Deck 1: Marriage, Relationships, and Family Commitments: Making Choices in a Changing Society

Question 1

According to the text, marriage remains an ____________ experience; 91 percent of adults have been married or plan to marry.

A) important
B) unimportant
C) unusual
D) unreal

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Today, only __________ percent of American households fit the 1950s nuclear family ideal of a married couple with children, where only the husband is employed.

A) 7
B) 10
C) 25
D) 3

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The goal of this text is to help you do all of the following EXCEPT

A) appreciate the variety and diversity among families today.
B) understand your past and present family situations and anticipate future possibilities
C) prepare you for a particular occupation.
D) be aware of both your personal life decisions and the influence society has on you.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT listed by your text as a major family function?

A) raising children responsibly
B) meeting sexual desires
C) providing members with economic and other practical support
D) offering emotional security

Question 5

What is the name for a current technology which can be installed in family vehicles to tell parents where their children have driven?

A) e-mail
B) Skype
C) GPS
D) LSD

Question 6

What is assisted reproductive technology (ART)?

A) a new style of painting that is highly sexualized
B) a counseling course for couples who want to get pregnant
C) helping parents know how to use technology with their future children
D) the manipulation of sperm and/or egg in the absence of sexual intercourse that may involve a third party

Question 7

The concept of "household" is broader than that of "family" as it includes

A) pets.
B) material possessions.
C) any person residing in the home.
D) relatives who live far away.

Question 8

Cohabitation has emerged as a lifestyle

A) that is stigmatized as unhealthy and immoral.
B) that is much more common than marriage.
C) that continues to be illegal.
D) that can be intermediate between marriage and singlehood or an alternative to marriage.

Question 9

According to the text, in recent years, people have been

A) marrying earlier in life.
B) avoiding marriage.
C) postponing marriage and parenthood.
D) cohabiting more than marrying.

Question 10

WAs families have become less traditional, the legal definition of a family has

A) remained the same.
B) become more rigid.
C) narrowed to include only married couples and children.
D) become much more flexible.

Question 11

Until about 50 years ago, the __________ family was considered the traditional American family.

A) blended
B) nuclear
C) extended
D) modified-extended

Question 12

The text reports that _________ percent of marriages were preceded by cohabitation.

A) less than 10
B) about 15
C) 25
D) over 50

Question 13

The number of households maintained by individuals living alone is __________ those maintained by married couples with children.
A) significantly less than

A) slightly less than
B) more than
C) about the same as

Question 14

Over the past four decades, fertility in the United States has

A) stayed about the same.
B) increased dramatically.
C) declined.
D) fluctuated substantially.

Question 15

The Census Bureau uses which of the following terms to describe a person or a group of people residing together?

A) family
B) nuclear family
C) extended family
D) household

Question 16

The U.S. Census Bureau defines a family as

A) any conjugal union.
B) two or more persons sharing a household and who are related by blood, marriage, or adoption.
C) several roommates or cohabitors.
D) those having the same last name.

Question 17

What is meant by the term postmodern family?

A) Families today exhibit a multiplicity of forms.
B) Any family formed after 1960.
C) A family which is on the cutting edge of technology and current trends.
D) Families today are more philosophical and reflective.

Question 18

Traditionally, both law and social science specified that the family consisted of people related by

A) blood, marriage, or adoption.
B) symbolic definition.
C) nuptial contracts.
D) temporary agreement.

Question 19

According to the text, which of the following is NOT a current societal trend impacting families?

A) new communication and reproductive technologies
B) changes in America's race/ethnic composition
C) a great increase in the number of pets in the family
D) economic uncertainty

Question 20

President Obama's family background is cited in the text as an example of what current societal trend?

A) the development of ART
B) new communication technologies
C) changes in America's race/ethnic composition
D) economic uncertainty

Question 21

Through the lens of social scientific research, individual choices are shaped by

A) unknown forces.
B) deep, inner drives.
C) the social context in which they are made.
D) schooling.

Question 22

The text reports that between _________ percent of recent first marriages will end in divorce.

A) 5 to 10
B) 10 to 20
C) 40 to 50
D) 80 to 90

Question 23

The emotional dimension of decision making is referred to in the text as the

A) craziness gene.
B) gut factor.
C) ga-ga principle.
D) no-think dimension.

Question 24

According to the text's discussion of how social factors influence people's personal choices,

A) it is always more difficult to make the common choice.
B) social factors can limit people's options.
C) social factors never limit people's options.
D) some people do not make choices.

Question 25

Which of these does NOT contribute to young adults continuing to live with their parents or to move back home?

A) extended education
B) delayed marriage
C) financial pressures like high housing costs
D) personal decorating preferences

Question 26

Although most people have made at least some decisions by default, almost everyone can recall having the opposite experience, which is

A) not being able to make a decision.
B) choosing knowledgeably.
C) being confused.
D) fallowing someone else to make the choice.

Question 27

WChoices made __________ are ones that people make when they are not aware of all the alternatives or when they pursue the proverbial path of least resistance.

A) by default
B) knowledgeably
C) wisely
D) responsibly

Question 28

Which is the phrase used to describe economic and social forces which limit personal choices?

A) media overload
B) mass confusion
C) structural constraints
D) cultural baggage

Question 29

The text observes that once a choice is made and a person acts on it, the process is not necessarily complete. This component of decision making is called

A) default.
B) panic.
C) rechecking.
D) emotion.

Question 30

About _____________ same-sex couple households existed in the United States in 2008.

A) 10,000
B) 500,000
C) 2 million
D) 10 million

Question 31

The text concludes that the best way to make decisions about our personal lives is to make them

A) by default.
B) knowledgeably.
C) unconsciously.
D) following the path of least resistance.

Question 32

In 1957, the total fertility rate was about 3.6 children per woman. For the last decade and a half, it has been __________ child/children per woman.

A) less than one
B) one
C) around two
D) about three

Question 33

According to the text, over time, cohabitation has become

A) "mainstream."
B) "secondary."
C) "prohibited."
D) "unlikely."

Question 34

The text reports that rates of childlessness among women ages 40-44 has ___________ over the past 30 years.

A) increased slightly
B) doubled
C) decreased
D) fluctuated

Question 35

Unconscious decisions are called

A) thoughtful decisions.
B) superego decisions.
C) choosing by default.
D) knowledgeable decisions.

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT one of the steps involved with making knowledgeable choices?

A) Try to avoid making a decision if possible.
B) Recognize the social pressures that may influence personal choices.
C) Consider the consequences of each alternative.
D) Attempt to clarify your own values.

Question 37

The definition of family adopted by the authors of this text includes those who do all of the following EXCEPT

A) form an economic unit and care for any young.
B) consider their identity to be significantly attached to the group.
C) have the same name and background.
D) commit to maintaining that group over time.

Question 38

Compared with today, in the 1950s and early 1960s, people tended to

A) marry earlier.
B) marry later.
C) marry someone from a different ethnic background.
D) marry after cohabitation.

Question 39

Economic uncertainty caused by _________________ is a current societal trend impacting families.

A) global warming
B) assisted reproductive technologies
C) the recession that began in 2008
D) increased immigration during the last decade

Question 40

The divorce rate

A) has been in decline for more the last three decades.
B) continues to increase over time.
C) will probably never level off.
D) will always remain at 50 percent of first marriages.

Question 41

Those with a "family change" perspective view the family as ________________.

A) declining rapidly
B) "an adaptable institution"
C) "a rigid institution"
D) slowly and steadily getting worse

Question 42

A majority of children live in __________ households.

A) divorced
B) single-mother
C) single-father
D) two-parent

Question 43

When persons think in terms of seeking primarily personal-as opposed to communal or group-happiness and goals, this reflects which orientation?

A) familistic
B) individualistic
C) kinship
D) negotiated

Question 44

Scholars and advocates with a "__________" perspective point see constant evolution as normal.

A) family change
B) pessimistic
C) familistic
D) family decline

Question 45

Parents, especially, and siblings and other relatives are usually highly influential in developing a child's _____________, or that child's sense of worth and value.

A) self-concept
B) genetic code
C) nickname
D) temperament

Question 46

Family change is attributed to which of the following influences?

A) declining mental health
B) individuals who do not wish to live in families
C) hopelessness
D) economic trends and cultural changes

Question 47

Children learn social roles by imitating the behaviors of parents, siblings, and family members through a type of play called ___________.

A) externalization.
B) mocking caregivers.
C) secondary education.
D) role-taking.

Question 48

Many households containing grandparents are __________ family households, which include other relatives besides parents and children.

A) modern
B) nuclear
C) extended
D) blended

Question 49

Data from a longitudinal study suggest that, since the 1970s, an earlier trend in individualism has

A) stabilized.
B) reversed.
C) not changed.
D) increased.

Question 50

Placing kin group needs and goals over individual interests and preferences is termed

A) marriage priority.
B) the kinship orientation.
C) the family-focused approach.
D) familism.

Question 51

Life in American families reflects a tension in American culture between family solidarity and

A) individual freedom.
B) the prenuptial contract.
C) divorce.
D) childlessness.

Question 52

________________ is made up of the ideas and feelings about the uniqueness and value of one's family unit, which often emerges in family traditions, rituals and celebrations.

A) Individualism
B) Knowledgeable decisions
C) Family identity
D) DNA pool

Question 53

Scholars and advocates with a "__________" perspective point to what they see as a negative cultural change accentuated by excessive individualism and self-indulgence.

A) family change
B) boomer fat
C) familistic
D) family decline

Question 54

Children are __________ likely than the general population or the elderly to be living in poverty.

A) more
B) far less
C) somewhat less
D) equally

Question 55

In 1950s, the nonmarital pregnancy rate was __________ in comparison with today.

A) higher
B) slightly lower
C) much lower
D) the same

Question 56

The text points out that the social institutions of marriage and the family have become _________________ since the 1960s.

A) more predictable
B) more functional
C) less predictable
D) less functional

Question 57

Compared to the recent past, children are __________ likely to live with a grandparent today.

A) somewhat less
B) far less
C) equally
D) more

Question 58

Family togetherness, stability, and loyalty are all examples of

A) proscriptive norms.
B) familistic (communal) values.
C) self-fulfillment values.
D) outdated norms.

Question 59

Over the past several decades,

A) the divorce rate has declined somewhat.
B) the rate of nonmarital childbearing has increased.
C) there has been a dramatic increase in teen birth rates.
D) changes in the family have basically accelerated.

Question 60

About __________ of American children live in single parent families.

A) 10 percent
B) 25 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 90 percent

Question 61

Family diversity has progressed to the point that there is

A) a breakdown in communal values and family bonds.
B) ethnic differences in most family members.
C) no typical family form today.
D) confusion and distress among sociologists about what to study.

Question 62

Someone who is a "family change" advocate might say the following:

A) "Our nation is in a crisis; marriages aren't surviving like they used to."
B) "The family is better than ever at adapting to new challenges."
C) "Times were much better for families in the '50s and '60s."
D) "Before long, marriage won't even be around as an institution."

Question 63

The most common household type today is that of married couples without children.

Question 64

Embryo screening is a technology which allows prospective parents the possibility of choosing the gender and certain characteristics of their future child.

Question 65

As families have become less rigidly structured, people have made fewer choices "once and for all."

Question 66

Functional definitions of the family refer to what the family is, while structural definitions emphasize what the family does.

Question 67

People have been postponing marriage in recent years.

Question 68

We live in a society characterized by ________________ change, including increased ethnic, economic, and family diversity.

A) little
B) slight
C) considerable
D) negligible

Question 69

People are influenced by the society around them. Societal or structural conditions can negatively limit or positively__________ our options.

A) dismiss
B) expand
C) destroy
D) belittle

Question 70

Which of the following is NOT one of the four themes of the textbook?

A) Personal decisions must be made throughout the life course.
B) People are influenced by the society around them.
C) We live in a society characterized by considerable change.
D) Personal decision making has little impact on society.

Question 71

What factor may cause a father to make choices about his family "by default"?

A) Careful consideration of family needs and personal time.
B) Strong day-to-day pressures on the job cutting into time at home.
C) Remembering how important his wife and children are to him, and acting on it.
D) Ignoring the phone, television and computer in order to talk at the dinner table.

Question 72

Maintaining a family requires both commitment and knowledge of what you're doing.

Question 73

Single-person households now represent a quarter of American households.

Question 74

Structural constraints (economic and social forces) cannot influence personal choices.

Question 75

A person who believed in the "family decline" theory might say the following:

A) "There has been a serious breakdown in marriage and family values."
B) "Family life isn't getting worse, it just adjusts to the times."
C) "Families today are better off than in the past."
D) "There is no marriage crisis."

Question 76

Today, about 50 percent of families fit the model of intact marriage, children, and husband-breadwinner and wife-homemaker.

Question 77

Because adults change, marriages and families are

A) not static.
B) falling apart.
C) hoped to be always stable and reliable.
D) hard to study.

Question 78

If you wanted to make a knowledgeable decision about choosing which class to take,

A) take the first class which is open and will fit your schedule.
B) find out what your friends are taking, and do the same.
C) wait until the last possible minute, and then let your advisor find a class.
D) look through the catalog at all the possibilities, consider what will benefit you in the future, and register early to get the class you consider best.

Question 79

Racial and ethnic minorities make up about one-tenth of the U.S. population today.

Question 80

Which of the following is attributed to the U.S. by "family change" scholars?

A) patriotism as a source of family pride
B) declining values in family matters
C) inadequate support for families, when compared to other advanced industrial countries
D) rigid traditional ideas of family