Alt Klausur

Question 1

According to Raymond Williams, when “culture” entered the English language in the early 15th century, the primary meaning was then…

a. In colonization, the setting of other territories

b. In husbandry, the tending of natural growth

c. In artistic activity, like painting and sculpting

Answer 1

a. In colonization, the setting of other territories

b. In husbandry, the tending of natural growth

c. In artistic activity, like painting and sculpting

Question 2

According to Raymond Williams, the shift to a “modern” conception of culture happened at about 1800. This shift involved…

a. The usage of “culture” as an independent noun, an abstract process or the product of such a process

b. A secular and historically conscious conception of cultural processes

c. A move towards recognizing the existence of a variety of cultures, of cultures, of “cultures in the plural”

Answer 2

a. The usage of “culture” as an independent noun, an abstract process or the product of such a process

b. A secular and historically conscious conception of cultural processes

c. A move towards recognizing the existence of a variety of cultures, of cultures, of “cultures in the plural”

Question 3

With which of the three broad categories of definition of culture current in the 20th century are both Raymond Williams himself and the discipline of Cultural Studies associated most? Culture as…

a. A general process of intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic development

b. A particular way of life, whether of a people, a period, a group or humanity in general

c. The works and practices of intellectual and especially artistic activity

Answer 3

a. A general process of intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic development

b. A particular way of life, whether of a people, a period, a group or humanity in general

c. The works and practices of intellectual and especially artistic activity

Question 4

What, according to Raymond Williams, happened to the meaning of the word “culture” between the early 16th and the late 18th centuries? People became more and more used to understanding culture as referring to…

a. A whole way of life

b. The growth of an individual’s mind and, later, the development of humankind as such.

c. New developments in agricultural and industrial production

Answer 4

a. A whole way of life

b. The growth of an individual’s mind and, later, the development of humankind as such.

c. New developments in agricultural and industrial production

Question 5

Those who follow the “mass culture” approach (John Storey’s third definition of popular culture) claim that such culture…

a. Produces active, democratically minded citizens

b. Aims at containing consumers in a collective dream world

c. Is formulaic

Answer 5

a. Produces active, democratically minded citizens

b. Aims at containing consumers in a collective dream world

c. Is formulaic

Question 6

Which shortcoming(s) is/are evident in the definition of popular culture as “authentic” culture of “the people” (John Storey’s fourth definition)?

a. The definition of the term “people” is complex in itself, e.g., it may give rise to discriminatory mechanism of exclusion

b. It tends to romanticize working-class culture

c. It ignores that it is hardly possible in today’s societies to circumvent the influence of commercial consumer culture

Answer 6

a. The definition of the term “people” is complex in itself, e.g., it may give rise to discriminatory mechanism of exclusion

b. It tends to romanticize working-class culture

c. It ignores that it is hardly possible in today’s societies to circumvent the influence of commercial consumer culture

Question 7

Discourse as a concept that refers to the independence of power and knowledge was influentially theorized by…

a. Louis Althusser

b. Raymond Williams

c. Michel Foucalt

Answer 7

a. Louis Althusser

b. Raymond Williams

c. Michel Foucalt

Question 8

In the “Minute of Education” (1835), Thomas B. Macauley argued that the learned native languages of India at the time (Persian, Sanskrit, Arabic)…

a. Were intrinsically superior to nearly everything written in the English language due to their old age and there having been shaped by many cultural traditions.

b. Were constituted of signifying so simple and basic that it was impossible for them to represent and give expression to any complex thought; for this; English was required

c. Were only superior to Western language in the “department of literature”, and here especially “Poetry”

Answer 8

a. Were intrinsically superior to nearly everything written in the English language due to their old age and there having been shaped by many cultural traditions.

b. Were constituted of signifying so simple and basic that it was impossible for them to represent and give expression to any complex thought; for this; English was required

c. Were only superior to Western language in the “department of literature”, and here especially “Poetry”

Question 9

The signified, according to Ferdinand de Saussure, …

a. Constitutes the meaning of a sign

b. Refers to the material “side” of the sign

c. Is the sound pattern

Answer 9

a. Constitutes the meaning of a sign

b. Refers to the material “side” of the sign

c. Is the sound pattern

Question 10

Which of the following elements is/are part of the “circuit of culture” as devised by Paul du Gay et al.?

a. Representation

b. Regulation

c. Reference

Answer 10

a. Representation

b. Regulation

c. Reference

Question 11

Cultural Studies, as practiced in English Studies and other philologies, is primarily understood as…

a. A discipline concerned with mathematical formula

b. A text-based discipline

c. An empirically working discipline

Answer 11

a. A discipline concerned with mathematical formula

b. A text-based discipline

c. An empirically working discipline

Question 12

According to Stuart Hall, the discursive approach to representation..

a. Puts emphasis on the historical specificity of a particular form or “regime” of representation

b. Is identical with what we might call the semiotic approach

c. Tends to investigate how forms of knowledge are naturalized as truth

Answer 12

a. Puts emphasis on the historical specificity of a particular form or “regime” of representation

b. Is identical with what we might call the semiotic approach

c. Tends to investigate how forms of knowledge are naturalized as truth

Question 13

The Conservative governments under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1979-1990) are associated with…

a. neo-liberal politics

b. pro-European politics

c. her support for the coal-mining communities

Answer 13

a. neo-liberal politics

b. pro-European politics

c. her support for the coal-mining communities

Question 14

In general elections, the UK parliament is elected according to which voting system(s)?

a. alternative vote

b. proportional representation

c. first past the post

Answer 14

a. alternative vote

b. proportional representation

c. first past the post

Question 15

When did the United Kingdom join the European Economic Community?

a. 1956

b. 1992

c. 1973

Answer 15

a. 1956

b. 1992

c. 1973

Question 16

When was Scotland politically united with England and Whales?

a. 1588

b. 1707

c. 1801

Answer 16

a. 1588

b. 1707

c. 1801

Question 17

After the Second World War, the newly elected Labour government under Prime Minister Clement Attlee…

a. Abolished the trade unions

b. Privatized the coal industry

c. Established the welfare state

Answer 17

a. Abolished the trade unions

b. Privatized the coal industry

c. Established the welfare state

Question 18

After the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the British colonial territories on the Indian subcontinent were controlled by…

a. The British government

b. The East India Company

c. The Nawabs of the Mughal Empire

Answer 18

a. The British government

b. The East India Company

c. The Nawabs of the Mughal Empire

Question 19

Heritage organisations like the National Trust, with “heritage” referring to “those artefacts, places and buildings left by the past which are worthy of preservation” (GILES AND MIDDLETON), have often been criticized for…

a. “disneyfying” history

b. Putting way too much emphasis on the historical education of visitors to the heritage sites, therefore making history “stuffy”

c. Preserving not merely old mansions, castles and gardens but also, by financing their aristocratic owners, outdated class structures

Answer 19

a. “disneyfying” history

b. Putting way too much emphasis on the historical education of visitors to the heritage sites, therefore making history “stuffy”

c. Preserving not merely old mansions, castles and gardens but also, by financing their aristocratic owners, outdated class structures

Question 20

“Myth”, according to Roland Barthes, …

a. Is a narrative about past events constituted by the loss of their actual historical quality

b. Refers to the legendary narratives featuring heroes with supernatural powers and gods

c. Is particularly concerned with (religious) fertility rites

Answer 20

a. Is a narrative about past events constituted by the loss of their actual historical quality

b. Refers to the legendary narratives featuring heroes with supernatural powers and gods

c. Is particularly concerned with (religious) fertility rites

Question 21

The 19th-century historian Leopold von Ranke claimed that the writing of history (historiography)…

a. Is dependent on the perspective of the individual historian and hence is highly subjective

b. Constituted in analogy to literary narrative texts

c. Should aim to present the past “as it actually was”

Answer 21

a. Is dependent on the perspective of the individual historian and hence is highly subjective

b. Constituted in analogy to literary narrative texts

c. Should aim to present the past “as it actually was”

Question 22

According to Arthur Marwick (The Nature of History, 1970), “history”…

a. Should be considered as synonymous with the “past”

b. Is the name of modern academic discipline that was established only in the 19th century

c. Refers to the activity of selecting, describing, and interpreting the fragmentary evidence of the past

Answer 22

a. Should be considered as synonymous with the “past”

b. Is the name of modern academic discipline that was established only in the 19th century

c. Refers to the activity of selecting, describing, and interpreting the fragmentary evidence of the past

Question 23

An essentialist approach to identity implies the idea that identity…

a. Is constituted by subject interpellation

b. Is not subject to history

c. Can be traced to an “originating moment”

Answer 23

a. Is constituted by subject interpellation

b. Is not subject to history

c. Can be traced to an “originating moment”

Question 24

The claim that one’s gender role is fixed and determined by one’s (biological) sex is…

a. Non-essentialist

b. Essentialist

c. Objective

Answer 24

a. Non-essentialist

b. Essentialist

c. Objective

Question 25

According to Louis Althusser, subject interpellation is successful when the addressed subject…

a. Reacts by critically reflecting on the way they were hailed

b. Responds by saying/thinking, often unconsciously: “Yes, that’s obvious! That’s right! That’s true!”

c. Effectively evades the ascription by focusing on an alternative identity marker

Answer 25

a. Reacts by critically reflecting on the way they were hailed

b. Responds by saying/thinking, often unconsciously: “Yes, that’s obvious! That’s right! That’s true!”

c. Effectively evades the ascription by focusing on an alternative identity marker

Question 26

An anti-humanist understanding of subjectivity holds that…

a. The manners in which we conceive of our selfhood are themselves determined in multiple ways by discursive formations

b. Humans are free to act in the world

c. Humans are subject to forces beyond their conscious control

Answer 26

a. The manners in which we conceive of our selfhood are themselves determined in multiple ways by discursive formations

b. Humans are free to act in the world

c. Humans are subject to forces beyond their conscious control

Question 27

Humanism, as developed especially from the 18th century, is based on the idea that…

a. All humans are equal

b. Humans do not have a free will, but are determined by their circumstances

c. Each human being is born with certain inalienable rights

Answer 27

a. All humans are equal

b. Humans do not have a free will, but are determined by their circumstances

c. Each human being is born with certain inalienable rights

Question 28

For Judy Giles and Tim Middleton, the term “identity” predominantly refers to…

a. The interface between the private self and those factors that shape the social context

b. A private sense of self

c. A self-shaped by the social context

Answer 28

a. The interface between the private self and those factors that shape the social context

b. A private sense of self

c. A self-shaped by the social context

Question 29

Cultural studies…

a. Holds that “race” refers to a form of identity that -although it only exists in, not outside of, representation – has very real consequences for people who suffer from racialized identity ascriptions

b. Treats “race” as a discursive-performative construction

c. Understands “race” as a universal and essential category of biology

Answer 29

a. Holds that “race” refers to a form of identity that -although it only exists in, not outside of, representation – has very real consequences for people who suffer from racialized identity ascriptions

b. Treats “race” as a discursive-performative construction

c. Understands “race” as a universal and essential category of biology

Question 30

The concept of race, in its modern form,…

a. Was in fact already established in classical antiquity, which can be proven by examining classical Greek and Roman justifications of slavery

b. Gained its decisive shape in the Middle Ages, when Christian theologians explained human differences by way of the Bible, especially the creation story in the Book of Genesis

c. Developed a particularly from the late 18th century, not least as a consequence of the Enlightenment endeavor to find a “rational” order in the world; an order based in Nature

Answer 30

a. Was in fact already established in classical antiquity, which can be proven by examining classical Greek and Roman justifications of slavery

b. Gained its decisive shape in the Middle Ages, when Christian theologians explained human differences by way of the Bible, especially the creation story in the Book of Genesis

c. Developed a particularly from the late 18th century, not least as a consequence of the Enlightenment endeavor to find a “rational” order in the world; an order based in Nature

Question 31

Intersectionality is…

a. An analytic tool used to examine how power relations and different axes of social division are intertwined and mutually constructing

b. A theoretical tool that singles out a specific discourse – class or gender or race etc. – and analyses its inner working and structure

c. A semiotic tool that allows us to establish how signs are organized into codes

Answer 31

a. An analytic tool used to examine how power relations and different axes of social division are intertwined and mutually constructing

b. A theoretical tool that singles out a specific discourse – class or gender or race etc. – and analyses its inner working and structure

c. A semiotic tool that allows us to establish how signs are organized into codes

Question 32

Theodore Galle’s engraving (c.1600) of Amerigo Vespucci landing in America was discussed in the lecture to illustrate that…

a. Western thinking has long been structured according to a hierarchical binary logic

b. Colonized peoples were commonly gendered as female by the colonizers

c. Already the early European colonizers were self-critical about their endeavor and recognized the colonized people’s cultural achievements

Answer 32

a. Western thinking has long been structured according to a hierarchical binary logic

b. Colonized peoples were commonly gendered as female by the colonizers

c. Already the early European colonizers were self-critical about their endeavor and recognized the colonized people’s cultural achievements

Question 33

Traditionally the UK has had two-party-system. Which of the following is one of /are the two dominant political parties?

a. Labour Party

b. Conservative Party

c. Liberal Democrats

Answer 33

a. Labour Party

b. Conservative Party

c. Liberal Democrats

Question 34

The UK Parliament consists of…

a. The House of Commons

b. The monarch

c. The House of Lords

Answer 34

a. The House of Commons

b. The monarch

c. The House of Lords

Question 35

Formally, the Queen is head of…

a. The executive, judiciary and legislature

b. The Church of England

c. The armed forces

Answer 35

a. The executive, judiciary and legislature

b. The Church of England

c. The armed forces

Question 36

Today the following groups is/are part of the House of Lords:

a. Law Lords

b. Time Lords

c. Lords’ spiritual

Answer 36

a. Law Lords

b. Time Lords

c. Lords’ spiritual

Question 37

According to Michel de Certeau, the term “space” refers to…

a. The gaps between linguistic signs

b. Those ordered structures provided by the dominant order through which its power to organize and control is exerted

c. The ways in which people give meaning to places and hence actively construct them by their concrete practices of living

Answer 37

a. The gaps between linguistic signs

b. Those ordered structures provided by the dominant order through which its power to organize and control is exerted

c. The ways in which people give meaning to places and hence actively construct them by their concrete practices of living

Question 38

Who are the British Prime Ministers?

Answer 38

• 2024: Keir Starmer
• 2022-2024: Rishi Sunak
• 2022-2022: Liz Truss
• 2019-2022: Boris Johnson
• 2016-2019: Theresa May
• 2010-2016: David Cameron

Question 39

Already in an early essay penned in 1958, Raymond Williams claimed that “culture is ordinary”. What is it, accordingly, that shapes and constitutes a culture?

a. The existence of and identification with ‘common’ or ‘shared’ meanings.

b. Historically contingent constellations and positions, e.g. class positions.

c. The continuing presence of an ‘active debate’ between the members of a culture, a process of negotiating meanings.

Answer 39

a. The existence of and identification with ‘common’ or ‘shared’ meanings.

b. Historically contingent constellations and positions, e.g. class positions.

c. The continuing presence of an ‘active debate’ between the members of a culture, a process of negotiating meanings.

Question 40

Matthew Arnolds’s Culture and Anarchy was written as a reaction to…

a. the Catholic Relief Act of 1829.

b. the Test and Corporation Acts.

c. the Second Reform Act of 1829

Answer 40

a. the Catholic Relief Act of 1829.

b. the Test and Corporation Acts.

c. the Second Reform Act of 182

Question 40

The term ‘denotation’ refers to …

a. words with an academic and hence narrowly scholarly meanings, like ‘poststructuralism’ or ‘subject interpellation’.

b. the suggestion or implication evoked by a word or phrase. Such meaning may be personal and individual, or general and universal.

c. the most literal and limited meaning of a word, regardless of what one may feel about it or the suggestions and ideas connected to it.

Answer 40

a. words with an academic and hence narrowly scholarly meanings, like ‘poststructuralism’ or ‘subject interpellation’.

b. the suggestion or implication evoked by a word or phrase. Such meaning may be personal and individual, or general and universal.

c. the most literal and limited meaning of a word, regardless of what one may feel about it or the suggestions and ideas connected to it.

Question 40

Which problem(s) does John Storey identify with the second definition of popular culture: “[popular culture] is the culture that is left over after we have decided what is high culture”?

a. Aesthetic judgements, upon which the high culture category depends, are never neutral, but often function as ideological markers of social standing, i.e., as ‘cultural capital’.

b. Cultural products and events that are accorded the status of popular culture are automatically considered to follow a purely economic logic and hence do not constitute worthy objects of study.

c. There are no severe problems. This is the best definition available.

Answer 40

a. Aesthetic judgements, upon which the high culture category depends, are never neutral, but often function as ideological markers of social standing, i.e., as ‘cultural capital’.

b. Cultural products and events that are accorded the status of popular culture are automatically considered to follow a purely economic logic and hence do not constitute worthy objects of study.

c. There are no severe problems. This is the best definition available.

Question 41

According to Ferdinand de Saussure, a sign acquires its value within a signifying system by virtue of…

a. nothing: the sign means by itself; the signifying system is not relevant.

b. its inherently given meaning.

c. its difference from all of the other signs in the signifying system.

Answer 41

a. nothing: the sign means by itself; the signifying system is not relevant.

b. its inherently given meaning.

c. its difference from all of the other signs in the signifying system.

Question 42

A dominant reading, i.e., dominant decoding of a text, means…

a. that we analyze and interpret the text by using traditional tools of analysis, e.g., specific knowledge of genre conventions when reading a literary text.

b. that we limit it to restricted, personal situations.

c. we understand the message according to the ruling hegemonic conceptions our society adheres to.

Answer 42

a. that we analyze and interpret the text by using traditional tools of analysis, e.g., specific knowledge of genre conventions when reading a literary text.

b. that we limit it to restricted, personal situations.

c. we understand the message according to the ruling hegemonic conceptions our society adheres to.

Question 43

According to Raymond Williams, the shift to a ‘modern’ conception of culture happened at about 1800. This shift involved…

a. the usage of ‘culture’ as an independent noun, an abstract product of such a process.

b. a secular and historically conscious conception of cultural processes.

c. a move towards recognizing the existence of a variety of cultures, of ‘cultures in the plural’.

Answer 43

a. the usage of ‘culture’ as an independent noun, an abstract product of such a process.

b. a secular and historically conscious conception of cultural processes.

c. a move towards recognizing the existence of a variety of cultures, of ‘cultures in the plural’.