NYSTCE English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Practice Test

What process involves adapting to a new culture?

1. Assimilation

2. Integration

3. Acculturation

4. Enculturation

The correct answer is: Acculturation

Acculturation is the process through which individuals or groups adopt and integrate aspects of a new culture while maintaining elements of their original culture. This term emphasizes the exchange of cultural traits and values that can occur when people from different backgrounds interact. During this process, a person often learns the new culture's norms, behaviors, language, and customs while still retaining parts of their native culture, leading to a dynamic and multifaceted cultural identity. In contrast, other concepts like assimilation typically imply a more one-sided approach where an individual fully adopts the new culture at the expense of their original culture. Integration suggests more of a balanced incorporation of both cultures but does not fully capture the transformative interaction that occurs during acculturation. Enculturation refers specifically to the process of learning one's own culture, usually from childhood, rather than adapting to a new one. Thus, acculturation is the term that best encapsulates the experience of adapting to and merging aspects of a new culture while still acknowledging one’s own cultural heritage.