Deck 10: Divorce, Remarriage, and Blended Families

Question 1

A better divorce rate measure that compares how many divorces occurred in a given year relative to the number of married people in that year is the

A) crude divorce rate.
B) refined divorce rate.
C) federal divorce rate.
D) divorce-marriage ratio.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which generation has the highest divorce rate on record?

A) the "Greatest Generation"
B) baby boomers
C) Generation X
D) the Millennial generation

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following measures tells how many divorces there are in the United States, relative to the total size of the population?

A) crude divorce rate
B) refined divorce rate
C) divorce rate
D) divorce-marriage ratio

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following supports the idea that "divorce is as old as marriage"?

A) Today, acceptance of divorce is widespread but not universal.
B) Feminists consider access to divorce essential for gender equality.
C) Divorce in the United States is vastly more common today than it was a century ago.
D) Ancient Jewish laws permitted divorce.

Question 5

Legal annulment is in the United States.

A) very common
B) common
C) rare
D) very rare

Question 6

When discussing trends in divorce, sociologists focus primarily on heterosexual, formally married individuals because

A) the outcomes are different for those who are not legally married.
B) sociologists do not consider nontraditional forms of family.
C) there is limited systematic research on other forms of family.
D) homosexuality is too recent to have been effectively studied.

Question 7

The most commonly used divorce rate statistic, which compares the number of divorces to the number of new marriages in any given year, is the .

A) crude divorce rate
B) refined divorce rate
C) federal divorce rate
D) divorce-marriage ratio

Question 8

The legal term that indicates a marriage is no longer binding is

A) marital dissolution.
B) separation.
C) divorce.
D) annulment.

Question 9

The change in divorce laws, which allowed either spouse to file for divorce, effectively increased the power of

A) women.
B) men.
C) the state.
D) the church.

Question 10

The legal term that indicates a marriage was never valid is

A) marital dissolution.
B) separation.
C) divorce.
D) annulment.

Question 11

After no-fault divorce laws, there was a spike in divorces, and then the rate .

A) decreased sharply
B) returned to a more moderate downward trend
C) returned to a more moderate upward trend
D) increased sharply

Question 12

Prior to the 1970s and no-fault divorce laws, the divorce rate was

A) extremely low.
B) stagnant.
C) increasing.
D) steadily increasing.

Question 13

Controversies over who controls marriage-the state or church-have arisen based on which of the following topics?

A) same-sex marriage
B) separation
C) attending a divorce
D) marriage after death of a spouse

Question 14

Divorce was not permitted by which group?

A) ancient Jews
B) American Indians
C) Romans
D) Christians

Question 15

Why might divorce trends appear in clusters of friends, coworkers, and siblings?

A) Divorces are relatively common for people with less education.
B) Couples are more likely to divorce when they disagree frequently about household tasks.
C) It is predicted by the refined divorce rate.
D) People's attitudes reflect a practical response to their own experiences and the experiences of those around them.

Question 16

A young girl's parents divorce when she is 12. According to statistics, how does this affect the likelihood that she will divorce?

A) She is less likely than average to divorce.
B) She is equally likely as average to divorce.
C) She is more likely than average to divorce.
D) The relevant statistics are not clear.

Question 17

Divorce is least common among people with which of the following levels of education?

A) less than high school
B) high school
C) some college
D) college or advanced degrees

Question 18

Since the 1980s, divorce rates have _.

A) decreased sharply
B) decreased slightly
C) increased slightly
D) increased sharply

Question 19

Separation is a legal process that involves

A) married spouses separating into different households.
B) the legal dissolution of a marriage.
C) the end of a marriage through divorce or separation.
D) declaring that a marriage was never legally binding.

Question 20

Annulment is rare in the United States and occurs only in cases where

A) the couple does not have any children.
B) spouses were not legally permitted to marry when they did.
C) both spouses vow never to remarry.
D) the male partner initiates the annulment.

Question 21

Which of the following is true with regard to initiating divorce proceedings?

A) Men and women are equally likely to file.
B) Women are more likely to file.
C) Men are more likely to file.
D) Parents are more likely to file than nonparents, regardless of gender.

Question 22

On average, men's income __________ after a divorce.

A) increases
B) decreases
C) is supplemented by child support
D) is unaffected by divorce

Question 23

Generally, living together with a partner the chance of divorcing if the couple eventually marries.

A) significantly increases
B) does not affect
C) significantly decreases
D) slightly decreases

Question 24

The increased likelihood that women and children live in poverty is known as the

A) income effect.
B) independence effect.
C) poverty effect.
D) feminization of poverty.

Question 25

A family with at least one person whose relationship is not shared with everyone else is defined as a

A) stepfamily.
B) remarriage.
C) blended family.
D) stepparent.

Question 26

Which of the following characteristics increases a couple's chance of divorce?

A) spouse's health problems
B) in-law problems
C) children's health problems
D) having young children

Question 27

The independence effect has been noted to

A) increase the likelihood of employed people to leave happy marriages.
B) increase the likelihood of employed people to leave unhappy marriages.
C) increase divorce as income increases.
D) decrease divorce as income increases.

Question 28

A study of several thousand British couples suggests that divorce outcomes for adults show

A) higher levels of stress even after the divorce.
B) lower levels of stress after the divorce is final.
C) that they felt more depressed and anxious after the divorce.
D) that they continued to have difficulty sleeping after the divorce.

Question 29

After divorce, are twice as likely to live in poverty.

A) women and their children
B) men
C) same-sex couples
D) blended families

Question 30

Two young boys share the same father but have different mothers. The boys

A) are half-brothers.
B) are stepbrothers.
C) must be coping with a divorce.
D) must live together because fathers automatically receive custody.

Question 31

Those who marry at 20 are about times more likely to divorce than those who wait until 25.

A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five

Question 32

Which of the following characteristics decreases a couple's chance of divorce?

A) arguing about household chores
B) discussing their marital unhappiness with friends
C) spending time alone together
D) avoiding having sex

Question 33

On average, women's income __________ after a divorce.

A) increases
B) decreases
C) is supplemented by child support
D) is unaffected by divorce

Question 34

Couples who cohabitate are characterized by

A) more traditional family views.
B) lower acceptance of divorce.
C) more stable work lives.
D) more moves and relocations.

Question 35

Having a father who is involved in a child's life generally

A) improves children's happiness and well-being.
B) improves financial stability in the mother and child.
C) increases the likelihood of the parents remarrying.
D) is important only for boys.

Question 36

On average, postponing marriage means couples are

A) more financially secure.
B) less educated.
C) more unstable in their lives.
D) less emotionally developed.

Question 37

Engaged couples who live together prior to marriage are likely to divorce, compared to non-engaged couples who cohabit.

A) more
B) equally
C) less
D) much less

Question 38

When one partner loses a job, the marriage is

A) often weakened, regardless of who lost their job.
B) often weakened, but only if the woman lost her job.
C) strengthened as the couple works together to overcome difficulties.
D) strengthened if the woman stays home to help with family work.

Question 39

Which of the following is a potential factor affecting children's reaction to divorce, as discussed in the text?

A) economic abundance
B) more parental time and energy
C) residential moves and school transitions
D) the legal proceedings

Question 40

The income effect has been noted to

A) increase people's likelihood of leaving happy marriages.
B) increase people's likelihood of leaving unhappy marriages.
C) increase divorce as income increases.
D) decrease divorce as income increases.

Question 41

Explain the difference between a divorce and an annulment.

Question 42

Differentiate between the refined divorce rate and the divorce-marriage ratio.

Question 43

__________ women are most likely to remarry after divorce.

A) Asian
B) Black
C) Hispanic
D) White

Question 44

Which of the following is a characteristic of the "Gray Divorce Revolution"?

A) It is about the generation born between 1965 and 1979, known as Generation X.
B) Many of those over 50 who divorced in 2015 were ending a second or third marriage.
C) This trend proves that older people will continue to have increased divorced rates in the future.
D) "Gray divorce" does not contribute to the multigenerational pattern people typically emulate from their parents.

Question 45

Discuss the impact of cohabitation on a couple's risk of divorce.

Question 46

Describe the economic outcomes for men and women after divorce and explain the disparity.

Question 47

Which group has historically dealt with boundary ambiguity?

A) married couples and their children
B) members of blended families who feel comfortable with their role in the family.
C) couples who cohabitate before marrying
D) same-sex couples whose marriages were not legally recognized

Question 48

Summarize the positive and negative outcomes of divorce for partners.

Question 49

Explain why relationship dissolution may be a relevant term or process even when a couple was not legally married.

Question 50

Summarize how women's working impacts their likelihood to file for divorce.

Question 51

Consider times when divorce may be positive for children.

Question 52

Consider the outcome of living together before marriage for an engaged couple.

Question 53

Describe the income effect on divorce.

Question 54

Explain the short- and long-term impact of divorce reform on divorce rates.

Question 55

Why is it important to study divorce from a sociological perspective?

Question 56

The text states that the divorce revolution has proved to be multigenerational. What does this mean?

Question 57

occurs when family members do not know or do not agree on who is in the family and what role each person plays.

A) Annulment
B) Boundary ambiguity
C) Blended families
D) Divorce

Question 58

Which of the following is sociologically important when considering who gets custody of children?

A) The care and nurturing of children is an important part of gender inequality.
B) Custody arrangements typically reflect the child(ren)'s "favorite" parent.
C) Custody demonstrates income inequality because the wealthier parent usually gets custody.
D) Judges in divorce cases face a complex task of balancing interests.

Question 59

Which of the following statements about divorce is true?

A) Divorce rates are lower for people who have been married multiple times.
B) Divorces are less common for college graduates than for people who did not graduate college.
C) African Americans and Pacific Islanders have the lowest divorce rates.
D) American Indians and Whites have the highest divorce rates.

Question 60

Explain why definitions are important to blended families.