Question 1

Bubba married his high school sweetheart, and they have been faithful to each other for 30 years. Their marriage is considered to be __________.

Accepted Answer

Monogamous means having only one spouse at a time, which is applicable in this case as Bubba and his high school sweetheart have been faithful to each other for 30 years. Polygamous means having multiple spouses at the same time, homogamous refers to a marriage between two individuals of the same sex, and polyandrous refers to a marriage where a woman has multiple husbands at the same time, which do not apply in this scenario.

Question 2

The most prevalent pattern of power and authority in families is __________. Across cultures, men are the primary decision makers regarding domestic, economic, and social concerns facing the family.

Accepted Answer

Patriarchy is the most prevalent pattern of power and authority in families across cultures. Men are usually the primary decision makers regarding domestic, economic, and social concerns facing the family. The term patriarchy literally means "rule of the father," reflecting the fact that authority and power are often concentrated in the hands of one or more adult males.

Question 3

Residential patterns are interrelated with the authority structure and method of tracing descent in families. __________ residence refers to the custom of a married couple living in the same household (or community) as the husband's family.

Accepted Answer

Patrilocal residence refers to the custom of a married couple living in the same household (or community) as the husband's family. Matrilocal residence refers to the custom of a married couple living in the same household (or community) as the wife's family. Multilocal residence refers to a family living in multiple locations or households, while neolocal residence refers to the custom of a newly married couple establishing their own household away from both sets of parents.

Question 4

In __________ systems, inheritance of property and position is usually traced from the maternal uncle (mother's brother) to his nephew (mother's son). In some cases, mothers may pass on their property to daughters.

Accepted Answer

Matrilineal systems trace inheritance through the mother's line, often with the maternal uncle passing down property and position to his sister's sons. In some cases, women may also pass on their property to their daughters. Matricentric systems prioritize the mother's role and authority, matrilocal systems entail living with the wife's family, and matriarchal systems have women in positions of authority over men.

Question 5

Through a pattern of marriage, divorce, and remarriage, some people practice __________-a succession of marriages in which a person has several spouses over a lifetime but is legally married to only one person at a time.

Accepted Answer

The practice described in the question is specifically characterized by having only one legal spouse at a time, which rules out options A, C, and D. The term commonly used to describe this practice is "serial monogamy," which refers to a pattern of multiple consecutive monogamous relationships over time.

Question 6

__________ is the concurrent marriage of one man with two or more women.

Accepted Answer

Polygyny is the practice of having multiple wives at the same time. This is a form of polygamy, which refers to the practice of having multiple spouses. Polygyny is most commonly practiced in cultures where men are seen as having a higher social status than women, and is often associated with religion.

Question 7

Although there has been a great deal of discussion about __________, scholars have found no historical evidence to indicate that true types of this familial power and authority ever existed.

Accepted Answer

While there have been theories and speculation about matriarchal societies, there is no historical evidence to support the existence of true matriarchal families, where women held power and authority over men. Patriarchal families, on the other hand, have been well-documented in history and continue to exist in many cultures today. Egalitarian and homogamous families are concepts referring to equality and similarity in familial relationships, respectively, and are not relevant to the question of historical evidence.

Question 8

__________ is the term for concurrent marriage of a person of one sex with two or more members of the opposite sex.

Accepted Answer

Polygamy is the term for concurrent marriage of a person of one sex with two or more members of the opposite sex. Monogamy refers to marrying only one person at a time, Homogamy refers to marrying someone who is similar to oneself in terms of background, education, etc., and Endogamy refers to marrying within one's own social, cultural, or religious group.

Question 9

In preindustrial societies, kinship is usually traced through one parent (unilineally). The most common pattern of unilineal descent is __________, which is a system of tracing descent through the father's side of the family.

Accepted Answer

Patrilineal descent is the most common pattern of unilineal descent in preindustrial societies, where descent is traced through the father's side of the family. A patriarchal system refers to a society where men hold more power and influence than women. Patrilocal descent means a married couple resides with or near the husband's family, while patricentric descent is not a term used in anthropology. Therefore, the best choice is B, patrilineal descent.

Question 10

__________ descent is used in the United States for the purpose of determining kinship and inheritance rights; however, children typically take the father's last name.

Accepted Answer

In bilateral descent, kinship and inheritance rights are traced through both the father's and mother's sides of the family. This is the system used in the United States to determine kinship and inheritance. However, it is common for children to take their father's last name, which is a separate cultural tradition.

Question 11

In a(n) __________, the male authority figure acts as head of the household and holds power and authority over the women and children, as well as over other males.

Accepted Answer

In a patriarchal family, the male authority figure is the head of the household and holds power and authority over the women and children, as well as over other males. This contrasts with an egalitarian family, where power and authority are shared equally among all members, and a matriarchal family, where the female authority figure holds the most power and authority. A homogamous family refers to a family where both partners share similar characteristics such as race, ethnicity, religion, and social class.

Question 12

The most prevalent form of polygamy is __________.

Accepted Answer

Polygyny refers to the practice of having multiple wives, which is the most prevalent form of polygamy in the world today. Polyandry, on the other hand, refers to the practice of having multiple husbands, which is relatively rare. Homogamy refers to the tendency for people to marry others who are similar to themselves in terms of attributes like age, education, and socioeconomic status. Endogamy refers to the practice of marrying within one's own social or cultural group. While some societies may practice both polygyny and endogamy, polygyny is the most prevalent form of polygamy globally.

Question 13

__________ systems are set up in such a manner that a legitimate son inherits his father's property and sometimes his position upon the father's death.

Accepted Answer

Patrilineal systems follow descent through the male line, meaning that property and sometimes social status are passed down from father to son. This is in contrast to matrilineal systems, where descent is traced through the female line. Patrilocal (living near the husband's family) and patriarchal (male-dominated) are related but distinct concepts.

Question 14

A(n) __________ family is a family structure in which authority is held by the eldest female (usually the mother).

Accepted Answer

A matriarchal family is one where the mother or oldest female holds the most authority and makes decisions for the family. In contrast, a patriarchal family is one where the father or oldest male holds the most authority. An egalitarian family is one where both partners share authority and decision making equally, and a homogamous family is one where both partners have similar traits such as race, religion, or socioeconomic status.

Question 15

Even with the less common pattern of __________, which is a system of tracing descent through the mother's side of the family, women may not control property.

Accepted Answer

Matrilineal descent is a system of tracing descent through the mother's side of the family, but it does not necessarily guarantee that women will control property.

Question 16

__________ is very rare. When it does occur, it is typically found in societies where men greatly outnumber women because of high rates of female infanticide.

Accepted Answer

Polyandry, the marriage system in which one woman has multiple husbands, is very rare and typically found in societies where men greatly outnumber women because of high rates of female infanticide. In such societies, sharing one wife among brothers can ensure that property remains within the family and prevent the division of resources among multiple wives.

Question 17

Across cultures, __________ is the most common residential pattern.

Accepted Answer

Patrilocal residence is the most common residential pattern across cultures where the married couple lives with or near the husband's family. This is particularly prevalent in patriarchal societies where the inheritance and succession of property are passed down through the male line. Matrilocal residence, where the married couple lives with or near the wife's family, is comparatively rare, while multilocal residence and neolocal residence are more modern patterns that have emerged due to factors such as economic opportunities, individualism and increased mobility.

Question 18

Kinship in industrial societies is usually traced through both parents (bilineally). The most common form is __________, which is a system of tracing descent through both the mother's and father's sides of the family.

Accepted Answer

Bilateral descent is a system of tracing kinship through both the mother's and father's sides of the family. Lateral descent refers to tracing kinship through a single line, which is not common in industrial societies. Matrilocal and neolocal refer to residence patterns, not kinship tracing.

Question 19

A(n) __________ family is a family structure in which authority is held by the eldest male (usually the father).

Accepted Answer

In a patriarchal family, the eldest male (usually the father) holds the authority and makes decisions for the family. The other options are not applicable to this definition: matriarchal refers to a family structure in which authority is held by the eldest female, egalitarian refers to a family structure in which authority is shared equally between all family members, and homogamous refers to a family structure in which the partners have similar backgrounds, social status, and values.

Question 20

__________ is the concurrent marriage of one woman with two or more men.

Accepted Answer

Polyandry is the concurrent marriage of one woman with two or more men. Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific cultural, religious or social group. Homogamy is the tendency of people to marry others who are similar to themselves in various ways. Polygyny is the concurrent marriage of one man with two or more women.

Quiz 11: Families and Intimate Relationships