Thank you,
Hello Howard,
This is a great question, and not necessarily an easy one to answer.
In regard to this exercise, when they mention culture it refers to the groups you belong to that have likely influenced your life, behaviors, values, and beliefs. They are the beliefs, customs, artifacts that are shared by a group. When people talk about culture, they are most often referring to an individual's race, ethnicity, or nationality. However, your culture may also include your religion, socioeconomic status, or even where you live in the U.S.
Identity refers to those groups with whom you identify. They may or may not share beliefs and customs. For example, someone may identify as a parent, but have really different beliefs and practices than other parents in the neighborhood. Some aspects of your identity may incorporate your culture, and others may be affected by your culture. This is not to say that there are differences in beliefs and customs within various cultural groups as well.
In regards to this exercise there are both cultures and identities mixed in. In some cases, items may be both. Each individual might look at the list and determine which represent culture (groups with shared beliefs, customs and artifacts), which are merely identities (e.g., female, parent), and which may be both a culture and a part of one's identity.
If this answer is not clear, or still leaves you wondering, please feel free to write again and I will reach out to more of the advisors and see if we can come up with something clearer.