I.

QUIZZ
Chapter 1: Understanding the culture of the United States
1. One factor affecting lifestyles in the United States is the variety of climates.
True
2. American Indians all speak the same language. False
3. It is not possible to make generalizations about what Americans believe
because they are so different. False
4. In parts of the country with … that share a common language, bilingualism
continues. established community
5. Tocqueville was a … who saw both good and bad sides of the American
character traits. neutral observer
6. When did America limit immigration through the Immigration Act? 1924
7. Who is the biggest minority group in the US nowadays? Latin Americans
8. What binds people in America together? national identity
9. In the 20th century, most immigrants moved to the States … at the
beginning and the end of the century
10.What is the book Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville about?
The democratic system and beliefs & values of the US
Chapter 2: Traditional American Values and Beliefs
1. Early settlers came to the North American continent and established colonies
mainly because they wanted to be free from -----. the power of Kings,
priests, and noblemen
2. There are no title of nobility in the United States today because They are
forbidden by the Constitution.
3. The American belief in equality of opportunity means that Everyone should
have an equal chance to succeed.
4. Traditionally, immigrants have been able to raise their standard of living by
coming to the United States because There were such abundant natural
resources.
5. A belief in the value of hard work developed because it was necessary to
work hard to convert natural resources into material goods.

6. Self- [reliance] is an important American value. Most Americans

[emphasize] the importance of eventually becoming independent and
 standing on their own two feet. They teach this [concept] to their children as
they are growing up, expecting them to [achieve] financial and emotional
independence by the time they are in their early twenties. Americans do not
[reject] their adult children; they still love them and believe this is the best
preparation for life in American culture.
7. The price that Americans pay for their individual freedom is... self-reliance
8. Americans see their material possessions as... the natural reward for their
hard work.
Chapter 3: The American Religious Heritage
1. Although there is cultural pluralism in the United States, there is no religious
pluralism. 'False'.
2. Protestant denominations (such as Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian) are
part of the Roman Catholic Church. 'False'.
3. What is the dominant religion in the US? Protestantism
4. Who first brought Catholics to Americans? The Spanish
5. Which of the following cities are not named after the missionaries? Chicago
6. The Protestants believe that … each person must be directly responsible for
their sins in front of God.
7. What is NOT a demonstration of the Protestant Heritage of self-
improvement? forgiving other people’s sins
8. Some scholars mentioned the “national religion” of Americans which is the
mixture of religion and … patriotism
9. What is NOT the belief of American evangelicals? Same-sex marriage is
acceptable.
10.Which of the following religions does NOT originate from East Asia?
Buddhism
Chapter 4: The Frontier Heritage
1. The frontier experience began in about 1890 and is still continuing in the
American West today. 'False'.
2. One reason why many Americans are still fascinated by the frontier period is
that it represents a time when the traditional basic American values were
expressed in their purest form. 'True'.
3. The settling of the frontier did little to affect the lives of the American
Indians. 'False'.
4. When were the last Western lands settled? about 1890
 5. What did people rush for in Oklahoma in 1889? land
6. What was NOT a feature of the rugged individualist? They were married.
7. How many types of heroic rugged individualists are there? 2
8. Who was the best-known hero in the early stage of rugged individualist?
Daniel Boone
9. The image of the rugged individualist has been criticized because … All of
the other options.
10.What is TRUE about life at the frontier? People are confident that there is
nothing they can’t do.
Chapter 5: The Heritage of Abundance
1. It was not until the twentieth century that Americans began to think of
themselves more as [consumers] than producers. This change is probably
due to the coming of mass advertising, made possible by radio and
television. Television used the same [technique] that radio had developed.
Historian David Potter observed that mass advertising in the United States
became so important in size and influence that it should be viewed as an
[institution] such as the school or the church.
2. Which of the following statements is NOT true? The American government
discouraged the European settlers from developing the natural resources.
3. Americans probably think of themselves more as consumers than producers
because they are influenced by mass advertising.
4. Another aspect of the Internet is that individuals can customize, or
personalize, the news they receive about current events, and they can set up
their own news sites or blogs. This means that people can choose to receive
only news that interests them personally.
5. Which of these is implied, but not stated directly, in the What American
Consumers Like section of the chapter? Most of the cooking is done by
women.
6. The view that a country’s economy is an ever-expanding pie is a belief held
by Americans and reinforced by their experiences.
7. Fracking is a new technique that allows drilling companies to get oil and
natural gas from underground supplies in the United States that had not been
accessible. This means that the fracking technique gives companies the
opportunity to reach oil and gas they could not get to before.
8. The spread of cable and satellite TV has meant that... there is a virtually
unlimited variety of television programs available.
Chapter 6: The World of American Business
1. Most American businesses are directly or indirectly owned by the
government. 'False'.
2. Most Americans believe that business supports ideals and values that are
important to the country. 'True'.
3. A CEO may be admired since he or she started a successful business from
practical nothing. 'False'.
4. How many types of businesses are there in the USA nowadays? 4
5. Which of the following is NOT true about American business? Most of the
richest are from upper-class families.
6. What is the 401k account? It allows employees to spend money in their
retirement fund before they retire.
7. The quirky site keeps track of everyone's contribution online, and all who
participate in the process get a percent of the profits from the sales, even a
fraction of a percent.
→ Keep a record,
Huffington sounded the alarm in her book about how American politicians
are abandoning the middle class and betraying the American Dream.
→ Warn that something bad will happen,
But in the last few years, Huffington said she saw that the middle class was
"getting the short end of the stick."
→ Get the worst deal,
Perhaps part of this trait comes from their frontier heritage, where people
believed they could pull themselves up by their bootstraps in times of
trouble.
→ Take care of yourself and help yourself, be self-reliant
Chapter 7: Government and Politics in the US
1. Americans don’t want to have a strong national government because they are
afraid it will put limits on their individual freedom.
2. The Constitution of the United States tries to give each branch enough
power to balance the others.
3. The president of the United States can veto a bill that has been passed by
Congress.
4. The Bill of Rights guarantees citizens of the United States specific
individual rights and freedoms.
 5. The American ideal of the free individual was exemplified by the farmers
and the frontier settlers in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
6. The number of electoral votes a candidate receives is determined by the
electoral votes of the states the candidate wins.
7. Which of these statements is TRUE about the 2000 presidential election?
The Supreme Court played a major role in the 2000 election.
8. Stronger gun-control laws are favored by most of the American people.
9. Which statement about lobby groups is NOT TRUE? They have become less
powerful in recent years.
10.Which statement about the traditional beliefs of the political parties is NOT
TRUE? The Republicans and the Democrats basically agree about the role of
government, and they have the same political beliefs
Chapter 8: Ethnic and Racial Diversity in the US
1. Scholars who see the United States as a “salad bowl” emphasize the many
differences between different racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
2. In American society, there are some members of ethnic groups (such as
some Jews and Hispanics) that are bicultural; they feel that they belong to
American society, but at the same time, they also have another separate
identity.
3. Which of the following was NOT a characteristic of the dominant American
culture during the early decades of the nation’s history? Catholic
4. Which of the following was TRUE about the political bosses in Northeastern
cities during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries? They were
more helpful to new immigrants than were other Americans.
5. Today ethnic groups in the United States... consider themselves as part of
the American culture in varying degrees, often depending on how similar
their culture is to the majority.
6. What was the main reason most Northern whites disliked slavery? It
threatened their own economic opportunities.
7. After the Civil War, African Americans in the South lived in a social system
where... segregation was legal.
8. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court declared... racially segregated public
schools are illegal.
9. On which of the beliefs listed below did Malcolm X disagree with Martin
Luther King? Black people should be assimilated into the larger American
society.
 10.Which of these statements about race and ethnicity in America is TRUE?
Using the word “mosaic” to describe the American culture suggests a
positive image.
Chapter 9: Education in the US
1. Tocqueville finally concluded that public education in the United States
would give Americans not only the desire but also the means to better their
position in life.
2. Which of these statements is FALSE? After twelve years of school,
American students receive a bachelor’s degree diploma at graduation.
3. Which of these statements is TRUE? Most of the money to pay for
American public schools come from state and local taxes.
4. What the majority of Americans probably value most about higher education
is...its monetary value
5. In 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court said that racially segregated schools and
other public facilities...did not violate the principle of equality or the U.S.
Constitution.
6. Which of these statements about multiculturalism in the United States is
TRUE? Multicultural education discusses history from perspectives of all
the ethnic groups involved, not just the Anglo-American.
7. At the university level, there is no free system of public education; even
universities supported by [public] funds charge student tuition.
8. It is obvious that children who are not native speakers of English are going
to be at a disadvantage when taking [standardized] tests.
9. Before the civil rights laws were passed, segregation of public facilities was
legal in the [South].
10.Parents were given the opportunity to remove their children from schools
with low or [failing] grades and send them to schools with better grades.

Chapter 10: How American Spend Their Leisure Time

1. Organized sports in a society... are a good reflection of the values of that
society.
2. Which of the following ideals is at the very heart of organized sports in the
United States and is, therefore, the most important ideal expressed in
organized sports? Competition
 3. Which of these statements is NOT true? Billy Graham, a Protestant religious
leader, has criticized sports for having a negative effect on the morals of
young Americans.
4. Vince Lombardi, a famous professional football coach, expressed the view
that... winning is the only thing that matters.
5. Leading sports publications such as Sports Illustrated have stated that...
sports are good in general, but excessive violence in sports should be
stopped.
6. Some of the most popular forms of recreation in the United States, such as
jogging, reflect the attitude that... it is good to work hard and play hard.
7. Which of these statements is NOT true? Because of their active lifestyles,
the number of people who weigh more than they should is decreasing.
8. According to the chapter, why do so many Americans have poor eating
habits? They are too busy to cook, and they eat a lot of fat food.
9. Which of these statements is NOT true? Most Americans have such a busy
lifestyle that they watch very little TV.
10.Which of these statements is TRUE? Some children’s television programs
are educational and have much less violence than adult programs.
Chapter 11: American Family
1. Americans usually consider what is best for the whole family first and what
is best for them as individuals second. False
2. One American household in four now consists of someone living alone. True
3. American parents generally think more about the individual needs of their
children than they do about what responsibilities the child will have to
society as a whole. True
4. The immediate family does NOT include … grandparents
5. Which of the following is true about the traditional American family
structure? The fathers are breadwinners.
6. What do American women value the most in a family? the companionship of
the couple
7. Who are very likely to get divorced in the American society? poor people
8. What is the long-lasting consequence of divorce to the children when they
grow up? They don’t want to have babies
9. What is one difficulty of American parents in their relationship with
children? The children may get too democratic to be controlled.
 10.According to Letha and John Scanzoni, when did the husband play the role
of a senior partner and his wife as a junior partner? during the 20th century
Chapter 12: American Values at the Crossroads
1. John J. Zogby believes that Americans have a clear understanding of their
national identity. False
2. In some ways, Americans love their government, but in other ways they hate
it. True
3. There is a split in the way liberals and conservatives view the role of
government. True
4. What is the most important values of American people? Freedom
5. What was NOT included in the traditional freedoms? freedom of body
6. When did The New Deal come into practice? in the 1930s
7. Democratic Americans believe that people should have the right to … all of
the options
8. What is true about material wealth in the USA nowadays? there is a bigger
gap between middle-class and upper-class people.
9. What might be the reasons for the stress of the middle class? All of the
options.
10.What is NOT true about the American values at the crossroads? In contrast
to some European countries, the United States does not have a problem with
a large financial debt.
Revision
1. What is the most fundamental traditional American value? individual
freedom
2. Which religion is most preferred by American people? Protestant
3. Which statement is TRUE? Business is open to everyone of different social
classes to take part in.
4. Which statement is TRUE about the senior-partner or junior-partner type of
marriage? Wife can work outside but is still not equal with her husband.
5. “Americans love adventure travel in the wilderness, roughing it”, which
American value is shown? self-reliance
6. Big Data is clear evidence for what kind of abundance? The abundance of
knowledge
7. What happens if the president agrees with the bill? The president has to sign
the bill and then it becomes law.
8. Which of the following statements is FALSE about the American idea of
“macho”? There is no female version of the macho image.
9. Who are “political bosses”? They are people who “buy” the votes of
immigrants by finding them jobs and houses.
10.Which statement is TRUE about private schools in America? Parents send
their children to these schools because the major purpose of private schools
is to give students religious instructions.