Question 1

The "cult of domesticity" refers to which of these ideas?
A)People should value domesticity over other forms of labor.
B)Women as devoted mothers and wives should embrace supportive and loving emotional work.
C)Women and men should have leisure at home rather than work extensive hours.
D)People should marry for love rather than for passing on property.

Accepted Answer

The "cult of domesticity" was a set of beliefs popular in the 19th century that emphasized women's roles as wives and mothers. Women were expected to be nurturing, supportive, and emotionally sensitive in their domestic roles, while men were associated with the public sphere and work outside of the home. This idea is reflected in choice B, which highlights the emphasis on emotional labor in the home.

Question 2

How might the fact that 1957 saw the highest rate of teen pregnancy in American history best be explained?
A)Working-class teens in the booming economy had little incentive to complete their education.
B)The cultural emphasis on family and children led to a drop in the age of marriage,so women were married and had their first child as teenagers.
C)Going steady led young people to fall in love and accelerate their sexual experimentation over time.
D)Laws prohibiting statutory rape were not yet in place and men took advantage of the lack of parental supervision.

Accepted Answer

Going steady led young people to fall in love and accelerate their sexual experimentation over time.

Question 3

Why would anyone call World War II a "nationwide 'coming out' experience"?
A)Homosexuals were mobilized to the war effort even if they openly declared their sexuality.
B)Putting so many young men together in same-sex environments offered them opportunities for homoerotic encounters.
C)People in the United States finally recognized that homosexuality is an identity,not only an occasional practice.
D)Gays and lesbians in the U.S.military pushed for visibility and accommodations.

Accepted Answer

During World War II, the mobilization of young men into same-sex environments such as military barracks and ships provided opportunities for homoerotic encounters, which some historians describe as a "coming out" experience for many individuals.

Question 4

During the 1950s,there were several notable changes in social trends.For example,
A)divorce rates increased.
B)the age for marriage and motherhood rose.
C)fertility rates declined rapidly.
D)the education gap between women and men increased sharply.

Accepted Answer

The answer of During the 1950s,there were several notable changes...

Question 5

How is female prostitution related to early capitalism?
A)Prostitution recognized society changing views toward women's sexual independence.
B)Prostitution was a means of economic survival for poor women.
C)Capitalism inspired perverse inclinations in men.
D)Early capitalism created a double standard of morality for male sexual behavior.

Accepted Answer

Female prostitution was often a means of economic survival for poor women during the era of early capitalism. With the rise of industrialization and the increasing urbanization of populations, many women found themselves displaced from traditional forms of employment and turned to prostitution as a way to make a living. This was especially true for women who lacked the education and skills necessary to compete in the emerging labor market. As such, prostitution became closely tied to the economic structures of early capitalism, and many women were forced into the profession by economic necessity.

Question 6

The idea of a family wage is meant to
A)encourage everyone in the family to work to support each other.
B)enable some men to earn a wage sufficient to support an unemployed wife and several children.
C)ensure that all men were paid more than women.
D)defend the idea that housewives should be paid for the work they did to take care of a home and children.

Accepted Answer

The idea of a family wage is meant to enable some men to earn a wage sufficient to support an unemployed wife and several children. The concept originated in the early 20th century as a response to the changing societal norms and economic conditions, where men were expected to be the sole breadwinners of the family, and women were expected to take care of the home and children. The family wage was meant to provide a secure living for the nuclear family, ensuring that the husband's earnings were enough to cover the needs of the entire family.

Question 7

Feminists in the 1960s and 1970s contributed to changing the rules of marriage by
A)emphasizing that women and men were jointly responsible for housework and had to negotiate who would do what.
B)insisting that every woman should be employed full time for her entire adult life,regardless of whether she had children.
C)claiming that women who were sexually active should be legally entitled to avoid pregnancy regardless of whether they were married.
D)suggesting that men and women hyphenate their two last names after marriage to symbolize the equal partnership that should exist between them.

Accepted Answer

Feminists in the 1960s and 1970s emphasized that women and men were jointly responsible for housework and had to negotiate who would do what. This helped to challenge traditional gender norms and roles within marriage and lead to a more equal division of labor between partners.

Question 8

Why did enslaved Africans during the colonial period engage in premarital sex?
A)They had more opportunities to socialize across gender lines than whites did.
B)They did not restrict their own sexuality as severely as did whites.
C)They had greater sexual desire than whites.
D)Most could not legally marry.

Accepted Answer

Enslaved Africans during the colonial period were not legally allowed to marry, so premarital sex was often their only option for starting a family or for sexual intimacy. Slave marriages were not legally recognized, and slaveholders often separated spouses and sold off children, making it difficult for families to stay together. Therefore, many enslaved Africans engaged in premarital sex as a way of preserving their relationships and creating a sense of family.

Question 9

Which of the following definitions best describes a breadwinner/housewife marriage?
A)Women are legally subordinated to men.
B)Women offer men domestic services and men support them financially.
C)Women marry by choice and expect love in their relationship.
D)Women can only meet the expectations of their role by staying at home full-time nurturing children.

Accepted Answer

A breadwinner/housewife marriage is characterized by a division of labor where men work outside the house and financially support the family, while women stay at home and provide domestic services, including childcare. This definition emphasizes the economic dependency of women on their husbands and the traditional gender roles and expectations that shape the relationship. It does not necessarily imply legal subordination or lack of choice or love in the marriage, but it reflects the unequal distribution of power and resources between men and women in this type of union.

Question 10

Which of the following definitions best describes a patriarchal marriage?
A)Men are heads of the household and women are their property.
B)Men as fathers have control over their daughters but not their sons.
C)Men receive a family wage to support women and children.
D)Because men are breadwinners,they are the decision makers in both the public and domestic spheres.

Accepted Answer

A patriarchal marriage is one in which the man is the head of the household and women are considered their property. This means that men have full control over their wives and daughters, and are responsible for making all decisions related to the family. Women are expected to be submissive and obedient to their husbands, and have no say in the matter. This type of marriage is deeply rooted in traditional gender roles and is often seen in conservative or religious communities.

Question 11

The ideology of separate spheres caused women in the 1950s and 1960s more strain than it had in earlier decades.How would this increase in strain be best explained?
A)Their husbands were working longer hours than ever before,so they had to do much more housework than before to balance this.
B)As a group,they had higher levels of education and work experience before marriage,so housework and childcare did not feel like it was using all their abilities.
C)They had such large numbers of children that they lost all opportunities to do anything other than childcare.
D)The breadwinner/housewife ideal was being questioned,and feminists made their commitment to housework seem foolish.

Accepted Answer

Women in the 1950s and 1960s had more education and work experience before marriage than in earlier decades, which may have caused them to feel that housework and childcare were not utilizing their abilities, leading to an increase in strain. The other options, such as husbands working longer hours, having a large number of children, and feminist questioning of traditional gender roles, may also have contributed to strain but are not the best explanation given the context provided.

Question 12

How has urbanization created incentives to have fewer children?
A)Moving to cities makes people less religious.
B)Raising children in cities is more expensive.
C)More men than women live in cities.
D)Cities are less safe for children.

Accepted Answer

Urban areas typically have higher costs of living, particularly in terms of housing, education, and quality childcare. These expenses create strong incentives for families to limit their size and have fewer children so that they can provide for them adequately.

Question 13

Alex believes that women are naturally chaste and are motivated by love while men are naturally more vulgar and filled with sexual desire.Alex is demonstrating which term?
A)the cult of domesticity
B)a gendered love/sex binary
C)partnership marriage
D)separate spheres

Accepted Answer

Alex is displaying the belief in a gendered love/sex binary where women are believed to be more motivated by love and men are believed to be more sexual and vulgar. This binary reinforces traditional gender roles and stereotypes. Choices A, C, and D are not applicable in this situation.

Question 14

What has been the statistical trend for ages at which women first marry?
A)Between 1920 and 1940,it rose,but by 1950,it had dropped substantially.In the 1960s,it began rising again and hasn't stopped since.
B)It has been rising since the 1900s,along with women's education.
C)Between 1900 and 1950,it rose,but by 1950,it had dropped substantially.It has been dropping ever since.
D)Between 1920 and 1940,it rose,but between 1950 and 1970,it had dropped substantially.After women's liberation in the mid-1970s,it began to rise again.

Accepted Answer

The age at which women first marry rose between 1920 and 1940, dropped in the 1950s, and began rising again in the 1960s, continuing to rise since then.

Question 15

What best describes the gender relations of the 1950s?
A)They were unusually family focused.
B)Achieving the "American dream" put more financial strain on men than ever before.
C)It was a decade of increased interest in feminism and sexual liberation.
D)Men and women grew increasingly tolerant of homosexual behavior.

Accepted Answer

The 1950s were known for their emphasis on traditional gender roles and family values, with women typically serving as homemakers and men as breadwinners. This focus on the family unit often meant that gender relations were defined by a hierarchy in which men held more power and authority than women.

Note: None of the other answer choices accurately reflect the gender relations of the 1950s.

Question 16

What does the concept of commodification convey?
A)exchanges between productive labor in factories and reproductive labor at home
B)the advertising that is used to sell things
C)the making of things that can be bought and sold
D)making useful things at home

Accepted Answer

The concept of commodification refers to the process of making things or services that can be bought and sold in the market. This means that commodities are produced with the aim of generating profit, rather than for their intrinsic value or usefulness. Examples of commodified goods include consumer products, such as clothing or electronics, and services, such as health care or education.

Question 17

The increasing importance of the cosmetics industry from the 1920s to the present has reflected how
A)purity,domesticity,and romance were increasingly separate ideals for women to pursue.
B)courtship based on "dating" and "treating" have become less important.
C)women's investments in their appearance became strategically important.
D)women's sexual activities depended on their having the money to invest in these new goods.

Accepted Answer

The increasing importance of the cosmetics industry from the 1920s to the present reflected women's investments in their appearance becoming strategically important. As more women entered the workforce and gained economic independence, their image and appearance became important in terms of professional success and social status.

Question 18

How has industrial change created incentives to have fewer children?
A)People can't afford more children because each child requires expensive electronics.
B)People prefer to spend their time watching TV rather than having sex.
C)People get access to condoms,which are cheap and effective means of contraception.
D)People have to pay for more expensive technologies in hospitals to give birth.

Accepted Answer

Access to condoms, which are cheap and effective means of contraception, has provided a direct means for individuals to control the number of children they have, aligning with broader industrial changes that emphasize smaller family sizes due to various economic and social factors.

Question 19

The "good girl/bad girl dichotomy" refers to which social idea?
A)Women who defer to men are respectable while women who are assertive are not.
B)Good girls are mothers,and bad girls are not.
C)Women who "behave themselves" sexually are worthy of respect,and women who have sex with "too many" men are not.
D)Modern women,unlike the chaste women of the Victorian era,are interested in having sex.

Accepted Answer

The "good girl/bad girl dichotomy" refers to the social idea that women who "behave themselves" sexually are worthy of respect, while women who have sex with "too many" men are not. This idea perpetuates the double standard that men are rewarded for their sexual conquests while women are shamed for the same behavior. It also suggests that women should refrain from asserting their sexuality, and instead, defer to men's desires.

Question 20

Zoey has found her grandmother's dairy from when she attended college in the 1920s.In multiple entries,Zoey's grandmother describes female classmates for whom she has same-sex crushes.These diary entries are good examples of which term?
A)gendered love
B)sexual binary
C)smashing
D)treating

Accepted Answer

In the 1920s, "smashing" was a term used to describe intense same-sex crushes or romantic friendships between women, often seen in college settings.

Quiz 8: Change

The "cult of domesticity" refers to which of these ideas?

How might the fact that 1957 saw the highest rate of teen pregnancy in American history best be explained?

Why would anyone call World War II a "nationwide 'coming out' experience"?

During the 1950s,there were several notable changes in social trends.For example,

How is female prostitution related to early capitalism?

The idea of a family wage is meant to

Feminists in the 1960s and 1970s contributed to changing the rules of marriage by

Why did enslaved Africans during the colonial period engage in premarital sex?

Which of the following definitions best describes a breadwinner/housewife marriage?

Which of the following definitions best describes a patriarchal marriage?

The ideology of separate spheres caused women in the 1950s and 1960s more strain than it had in earlier decades.How would this increase in strain be best explained?

How has urbanization created incentives to have fewer children?

Alex believes that women are naturally chaste and are motivated by love while men are naturally more vulgar and filled with sexual desire.Alex is demonstrating which term?

What has been the statistical trend for ages at which women first marry?

What best describes the gender relations of the 1950s?

What does the concept of commodification convey?

The increasing importance of the cosmetics industry from the 1920s to the present has reflected how

How has industrial change created incentives to have fewer children?

The "good girl/bad girl dichotomy" refers to which social idea?

Zoey has found her grandmother's dairy from when she attended college in the 1920s.In multiple entries,Zoey's grandmother describes female classmates for whom she has same-sex crushes.These diary entries are good examples of which term?