Q.1 Who is considered one of the founding figures of cultural theory in sociology?
Karl Marx
Max Weber
Raymond Williams
Émile Durkheim
Explanation - Raymond Williams is a key figure in cultural studies and cultural theory, emphasizing culture as a process rather than static.
Correct answer is: Raymond Williams
Q.2 Which concept refers to the shared beliefs, practices, and norms within a society?
Culture
Economy
Politics
Religion
Explanation - Culture encompasses the shared symbols, beliefs, values, and practices of a society.
Correct answer is: Culture
Q.3 Which theorist is known for analyzing culture in terms of high culture and popular culture?
Pierre Bourdieu
Antonio Gramsci
Stuart Hall
Clifford Geertz
Explanation - Bourdieu distinguished between high culture (elite) and popular culture (mass culture) and introduced the concept of cultural capital.
Correct answer is: Pierre Bourdieu
Q.4 The idea that cultural practices maintain power structures in society is associated with:
Functionalism
Marxist Cultural Theory
Structuralism
Symbolic Interactionism
Explanation - Marxist cultural theory sees culture as a tool that reinforces social hierarchies and dominant ideologies.
Correct answer is: Marxist Cultural Theory
Q.5 Which approach emphasizes interpreting symbols and meanings in culture?
Structuralism
Interpretivism
Conflict Theory
Functionalism
Explanation - Interpretivist approaches study culture by understanding the meanings and symbols people assign to social life.
Correct answer is: Interpretivism
Q.6 The term 'cultural hegemony' was introduced by which theorist?
Antonio Gramsci
Max Horkheimer
Theodor Adorno
Raymond Williams
Explanation - Gramsci used 'cultural hegemony' to explain how the ruling class maintains dominance through culture and ideology rather than force.
Correct answer is: Antonio Gramsci
Q.7 Which perspective sees mass media as shaping culture and ideology in society?
Functionalism
Cultural Studies
Symbolic Interactionism
Postmodernism
Explanation - Cultural studies analyze how media and cultural production influence societal norms, values, and ideology.
Correct answer is: Cultural Studies
Q.8 According to Clifford Geertz, culture is best understood as:
A system of inherited traditions
A set of symbols and meanings
A legal structure
An economic framework
Explanation - Geertz viewed culture as a web of meanings, which anthropologists interpret to understand human behavior.
Correct answer is: A set of symbols and meanings
Q.9 Which theorist introduced the concept of 'cultural capital'?
Pierre Bourdieu
Karl Marx
Max Weber
Herbert Spencer
Explanation - Bourdieu argued that social advantage can be maintained through cultural knowledge, skills, education, and tastes, which he called cultural capital.
Correct answer is: Pierre Bourdieu
Q.10 Which term refers to the blending of multiple cultural traditions into a single social context?
Cultural diffusion
Cultural hybridity
Cultural assimilation
Cultural hegemony
Explanation - Cultural hybridity describes the mixing and merging of different cultural elements to create new cultural forms.
Correct answer is: Cultural hybridity
Q.11 Which theory critiques mainstream culture as a tool of social control?
Critical Theory
Structural Functionalism
Symbolic Interactionism
Postmodernism
Explanation - Critical theorists, particularly from the Frankfurt School, analyze culture as a way to understand power, control, and ideology in society.
Correct answer is: Critical Theory
Q.12 Which concept refers to the everyday, lived experiences of people in society?
High Culture
Popular Culture
Subculture
Ordinary Culture
Explanation - Ordinary culture focuses on the routines, practices, and experiences of ordinary people rather than elite or formal cultural forms.
Correct answer is: Ordinary Culture
Q.13 Stuart Hall is best known for which contribution to cultural theory?
Encoding/Decoding model
Structural functionalism
Cultural capital
Ethnomethodology
Explanation - Hall's model explains how media messages are encoded by producers and decoded differently by audiences, emphasizing interpretation in culture.
Correct answer is: Encoding/Decoding model
Q.14 Which term describes a smaller cultural group within a larger society that maintains distinct beliefs and practices?
Mainstream culture
Counterculture
Subculture
Pop culture
Explanation - Subcultures are groups with unique values, norms, and practices within a broader cultural context.
Correct answer is: Subculture
Q.15 The idea that culture is not static but constantly evolving is central to:
Structuralism
Cultural Materialism
Cultural Relativism
Cultural Process Theory
Explanation - Cultural process theory emphasizes that culture is dynamic, shaped by social interactions, historical change, and adaptation.
Correct answer is: Cultural Process Theory
Q.16 Which theorist emphasized the 'circuit of culture' framework?
Stuart Hall
Raymond Williams
Paul du Gay
Antonio Gramsci
Explanation - Paul du Gay developed the 'circuit of culture' model to analyze how cultural meanings are produced, circulated, and consumed.
Correct answer is: Paul du Gay
Q.17 Which concept highlights resistance to dominant culture by marginalized groups?
Hegemony
Counter-hegemony
Assimilation
Symbolic Interactionism
Explanation - Counter-hegemony refers to cultural practices and ideologies that challenge dominant power structures.
Correct answer is: Counter-hegemony
Q.18 Which approach sees culture as a reflection of economic structures and class relations?
Functionalism
Marxist Cultural Theory
Symbolic Interactionism
Postmodernism
Explanation - Marxist approaches view cultural forms as determined by material conditions and class power.
Correct answer is: Marxist Cultural Theory
Q.19 Which term describes culture created and consumed by ordinary people rather than elites?
High culture
Popular culture
Subculture
Mass culture
Explanation - Popular culture consists of music, art, media, and entertainment that is widely accessible and enjoyed by the general population.
Correct answer is: Popular culture
Q.20 The concept of 'symbolic power' is associated with which theorist?
Pierre Bourdieu
Clifford Geertz
Antonio Gramsci
Raymond Williams
Explanation - Bourdieu described symbolic power as the ability of dominant groups to impose meanings and legitimize social hierarchies.
Correct answer is: Pierre Bourdieu
Q.21 Which term refers to cultural practices that deliberately oppose or critique mainstream norms?
Subculture
Counterculture
Popular Culture
High Culture
Explanation - Countercultures actively resist dominant social norms and propose alternative values and practices.
Correct answer is: Counterculture
Q.22 Which theory suggests that culture shapes identity and social experience rather than simply reflecting it?
Structural Functionalism
Symbolic Interactionism
Cultural Constructivism
Conflict Theory
Explanation - Cultural constructivism views culture as a framework that actively shapes people's identities, beliefs, and social interactions.
Correct answer is: Cultural Constructivism
Q.23 Which term is used to describe the global spread and mixing of cultural practices?
Cultural Imperialism
Cultural Globalization
Cultural Capital
Cultural Hegemony
Explanation - Cultural globalization refers to the worldwide exchange, adoption, and hybridization of cultural forms and practices.
Correct answer is: Cultural Globalization
Q.24 Which perspective emphasizes the interpretive analysis of everyday cultural practices?
Critical Theory
Ethnography of Culture
Postmodernism
Structural Functionalism
Explanation - Ethnographic approaches focus on detailed observation and interpretation of everyday practices to understand cultural meaning.
Correct answer is: Ethnography of Culture