AP Human Geography – Coach Clendenin
Name_____________________________________________
Unit Three: Cultural Patterns and Processes
Chapter 4: Folk and Popular Culture (page 114)
1. Chapter One showed that culture combined what three things?:
1.a._values____________________________________________________________________________
1.b._material artifacts__________________________________________________________________
1.c._political institutions_________________________________________________________________
2. Define each of the following terms:
2.a. _habit_a repetitive act that a particular individual performs, such as wearing jeans to class_______
everyday_____________________________________________________________________________
2.b. _custom_is a repetitive act of a group performed to the extent that it becomes characteristic of a__
group – American university students wear jeans to class everyday_______________________________
2.c._culture_a groups entire collection of customs____________________________________________
3. Name and describe the two basic categories of material culture:
3.a._Folk culture – traditionally practiced primarily by small, homogenous groups living in isolated rural_
areas ex; wearing a sarong in Malaysia or sari in India__________________________________________
3.b._Popular culture – is found in large, heterogeneous societies that share certain habits despite_____
differences in other personal characteristics ex; wearing jeans___________________________________
4. As the world globalizes, give two reasons why the spread of popular culture might be viewed as
threatening:
4.a._The disappearance of local folk customs reduces local diversity in the world and the intellectual___
stimulation that arises from differences in background_________________________________________
4.b._It also threatens the quality of the environment, because it is more likely to modify the__________
environment in accordance with global values________________________________________________
Key Issue 1: Where Do Folk and Popular Culture Originate and
Diffuse (page 115)
5. Define hearth:_a center of innovation____________________________________________________
6. Contrast the origins (hearths) of folk and popular culture:_ folk cultures often have an anonymous_
hearth or may have multiple hearths originating at the same time; popular culture mostly originates in_
the MDC of the world like in North America, Japan, and Europe__________________________________
7. Contrast the purpose and origins of folk music to popular music:
7.a._origins_According to Chinese legend music was invented in 2697B.C., but folk songs are usually___
composed anonymously. In contrast popular music originated around 1900 with the music halls in_____
Western Europe and Vaud eville acts in the United States______________________________________
7.b._purpose_Folk music tells a story or conveys information about daily activities such as farming, life_
cycle events such as storms and earthquakes ex; in Vietnam there is a song that gives advice on what__
seeds to plant in winter and what seeds to plant in summer. Popular music is written by specific_______
individuals for the purpose of being sold to a large number of people_____________________________
8. Contrast the diffusion of folk and popular culture :_The spread of popular culture typically follows__
the process of hierarchical diffusion from hearths or nodes of innovation. In contrast folk culture is_____
transmitted from one location to another through migration more slowly and on a much smaller scale._
The spread of folk culture is an example of relocation diffusion which is the spread of a characteristic__
through migration______________________________________________________________________
9. How has Amish culture spread (diffused)?_Through relocation diffusion they migrated from________
Northwestern Europe to North America. The Amish in Europe merged with the Mennonite Church and_
didn’t develop distinctive language, clothing, or farming practices________________________________
10. How has soccer become a worldwide cultural phenomenon? (Give two reasons.)
10.a. _Increasing leisure time permitted people not only to view sporting events but participate in them.
With higher incomes spectators paid to see first class sporting events, so soccer clubs with professional_
players and trainers were formed to meet the growing demand_________________________________
10.b. _Soccer spread from Britain to other parts of Europe through relocation diffusion and later to____
countries that were part of the British empire through colonization. In the twentieth century soccer was
diffused through new communications systems, especially radio and television_____________________
Key Issue 2: Why Is Folk Culture Clustered? (page 120)
11. Explain how isolation promotes cultural diversity._Limited interaction among even nearby groups_
in areas like the Himalaya Mountains promotes distinctive folk customs influenced by their religion and_
environment__________________________________________________________________________
12. Give two examples of how the physical environment influences culture:
12.a. _Climate (ex; in cold arctic climates people wear warmer clothing like fur lined boots, and in warm
tropical climates shorts are more common__________________________________________________
12.b._ in wet climates waterproof shoes like the wooden shoes worn by Dutch farmers), or in warmer__
climates no shoes may be needed_________________________________________________________
13. Give an example of how a food habit is influenced by cultural tradition:_Soup, the food consumed_
by poorer people, displays distinctive preferences of neighboring cultural groups in Transylvania.______
Romanians made sour bran soups; the Saxons simmered fatty pork and sauerkraut in water an vinegar;_
Jews preferred soups made from beets and sorrel rather than meat; Armenians made soup from curdled
milk and vegetables; Hungarians used smoked bacon, flour and onions; Szeklers used smoked goose or_
poultry instead of bacon, because like they Jews they avoid eating pork. These food preferences still___
remain (even with those who have migrated long distances)____________________________________
14. Compare a food attraction to a food taboo:_Food attractions -Certain foods are eaten because they
contain properties that enhance qualities considered desirable (ex; Indians in Paraguay eat jaguars and_
bulls to make them strong). Food Taboos -People avoid some foods because they are associated with__
negative forces in nature (ex; some Japanese avoid eating otters because they are considered to be____
forgetful animals and will cause memory loss, Jews are forbidden from eating animals that do not chew
their cud or have cloven feet, and fish without fins or scales. This is partly because pork spoiled so easily
in warm climates. Muslims also forbid pork, because pigs compete with humans for food and water, but
contribute nothing in return such as pulling a plow. Pigs would also easily destroy the environment____
around Islam’s hearth. Hindus are forbidden from eating cows, a relative of the oxen which is used for__
pulling plows and carts. Americans have an aversion to eating insects which are a delicacy in Thailand__
and Myanmar (Burma)__________________________________________________________________
15. What are two reasons behind food taboos:
15.a. _Concern for the natural environment (ex; preserve an animal species or natural resources)_____
15.b._Cultural values (ex; religious beliefs)__________________________________________________
16. Describe three examples of how culture and environment affects the housing utilized by people:
16.a. _Distinctive building materials -Influenced by the environment (wood and brick are the two most_
common building materials in_ the world), but in MDC building materials can be easily bought and_____
shipped almost anywhere________________________________________________________________
16.b. _Distinctive house forms and orientation – in some societies house form might reflect religious___
values (ex; houses may have sacred walls or corners in China, parts of the Middle East, Africa, and India)
16.c. _Housing and environment – Areas that share a similar climate and available building materials___
may use the same materials to build from, but the shape of the construction will differ (ex; in different_
parts of China adobe and wood are used, but one area may have open courtyards, another patios, and_
another sloped instead of flat roofs)_______________________________________________________
17. What were the three major hearths or nodes of folk house forms in the United States and the
diffusion paths? (see fig.4-8)
17.a._New England- to the northwest into New York, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Illinois___________
17.b. _Middle Atlantic – Southwest through much of the southern Midwest and deep south__________
17.c. _Lower Chesapeake-South along the eastern seaboard____________________________________
Key Issue 3: Why Is Popular Culture Widely Distributed? (page
126)
18. What is necessary for the rapid diffusion of popular culture to take place?_a high level of________
economic development_________________________________________________________________
19. What are two influences on one’s clothing in More Developed Countries (MDC)?
19.a. _Occupation______________________________________________________________________
19.b. _Income_________________________________________________________________________
20. How do jeans illustrate the globalization of a popular custom?_They were adopted by the youth of
the 1960’s in the U.S. and have now become a prized possession of young people throughout the______
world. Jeans sell for under $10 in parts of Europe and Asia, but genuine Levi Strauss (considered a status
symbol) sell for $50-$100. In the former Soviet Union the import of jeans was banned and sold for up to
$400 on the black market________________________________________________________________
21. What are three influences on the amount and types of alcohol and snacks consumed in different
regions of the U.S.?
21.a. _On the basis of what is grown or produced in an area (ex; southerners may prefer pork rinds or__
because more hogs are raised there, but northerners might prefer popcorn and potato chips because__
more corn and potatoes are grown there____________________________________________________
21.b. _cultural background such as religious (ex; because Baptists are concentrated in the southeast and
Mormons in Utah, these regions will have a relatively low consumption rate of alcohol, whereas, Nevada
will have a high rate because of the heavy concentration of gambling. Texans might prefer tortilla chips_
because of the large Hispanic-American population there______________________________________
21.c. _High income and national advertising has the greatest influence on the consumption of alcohol__
and snacks in the U.S. and variations between the U.S. and LDC is greater than regional variations within
the United States_______________________________________________________________________
22. What are two factors that influence wine production in a particular area of the world?
22.a. _Climate – Vineyards are best cultivated in temperate climates_____________________________
22.b. _Soil – Grapes grown in coarse well drained soil tend to be the best for wine__________________
23. State two reasons why television is an especially important popular custom:
23.a. _It is the most popular leisure activity in MDC throughout the world________________________
23.b._Television is the most important way that by which popular culture, such as professional sports, is
diffused around the world________________________________________________________________
24. Describe the four categories of television service found in the world:
24.a. Reason 1:_Countries where nearly every household owns a TV (ex; North America, Europe,______
Australia, and Japan)____________________________________________________________________
24.b. Reason 2:_Countries where ownership is customary, but not universal (ex; Latin America, some___
poorer Eastern European countries, and Portugal)____________________________________________
24.c. Reason 3:_Countries where TV exists, but has not yet been widely diffused to the population as a_
whole because of high costs (ex; some countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America)__________________
24.d. Reason 4:_About 30 countries mostly in Asia and Africa have very TV’s because they have no TV__
stations in the country___________________________________________________________________
25. How has television become a force for political change? Give two examples:
25.a._Small satellite dishes allow citizens to choose from a variety of programs and not just the state___
controlled broadcast despite attempts by countries like China and Saudi Arabia to outlaw and ban____
small satellite dishes____________________________________________________________________
25.b._The diffusion of satellite dishes into eastern Europe during the late 1980’s hastened the collapse_
of communist governments______________________________________________________________
Key Issue 4: Why Does Globalization of Popular Culture Cause
Problems? (page 135)
24. Give three examples of how worldwide convergence of popular customs is controversial and even
seen as threatening (e.g. values, media):
24.a. _Loss of traditional values_the widespread adoption of western clothes (especially in some islamic
countries)_____________________________________________________________________________
24.b. _Change in the traditional role of women- threatens the subservience of women to men that is___
embedded in most folk cultures, but also has a negative impact as an increase in prostitution and even_
human trafficking is seen in LDC as a result of popular culture___________________________________
24.c. _Threat of foreign media imperialism- Three countries, the U.S., U.K., and Japan dominate the____
television industry in LDC. Leaders of many LDC view this as a new method of economic and cultural___
imperialism___________________________________________________________________________
25. Give three examples of how worldwide convergence of popular customs impacts the environment
(e.g. nature, urban landscapes, environment):
25.a. _Modifying nature- ex; construction of golf courses_______________________________________
25.b. _Uniform landscape- Fast food restaurant chains, motels, automobiles, and houses all starting to_
look the same in different locations________________________________________________________
25.c. _Increased demand for natural resources an pollution- depletion of petroleum and other________
resources, and a high volume of waste causes damage to the environment (ex; littering of bottles, cans,_
paper, and old cars)_____________________________________________________________________