Short Reading Test-104

Read the given text carefully and do the activities that follow.(10)

In informal conversation, the word culture refers to a desirable personnel attribute that can be acquired by visiting museums and galleries and by attending concerts and theatrical performances. An educated person who has culture is familiar with the finer things produced in a civilized society. And that is what most people think of when they hear the word culture. In anthropology, however, culture is defined in a very different way. To an anthropologist, culture refers to the complex whole of ideas and material objects produced by groups in their historical experience; that is, the learned behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, and values that are characteristic of a particular society. For a thought or activity to be included as part f a culture, it must be commonly shared by or considered appropriate for the group.

Even in a complex society like that of the United States, which comprises many diverse ethnic groups, there are practices common to all Americans and these practices constitute American culture. In addition, the smaller groups within the larger society have shared customs that are specific to their groups. These shared customs represent a subculture within the larger culture. Now, can anyone think of an example of a subculture in the United States?

A. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.

a.   What is the main topic of the text?

b.  According to the speaker, what does culture mean to most people in ordinary conversation?

c.   How does the speaker explain American culture?

d.  What do anthropologists mean when they say a thought or activity is to be included as part of the culture?

e.   What is subculture according to the speaker?

B. State whether the following statements are true or false.

1.  Culture means different things to different people.

2.  Only educated persons possess fine culture.

3.  An anthropologist defines culture as the whole of ideas and objects as a result of historical experience.

4.  Ideas and activities can become culture only when they are shared in different communities.

5.  There are be as many subcultures as can be in the larger culture.

6.  American culture means the sum total of all the subcultures found in America.

C. Find words from the above text that are most distant in meanings to the following.

a.  absenting

b.  strange

c.  barbaric

d.  irrelevant

D. Summarize the text in about 60 words.

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