Deck 14: Families in Middle and Later Life

Question 1

The passage of the Social Security Act was most influenced by the ______.

A)social changes brought on by industrialization
B)onset of the Great Depression
C)development of geriatrics
D)success of European pension programs
E)high birth rate following World War II

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A nationwide study of 10,000 older adults between the ages of 48 and 70 asked about the degree to which they help their adult children, and the study found:

A)35 percent gave cash for day-to-day expenses.
B)21 percent provided funds for education.
C)16 percent helped with mortgage or rent payments.
D)10 percent provided money for health care.
E)6 percent helped pay for daycare costs.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Industrialization __________ the status of the elderly.

A)decreased
B)increased
C)had no effect on

Answer 3

A

Question 4

With respect to elders' division of household labor:

A)it becomes far more equal after the children leave home.
B)it becomes far more equal if the wife retires and the husband keeps working.
C)it becomes far more equal if both quit working at the same time.
D)men do the majority of housework after they retire.
E)the division of household labor changes little as a couple ages and women continue to do the majority of housework.

Question 5

Which of the following best represents patterns of aging in the U.S.?

A)The majority of men and women age 85 and over are widowed.
B)Elderly men are more likely to live alone than are elderly women.
C)The sex ratio of men and women is nearly equal until age 72. After that age, there are more women alive then men.
D)Older Black women are more than five times as likely to be impoverished as are older White men.
E)Widowhood rates are comparable for men and women age 65-74.

Question 6

Most older adults report being happy in their marriages, yet __________ percent have moderate or strong social and emotional loneliness.

A)3-5
B)10
C)55
D)40
E)20-25

Question 7

Emma's research on middle age uses the life-stage perspective. Which of the following best describes this perspective?

A)Development is a lifelong process, multidirectional, and consists of both positive and negative changes, including gains and losses.
B)Overall, older parents and their adult children remain emotionally linked as children leave home, cohabit, marry, and are employed.
C)Development proceeds through a fairly set pattern of sequential stages that most people experience, and these stages are nearly universal and age-linked.
D)Age-related transitions that are socially produced, socially recognized, and shared; they are related to social structure, historical forces, and culture.
E)The sex ratio of middle-age adults is skewed.

Question 8

Which of the following best describes the effect of adult children living with their parents?

A)The longer adult children live with their parents, the closer their relationships with their parents tend to be.
B)Adult children who return home to live with their parents tend to form resentments against them.
C)Adult children who move away from home at an earlier age tend to be more financially secure than those who do not.
D)Parents of adult children who live away from home are more likely to divorce than parents of adult children who live with their parents.
E) Adult children who leave home at an earlier age are more likely to provide care for their parents later in life.

Question 9

During the 17ᵗʰ and 18ᵗʰ centuries:

A)most U.S. households lived in extended, multigenerational families.
B)adult sons often continued to live at home until their fathers passed away, or until they received land as a wedding gift.
C)poverty among the elderly was very high.
D)people saw old age as characterized by physical and mental decline, dependence, and weakness instead of as a natural process.
E)the Social Security Act was passed.

Question 10

Demographers consider people aged __ and older to be part of a group known as the "oldest-old".

A)65
B)76
C)85
D)92
E)100

Question 11

Raja is studying family change and is focusing on age-related transitions that are socially produced, socially recognized, and shared. He sees aging as a lifelong process influenced by social structure, historical forces, and culture. He is using the __________ perspective.

A)life-stage
B)sandwich
C)kin-keeping
D)life-span
E)life-course

Question 12

By 2040, the number of Americans aged 65 or older is expected to increase to almost ______ million.

A)3
B)25
C)40
D)80
E)92

Question 13

How many elderly are in the U.S. today?

A)21 million
B)40 million
C)59 million
D)72 million
E)124 million

Question 14

The Social Security Act was passed in:

A)1870
B)1901
C)1935
D)1946
E)1974

Question 15

According to recent Census figures, the biggest difference between elderly men and elderly women is in their ______.

A)medical treatment.
B)monthly income.
C)marital status.
D)rate of dementia.
E)number of children.

Question 16

Cross-sectional studies about marital satisfaction suggest __________, and Glenn's work that followed couples over ten years found that marital satisfaction __________.

A)marital satisfaction declines; increases
B)marital satisfaction is curvilinear; declines
C)marital satisfaction increases; increases
D)marital satisfaction remains constant; increases
E)marital satisfaction is curvilinear; increases

Question 17

Henry was born in 1951. He is referred to as a member of the:

A)demographic revolution.
B)centenarians.
C)baby boom generation.
D)formal caregivers.
E)baby bust cohort.

Question 18

The living arrangements of so-called "boomerangers" are most influenced by ______ factors.

A)geographical
B)educational
C)medical
D)economic
E)familial

Question 19

Which of the following is TRUE about sex and the elderly?

A)Most women claim to give up sex by age 64, but men report being sexually active until age 70.
B)Women's hormonal changes make it more difficult to contract an STI.
C)Because of high rates of widowhood, some elderly persons are engaging in sexual relationships with new partners, yet often do not think of "safe sex."
D)Physicians actively talk with their elderly patients about sex and STIs.
E)The elderly have few if any sexual desires.

Question 20

Over the next half century, the number of ______ in America is expected to grow rapidly.

A)teenagers
B)care givers
C)baby boomers
D)widowers
E)centenarians

Question 21

Which of the following factors does NOT help explain why Black seniors are less likely to experience the "widow effect"?

A)religious beliefs
B)division of labor
C)shorter life expectancy
D)familial support
E)greater personal independence

Question 22

Amy, in the opening vignette, provides care for her frail mother. According to gerontologists, this is an example of:

A)in-person care.
B)informal care.
C)remote care.
D)formal care.
E)hands-on care.

Question 23

Which of the following statements about grandparenting is TRUE?

A)Grandfathers are more likely than grandmothers to be the kinkeeper in the family.
B)Family members generally feel more obligation to and are closer to their grandfathers than to their grandmothers.
C)In minority families, grandparents are more likely to live with their grandchildren and play a valued role in child rearing, often mimicking
Parent-like behavior, than are grandparents in white families.
D)Approximately 3 million children live with a grandparent, usually in a three- generational family.
E)Children in grandparent-maintained families are more likely to be poor and on public assistance than other children in single-parent or two-parent families.

Question 24

Grandma Jean and Grandpa Herb love to have their grandchildren come over to their house to play. Together they like to read books, work on puzzles, and cuddle on the couch while watching TV. Sometimes the grandchildren are able to spend the night at their house. This is an example of what kind of relationship?

A)remote
B)companionate
C)centenarian
D)involved
E)parent-substitute

Question 25

Somewhere between __________ elderly are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT).

A)200,000 and 400,000
B)700,000 and 1 million
C)1 and 1.5 million
D)1)4 and 3.8 million
E)5 and 6 million

Question 26

Informal caregivers:

A)often spend their own money to provide medicines, groceries, or other supplies to the person they are caring for.
B)usually prefer to turn to formal care.
C)are called the sandwich generation because they are taking care of their mothers, fathers, mothers-in-law, and fathers-in-law.
D)are generally paid for their services.
E)are generally happy, healthy, and have no regrets.

Question 27

All of the federal programs and laws below treat same-sex couples differently from married heterosexual couples, EXCEPT:

A)Social Security pays survivor benefits to widows and widowers, but not to the surviving same-sex life partner of the deceased.
B)Married couples are eligible for Social Security spousal benefits, which can allow them to earn half their spouse's Social Security benefit if it is larger than their
Own) Unmarried partners are ineligible for spousal benefits.
C)Medicaid regulations protect the assets and homes of married spouses when the other spouse enters a nursing home or long-term care facility; no such protections are offered to same-sex partners.
D)Inheritance laws allow married couples to leave their assets to a spouse upon their death; however no such protections are offered to same-sex partners.
E)If a person with a 401(k)pension plan dies, the money rolls over to a legal spouse without any tax penalty. However, since gays and lesbians cannot legally marry in
Most states, the surviving partner would have to pay a 20 percent federal tax.

Question 28

Most men over age 85 are married, but most women over age 85 are widowed.

Question 29

Which of the following statements about widowhood is FALSE?

A)Most research suggests that women have a greater difficulty coping with widowhood than men do.
B)Two-fifths of female widows fall into poverty at some time during the five years after their husband's death.
C)Men, as compared to women, are generally more dependent on their spouse for social and emotional support.
D)Widowed men are more likely to remarry than are widowed women.
E)When young people become widowed, their difficulties may be exacerbated because death during young adulthood and middle age is so unexpected.

Question 30

Centenarians are people at least 100 years old.

Question 31

"Life expectancy" defines people ages 85 and over who are the fastest growing cohort in the United States.

Question 32

Nancy has just learned that her husband has been diagnosed with a fatal disease.According to the Elizabeth Kübler-Ross model, Nancy's first reaction to this news will most likely be ______.

A)depression
B)denial
C)acceptance
D)bargaining
E)anger

Question 33

Compared to heterosexual seniors, gay and transgender seniors face a higher risk of ______.

A) violent crime
B) loneliness
C) financial problems
D) poor health
E) housing difficulties

Question 34

In order for significant numbers of elderly to withdraw from the labor force, four conditions must exist in society, according to the text. Which is NOT one of these four factors?

A)A society must produce an economic surplus that is large enough to support its nonemployed members.
B)There must be a mechanism in place to divert some of the surplus to the nonemployed members.
C)Nonemployed members should be viewed positively by the rest of the society.
D)Life expectancy must reach at least 65 so that there are sufficient numbers of old people.
E)The activities and leisure of the nonemployed must be seen as legitimate.

Question 35

Dementia:

A)has a specific set of clearly identifiable symptoms.
B)can be cured with high doses of vitamin E.
C)is ultimately fatal.
D)is a form of memory loss.
E)can affect a number of different mental functions

Question 36

Why are women far more likely to be widows than are men?

A)Wives are typically a few years younger than their husbands.
B)Mortality rates among females are higher than for males.
C)Widowed women are more likely to remarry than are widowed men.
D)Men are more likely to be in the sandwich generation.
E)Women are more likely to be caring for an aging relative.

Question 37

Marcus is a gerontologist who is studying the degree of impairment that elders face in things such as bathing, dressing, eating, or walking. He is using a common set of measures known as:

A)activities of daily living.
B)informal care.
C)long-term care.
D)formal care.
E)construction.

Question 38

Your mom and dad are approaching retirement age. What would you tell them about sex differences in retirement?

A)Women begin planning for retirement earlier than men.
B)The process of retiring is associated with a decrease in marital quality for women, but not for men.
C)Conflicts are more likely to arise when both spouses retire at the same time, rather than one retiring while the other continues working.
D)Part-time employment is linked to retirement satisfaction for both women and men.
E)Expectations leading to and experiences during retirement are largely dependent on gender.

Question 39

People born in the years after World War II through the early 1960s are referred to as the baby boom generation.

Question 40

The term oldest-old refers to the amount of time in years a person can expect to live from birth.

Question 41

According to a wide body of research, women find financial security most important for well-being in retirement, while men focus more on health issues.

Question 42

Racial and ethnic differences can have an effect on senior living arrangements.

Question 43

Generally, women have more difficulty coping with widowhood than do men.

Question 44

Although many seniors face difficulties such as declining health, loneliness, and lack of access to transportation, the problem of poverty among the elderly has been eliminated.

Question 45

Since 1990, the average retirement age has declined.

Question 46

Studies have shown that, despite differences in gender and ethnicity, people experience the five stages of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance - in the roughly the same order, and for the same length of time.

Question 47

The research is clear: Marital satisfaction drops when a couple has children, but rises again significantly after the children leave home.

Question 48

On average, LGBT seniors experience fewer complications from aging than do heterosexual seniors.

Question 49

The Social Security Act was passed in 1935 as a response to the austere poverty many elders faced in the United States.

Question 50

Companionate grandparenting is a type of grandparenting in which the grandparents and grandchildren are emotionally or physically distant.

Question 51

The U.S. was among the first of industrial nations to offer cash public pensions to the elderly.

Question 52

The life-stage perspective claims that development is a lifelong process, is multidirectional, and consists of both positive and negative changes involving gains and losses.

Question 53

The most common reasons that grandchildren live with their grandparents without their parents present is because of parental substance abuse, inability to care for the child, neglect, and psychological and financial problems.

Question 54

The recent rise in the number of "boomerangers" can be attributed mainly to a shortage of available housing.

Question 55

People who have jobs in knowledge-based activities tend to retire earlier than those in manufacturing jobs.

Question 56

Involved grandparenting is a type of grandparenting in which the grandparents and grandchildren have frequent interaction or possibly even live together.

Question 57

The life-span perspective claims development proceeds through a fairly set pattern of sequential stages that most people experience.

Question 58

Adult children are almost four times more likely to receive financial assistance from their aging parents as they are to provide it to them, and almost twice as likely to receive practical and emotional help as they are to give it.

Question 59

During early industrialization, almshouses, which housed or provided charity to needy people, were increasingly made up of elderly persons with no money and no family members to turn to for help.

Question 60

As a couple ages, housework is far more likely to be shared.

Question 61

__________ theory, introduced in Chapter 1, is a useful tool for thinking about the relationship and exchanges made between adult children and their aging parents because it focuses on the costs and benefits for different types of family interactions, including financial and other assistance.

Question 62

What are three primary reasons for the significantly higher rates of widowhood among women than men?

Question 63

How does returning home affect the relationship between "boomerangers" and their parents?

Question 64

A person age 100 and over is called a ___________.

Question 65

The U.S. Congress introduced bills for public pensions, many with no success. But during the Great Depression it became obvious that the elderly could not rely upon jobs, private pensions, savings, or their families for financial support. Therefore, what program was created?

Question 66

There are three specific approaches that further expand the developmental perspective.These are:

Question 67

Care provided by social service agencies on a paid or volunteer basis is called informal care.

Question 68

What is the fastest growing age cohort?

Question 69

The demographic revolution refers to:

Question 70

List three consequences that childlessness has on the elderly.

Question 71

Cross-sectional studies of marital satisfaction have found that marital satisfaction is__________, but studies following people over time have found that marital satisfaction __________.

Question 72

List the five stages of grief described by Kübler-Ross?

Question 73

Amy's mother, from the opening vignette, is a member of the so-called "sandwich generation."

Question 74

General day-to-day activities such as cooking, cleaning, bathing, and home repair are known as Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).

Question 75

Dementia is a common form of Alzheimer's disease.

Question 76

As children leave home and parents retire, how do couples divide up household labor?

Question 77

Most federal programs and laws treat same-sex couples differently from married heterosexual couples. List two of these differences, according to the text.

Question 78

Cite an example of how racial or ethnic backgrounds can affect senior living arrangements.

Question 79

Many informal caregivers find the process of caring for a relative quite stressful.

Question 80

The role of grandparent has changed over the past century in several ways.List three of these ways.