Deck 16: Remarriages and Stepfamilies

Question 1

Generally,older women are less likely to remarry than older men because

A)most women do not want to remarry.
B)a woman's pool of eligibles shrinks as she gets older.
C)most women are looking for younger men.
D)they are more likely to be back in school pursuing an education.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is an accurate statement concerning the reasons for the variations in remarriage rates across and within racial-ethnic groups?

A)Those groups with higher cohabitation rates are also more likely to remarry after divorce.
B)Most ethnic groups,especially recent immigrants,do not encourage marriage and therefore individuals are more likely to divorce and not remarry.
C)Whites are most likely to cohabit rather than marry which leads to less divorce and less remarriage.
D)African Americans have the lowest marriage rates,which means that remarriage is less likely.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

In which stage of remarriage do parents develop relationships with the children of the new spouse?

A)psychic remarriage
B)community remarriage
C)parental remarriage
D)legal remarriage

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In which stage of remarriage do people change their identities from individuals to couples once more?

A)emotional remarriage
B)psychic remarriage
C)community remarriage
D)parental remarriage

Question 5

In which stage of remarriage does the divorced person establish a commitment to and trust in a new partner?

A)emotional remarriage
B)psychic remarriage
C)community remarriage
D)parental remarriage

Question 6

Which of the following statements about cohabitation and remarriage is true?

A)Most couples will not cohabit before marriage in order to minimize the stress on their children.
B)Individual who are divorced are less likely to view cohabitation as acceptable.
C)Living together is more common after a divorce than before a first marriage.
D)Couples may avoid living together because dating is viewed as simpler than trying to combine two households.

Question 7

Remarriage rates for men and women over 50 are

A)high for men and low for women.
B)low for men and high for women.
C)high for both men and women.
D)low for both men and women.

Question 8

A household in which two adults are biological or adoptive parents (heterosexual,gay,or lesbian),have a child from a previous relationship,and who elect to marry or cohabit is called a

A)cohabiting family.
B)post-traditional family.
C)stepfamily.
D)created family.

Question 9

Which of the following statements about dating and divorce is FALSE?

A)Often people start dating again even before a divorce is legally final.
B)Most people wait at least year after the divorce is final to begin dating again to make sure they don't make the same mistakes again.
C)If the divorced partners are young and have not been married very long,reentering the dating scene is fairly easy.
D)People who have not dated for many years may feel less self-confident in dating,especially if the ex-spouse was the one who initiated the divorce.

Question 10

In the past,sociologists defined stepfamily to include

A)spouses only.
B)childless adults.
C)gay and lesbian couples.
D)heterosexual cohabitants.

Question 11

Bride Again magazine is aimed at "__________ brides."

A)reconstituted
B)blended
C)encore
D)step

Question 12

Which of the following statements about children and remarriage is true?

A)Divorced mothers tend to have an easier time dating than divorced fathers.
B)Custodial mothers sometimes rush into a new marriage because they want their children to have a father figure.
C)Men tend to view divorced mothers as more attractive dating partners because they already have children and won't want anymore.
D)Custodial fathers usually do not want to remarry as they are more likely to want a nontraditional family structure in which they act as both provider and nurturer.

Question 13

Which of the following statements about social class and remarriage is true?

A)The more wealth a divorced man has,the more likely he is to remarry.
B)Older,highly educated,financially independent women are more likely to remarry than less-educated,low-income women.
C)Women with high educational attainment are more likely to remarry than men with a similar education.
D)Women with high socioeconomic standing have more possible mates to choose from as they are more willing to marry someone from a lower socioeconomic level.

Question 14

Taking into account both gender and race/ethnicity,who is most likely to remarry?

A)black men
B)white women
C)Latino men
D)Asian women

Question 15

In which stage of remarriage does a couple have to deal with issues such as who supports the children of the relationship - the custodial parent and stepparent or the noncustodial biological parent?

A)economic remarriage
B)legal remarriage
C)community remarriage
D)parental remarriage

Question 16

Remarriage is generally

A)a very similar experience to first marriage.
B)a fairly simple process.
C)much more complicated than a first marriage or divorce.
D)a legal process rather than an emotional process.

Question 17

In which stage of remarriage may people sever close personal ties that they established after a divorce and lose valuable friendships?

A)emotional remarriage
B)psychic remarriage
C)community remarriage
D)parental remarriage

Question 18

What do high divorce and remarriage rates imply for family roles in the future?

A)Biological children will become more important as remarried couples have children of their own.
B)Children will be less likely to want to help their parents as they age due to the traumas of divorce and remarriage.
C)Families will resemble more traditional families as couples remarry and combine their households.
D)Baby boomers will have to rely more on stepchildren and stepgrandchildren for caregiving as they age.

Question 19

In which stage of remarriage does a couple have to deal with issues such as who deserves a man's life and accident insurance,medical coverage,and retirement benefits: the former wife who played a major role in building up the estate or the current wife?

A)economic remarriage
B)legal remarriage
C)community remarriage
D)parental remarriage

Question 20

The women who are most likely to remarry are those who

A)married at an older age the first time.
B)are employed in professional careers.
C)do not want children.
D)have few marketable skills.

Question 21

Which of the following myths about stepfamilies includes the belief that the stepparent should save the stepkids from a negative or lenient custodial parent?

A)the Nuclear Family Myth
B)the Compensation Myth
C)the Instant Love Myth
D)the Rescue Fantasy Myth

Question 22

Researchers who compare divorce rates for first marriages with divorce rates for remarriages find that

A)remarriages are less likely to end in divorce than first marriages.
B)remarriages usually last much longer than first marriages.
C)remarriages are more stable if they remarried partners are younger and have children.
D)remarriages are less stable if the couple sees divorce as a quick solution for marital dissatisfaction.

Question 23

When Donna and Wayne married,Donna's children from her previous marriage lived with them.This family form is called a

A)complex stepfamily.
B)joint stepfamily.
C)mother-stepfather family.
D)father-stepmother family.

Question 24

In the __________,all the children are biological children of the mother and stepchildren of the father.

A)complex stepfamily
B)joint stepfamily
C)mother-stepfather
D)father-stepmother

Question 25

In the __________ family,at least one child is the biological child of both parents,at least one child is the biological child of only one parent and the stepchild of the other parent,and no other type of child is present.

A)complex stepfamily
B)joint stepfamily
C)mother-stepfather
D)father-stepmother

Question 26

When John and Jo married,Jo's son from a previous marriage and John and Jo's subsequent biological children all lived together.This family form is called

A)complex stepfamily.
B)joint stepfamily.
C)mother-stepfather family.
D)father-stepmother family.

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT a way that remarriages differ from first marriages?

A)Family composition tends to vary more in remarriages.
B)Role expectations are more strictly defined in remarriages.
C)Stress may be more of an issue as the stepfamily tries to readjust to its additional family relationships.
D)Family members may be at the same point in their lifecycles in remarriages.

Question 28

Which of the following myths about stepfamilies includes the expectation that family members will love and feel close to one another,children will show deference to parents,and the nonresidential parent will disappear?

A)the Nuclear Family Myth
B)the Compensation Myth
C)the Instant Love Myth
D)the Rescue Fantasy Myth

Question 29

A diagram showing the biological relationship among family members is called a

A)genetic path analysis.
B)genogram.
C)marital system graph.
D)relationship map.

Question 30

Which of the following statements concerning marital roles and power in remarried relationships is FALSE?

A)Remarried couples report sharing decision-making more equally that they did during their first marriage.
B)Women tend to feel obligated to earn income to help support their children,which results in greater decision-making authority.
C)Husbands in remarried families tend to do as much or more housework than their wives.
D)Remarried couples tend to have more traditional relationships as many felt that trying to have an egalitarian relationship made their first marriages fail.

Question 31

Cari's mom and her mom's new husband,Jeff,had a son they named Andrew.Andrew is Cari's __________ brother.

A)step
B)foster
C)half
D)adoptive

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT an issue created by remarriage when couples who already have children then have children together?

A)Children may be fear that new children will be loved more or receive more attention.
B)Parents may worry about dividing their attention among the children.
C)Ex-spouses and ex-grandparents may want to have input to the new family that may not be welcomed by the remarried spouses.
D)Children who belong to both parents may feel less loved and more smothered than their other siblings.

Question 33

Which of the following statements is accurate concerning stress and resources in remarried families?

A)Most people do not expect noncustodial fathers to continue child support payments if they custodial mother remarries someone with more resources.
B)Most noncustodial fathers want to continue paying the same levels of child support even after their ex-wife remarries because they believe it will help their relationship with their children.
C)Most Americans believe that adult children have greater responsibility to provide financial assistance to their own parents rather than stepparents.
D)Remarriage usually decreases the amount of resources available to children.
(

Question 34

According to Wright,lesbian stepfamilies reflect three distinct stepparent roles.In which type of family is the nonbiological mother a supporter of and helper and consultant to the biological mother,an active parent of the children,and a dedicated and committed family member?

A)the cohabitating family
B)the co-parent family
C)the stepmother family
D)the co-mother family

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a reason why remarried couples divorce?

A)They marry at older ages when they are more set in their ways and less willing to compromise.
B)They are more likely to see divorce as a quick solution for marital dissatisfaction.
C)Women who have children between marriages may force a newly married couple to focus on an infant rather than their marriage.
D)Remarried couples must deal with more boundary maintenance issues than couples in first marriages.

Question 36

What can happen if people remarry and find that they and their children are at different stages of the family life course?

A)The children will not like each other.
B)Their goals may conflict.
C)They will discover that they really do not love each other.
D)They may not be as close to their extended families.

Question 37

Research suggests that women who had a child between marriages were __________ likely to divorce than women who did not.

A)more
B)less
C)no more likely
D)as

Question 38

In the __________,both adults have children from previous marriages.

A)complex stepfamily
B)joint stepfamily
C)mother-stepfather
D)father-stepmother

Question 39

When Cheryl and Tyrone married,Tyrone's children from a previous marriage lived with them.This family form is called a

A)complex stepfamily.
B)joint stepfamily.
C)mother-stepfather family.
D)father-stepmother family.

Question 40

Which of the following myths about stepfamilies includes the belief that marriage is a form of parental entitlement in which the new stepparent should automatically have intimacy with and authority over stepchildren without earning it?

A)the Nuclear Family Myth
B)the Compensation Myth
C)the Instant Love Myth
D)the Rescue Fantasy Myth

Question 41

The most consistent findings on step-families show that children do better when

A)all the adults in their lives get along.
B)the noncustodial father does not try to maintain a relationship.
C)the stepfather takes over for the biological father.
D)the custodial parent emphasizes the children's relationship with the stepparent over the noncustodial parent.

Question 42

In which stage of the stepfamily cycle do members of the stepfamily get to know each other: stepparents learn about the children's likes and dislike,their friends,and their memories without trying to influence them?

A)stage 1: fantasy
B)stage 2: immersion
C)stage 3: awareness
D)stage 4: mobilization

Question 43

Which of the following theoretical explanations for the effects of stepparenting on children proposes living in a stepfamily creates numerous difficulties for children and other family members such as moving to another home or neighborhood and following different rules and schedules?

A)the cumulative effects hypothesis
B)risk and resilience theories
C)social capital models
D)family stress theories

Question 44

Clinician Patricia Papernow divides the process of becoming a stepfamily into three major stages.In the later stages,the family

A)breaks up.
B)identifies important changes that may need to be made.
C)feels more comfortable with each other and the stepparent role is well defined.
D)is characterized by chaos and confusion.

Question 45

According to Wright,lesbian stepfamilies reflect three distinct stepparent roles.In which type of family do both mothers have equal rights and responsibilities in everyday decisions and child-rearing tasks?

A)the cohabitating family
B)the co-parent family
C)the stepmother family
D)the co-mother family

Question 46

The "myth of instant love" maintains that

A)stepparents can never love their stepchildren as much as their biological children.
B)stepmothers will automatically love their stepchildren.
C)stepmothers are able to more easily love their stepchildren than stepfathers.
D)the remarried family is a better family than the original nuclear family.

Question 47

Which stage of the stepfamily cycle is characterized by chaos and confusion?

A)stage 1: fantasy
B)stage 2: immersion
C)stage 3: awareness
D)stage 4: mobilization

Question 48

According to Wright,lesbian stepfamilies reflect three distinct stepparent roles.In which type of family does the lesbian stepmother perform most of the traditional mothering tasks,but the biological mother retains most of the decision making power?

A)the cohabitating family
B)the co-parent family
C)the stepmother family
D)the co-mother family

Question 49

Stepmothers can often "live up to" the myth of the evil stepmother because they

A)usually dislike their stepchildren.
B)may try to meet their husband's expectations by imposing some kind of order on the household.
C)may resent the fact that they have to care for stepchildren in addition to their biological children.
D)may feel that the remarriage was a mistake.

Question 50

Much of the stress in stepfamilies is due to

A)the vagueness and the "lack of fit" with cultural norms that define the ideal family.
B)the continued presence of the noncustodial parent.
C)rivalry between stepmothers and stepdaughters.
D)the age difference between the remarried spouses.

Question 51

Which group of children is least likely to live in a stepfamily?

A)blacks
B)Latinos
C)Asian Americans
D)whites

Question 52

Stepfamilies differ from nuclear families in many ways that make steparenting more difficult.Which of the following is NOT one of these ways?

A)The structure of stepfamilies is complex.
B)A stepfamily must cope with unique tasks.
C)There are continuous transition and adjustments rather than stability.
D)Stepfamilies are more cohesive than nuclear families.

Question 53

Jim feels rejected because his stepchildren want to maintain a relationship with their noncustodial father.Which one of the ten commandments of stepparenting is he not heeding?

A)Provide neutral territory.
B)Do not try to fit into a preconceived role.
C)Set limits and enforce them.
D)Allow an outlet for the children's feelings for the biological parent.

Question 54

Stan and Maria try to show their children and stepchildren that they get along together,can settle disputes,and will not be divided by the children.Which one of the ten commandments of stepparenting are they following?

A)Provide neutral territory.
B)Do not try to fit into a preconceived role.
C)Be patient.
D)Maintain primacy of the marital relationship.

Question 55

Which of the following is recommended by family practitioners to deal with sexuality issues within the stepfamily?

A)Parents should be affectionate but not passionate with each other when the children are around.
B)Have children share rooms so that they view each other more as siblings than friends or aquaintances.
C)Encourage affectionate behavior between stepchildren and stepparents to offset feelings of sexual interest.
D)Ignore teenage crushes on stepparents.

Question 56

Which of the following is one of the ten commandments of stepparenting?

A)Provide neutral territory.
B)Try to fit into a preconceived role.
C)Be lax with the enforcement of limits.
D)Discourage relationships with noncustodial parents.

Question 57

Some stepparents act as ___________________,a role midway between that of parent and friend.

A)quasikin
B)step friends
C)kinkeepers
D)half-parents

Question 58

Stepfathers may have more decision-making power in a new stepfamily because

A)the wife prefers it.
B)men usually bring children into the new family.
C)men have more financial resources than women do.
D)they tend be older than their wives.

Question 59

Which of the following is true concerning the issues faced by stepfamilies?

A)Most stepparents do not care what name they are called by their stepchildren.
B)Most states have laws that regulate sexual relations between members of stepfamilies.
C)The children of remarried fathers typically do better financially if they live with their biological mother.
D)Relationships with stepchildren are often more difficult for stepmothers than for stepfathers.

Question 60

In which stage of the stepfamily cycle do the family members interact more easily; there is less withdrawal and more recognition of each other's efforts?

A)stage 3: awareness
B)stage 4: mobilization
C)stage 5: action
D)stage 6: contact

Question 61

The norms regarding role expectations for stepfamily members tend to be clear and straightforward.

Question 62

Which of the following is a characteristic of successful stepfamilies?

A)They try to protect the children from feeling sad or depressed.
B)They set realistic expectations and don't try to replicate the biological family.
C)The stepfather quickly assumes an active parenting role.
D)They have a set of rules at each biological parent's house instead of trying to come up with a one-size-fits-all set of rules.

Question 63

The majority of Americans who divorce remarry.

Question 64

Ethnic groups with the highest cohabitation rates also have the highest remarriage rates.

Question 65

The majority of remarried couples have three sets of children: yours,mine,and ours.

Question 66

During the community remarriage,people may sever close personal ties that they established after a divorce and lose valuable friendships.

Question 67

Remarried relationships may be more fragile because some role expectations,such as being open,honest,and trustworthy,are stricter than in first marriages.

Question 68

Many sociologists have broadened the definition of stepfamily to include cohabiting couples.

Question 69

During the emotional remarriage,people's identity changes from that of a single individual to that of part of a couple.

Question 70

Which of the following theoretical explanations for the effects of stepparenting on children suggests that the effects of remarriage on children reflect both costs and benefits?

A)the cumulative effects hypothesis
B)risk and resilience theories
C)social capital models
D)family stress theories

Question 71

Couples typically describe their remarriage as offering many more benefits than their first marriage including all of the following except:

A)they know each other better than they knew their former spouses.
B)they talk more openly and more freely about issues that concern them.
C)they are more tolerant of minor irritations.
D)they are able to maintain more traditional roles than in their first marriages.

Question 72

Remarriage rates are higher for older women than for older men.

Question 73

Half of all women and men who remarry after a divorce form their first marriages do so with about three to four years.

Question 74

Men may see mothers as less attractive dating partners because they don't want to take on parental responsibilities.

Question 75

Overall,whites,especially white women,have the highest remarriage rates.

Question 76

Which of the following theoretical explanations for the effects of stepparenting on children proposes that children whose parents have had several partners over time had more internalizing and externalizing problems than children who lived with a parent who had remarried only once?

A)the cumulative effects hypothesis
B)risk and resilience theories
C)social capital models
D)family stress theories

Question 77

Divorced women who are older,highly educated,and financially independent are more likely to get remarried.

Question 78

Which of the following theoretical explanations for the effects of stepparenting on children maintains that children in stepfamily households have more problems than children in nuclear families because the stepparents often invest less time and energy in raising their children.

A)the cumulative effects hypothesis
B)risk and resilience theories
C)social capital models
D)family stress theories

Question 79

The women who are least likely to remarry are those who married at a young age the first time,have few marketable skills,and want children.

Question 80

Half of all remarriages begin with cohabitation.