correct.

41. UK English is also called

A Standard English;

B the King English;

C both above are correct;

D all of the above are incorrect.

42. The following country has only one official language:

A Canada;

B New Zealand;

C both above answers are incorrect;

D both answers are correct.

43. Old English is the language spoken by

A people who lived in the United Kingdom in the 18^th century;

B old people who lived in the USA in the 19^th century;

C both above answers are correct;

D both above answers are incorrect.

44. At present, people speak Latin (and Latin is the second official language) in the following countries:

A France;

B Italy;

C both above answers are correct;

D both above answers are incorrect.

45. De facto languages of diplomacy are

A English and Latin;

B Italian and Latin;

C English;

D all above answers are incorrect.

46. The following countries have two official languages:

A Switzerland;

B India;

C Australia;

D the USA.

47. Middle English is the dialect which is spoken by people

A in the Middle East;

B in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (in Remote Oceania);

C both above answers are correct;

D both above answers are incorrect.

48. In Vatican cardinals, in order to provide supernatural protection, often wear

A clown's costumes

B penis sheaths;

C crosses;

D white lab coats.

49. English punks usually

A wear military insignia;

B cover their faces in public;

C both above answers are incorrect;

D both above answers are correct.

50. Spitting on another person is a sign of utmost contempt in Europe or North America but can be an affectionate blessing if done in a certain way among the people in

A Ethiopia;

B Kenya;

C both above answers are correct;

D both above answers are incorrect;

51. English became a lingua franca and it is

A regularly used and understood only by those nations for whom English is their first language;

B regularly used and understood by many nations for whom English is not their first language;

C regularly used and understood by everybody in everyday life in such western countries as Denmark, Switzerland, Holland, Norway, Peru and Poland;

D all above answers correct.

52. Anthropology of religion

A focuses on the study Christianity; the major research themes are recovery and identification of Christianity remains, the practical application of the teachings of Jesus Christ, and the co-evolution of interactions between Catholics and Protestants.

B involves the study of religious institutions in relation to other social institutions, and the comparison of religious beliefs and practices across cultures.

C tries to use the practices and theory of anthropology to solve important problems about human beings and their cultural aspects related to Roman Catholic Church, especially its relationships between Vatican priests and Islamic Fundamentalists.

D is concerned with the application of anthropological and social science theories and methods to questions about health, illness and healing.

53. Diachronic linguistics is the same as

A comparative linguistics;

B synchronic linguistics;

C both above are correct;

D both above are incorrect.

54. Forensic anthropology

A is concerned with development of systems of medical knowledge and health care in rural villages and urban areas;

B studies the interactions between biological, environmental, criminal and social factors influencing health and illness at both individual and community levels;

C provides evidence in criminal cases and even cremated remains can provide a surprising amount of information about the deceased individual;

D is concerned with the application of anthropological and social science theories and methods to questions about health, illness and healing, integrating alternative medical systems in culturally diverse environments.

55. Social anthropology is the same as

A applied anthropology;

B cultural anthropology;

C visual anthropology;

D all above answers are correct.

56. The word “anthropology” came into English from

A the Latin language and means “old, archaic”;

B the Greek language and means “nation”;

C the Latin language and means “culture”;

D the Greek language and means “human”.

57. Medical anthropology is the same as

A forensic anthropology;

B biological anthropology;

C both above are correct;

D none of the above is correct.

58. Cross-cultural studies can also be called

A Horticultural studies;

B Physical studies

C both above are incorrect;

D both above are correct.

59. In the United States, anthropology is traditionally divided into four fields:

A political anthropology, physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology;

B applied anthropology, ethnography, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology

C physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology;

D anthropological linguistics; applied anthropology; archaeology; western anthropology.

60. The field of anthropology which encompasses the anthropological study of representation, including areas such as performance, museums, art, and the production and reception of mass media is called

A linguistic anthropology;

B cultural anthropology;

C visual anthropology;

D political anthropology.

61. Socrates said: “People who are in favor of capital punishment are closer to murderers than those who are against it”. From these words we understand that Socrates was in favor of those who supported

A the law of life imprisonment;

B the law of capital punishment;

C murderers and those who were in favor of them;

D decisions of the emperor of Greece.

62. Please encircle the correct answer:

A Modern socio-cultural anthropology has its origins in 18th century ethnography; ethnographers were especially interested in why people living in different parts of the world sometimes had similar beliefs and practices; they promoted the idea of cultural revolution and that a person's beliefs and behaviors could only be understood in the context of the culture in which he or she lived.

B In the early 20th century socio-cultural anthropology developed in different forms in Europe and the United States; European "social anthropologists" focused on observed social behaviors, and "social structure", that is, relationships among social roles. e.g. husband and wife, or parent and child, and social institutions, e.g. religion, economy, and politics. American "cultural anthropologists" focused on the ways people expressed their view of themselves and their world, especially in symbolic forms, e.g. art and myths.

C both above are correct;

D both above are incorrect.

63. Divine is related to

A Hominids;

B Practicality;

C Satan;

D God.

64. The study of music in its cultural context is

A ethnography of music;

B ethnomusicology;

C both above are incorrect;

D both above are correct.

65. The structural development (change) of a society over time is called

A cultural evolution;

B cultural revolution;

C both above are correct;

D both above are incorrect.

66. The archaeological sub-field that studies plant remains from archaeological sites is called

A paleoethnobotany;

B paleoethnobiology;

C ethnobiology;

D none of the above is correct.

67. Physical anthropology studies

A primate behavior, human evolution, and population genetics;

B the co-evolution of human-plant interactions;

C patterns in production and consumption, exchange, socialization, gender, and other expressions of culture, with strong emphasis on the importance of fieldwork;

D all above are incorrect.

68. Holocultural Studies are related to

A the use of field data from many societies in order to examine the scope of human behavior and test hypotheses about human behavior and culture; statistical analysis can show relationships or lack of relationships between the traits studied;

B the use the practices and theory of anthropology to solve immediate problems about human beings and their culture;

C identification of plant remains, the use of wild plants, the origins of agriculture and domestication;

D none of the above is correct.

69. The Greek “paleo” came into the English language and it means

A “new”;

B “long ago”;

C “middle ages”;

D “science”.

70. “Parochialism” is a synonym for

A patriarchalism;

B nativism;

C both above are incorrect;

D both above are correct.

End of Test

ANSWER KEY

1. A
2. C
3. D
4. B
5. B
6. B
7. C
8. C
9. D
10. B
11. D
12. C
13. C
14. C
15. A
16. D
17. D
18. B
19. C
20. C
21. D
22. B
23. A
24. A
25. D
26. C
27. C
28. C
29. A
30. B
31. A
32. C
33. C
34. C
35. C
36. C
37. D
38. D
39. D
40. C
41. A
42. C
43. D
44. D
45. C
46. B
47. D
48. C
49. C
50. B
51. B
52. B
53. A
54. C
55. B
56. D
57. D
58. C
59. C
60. C
61. A
62. B
63. D
64. D
65. A
66. A
67. A
68. A
69. B
70. C