Chapter Thirteen: Families
Jane and Mary are in their senior year of college. They have decided to forego dorm life and rent an apartment of
their own. When the census-taker appears at their door, he records them as a(n)
a. family.
b. nonfamily household.
c. extended family.
d. same-sex couple.
Learning Objective: LO 13.2: Explain how family forms are affected by societal economic transformations.
Topic/Concept: U.S. Families in Historical Perspective
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
TB_Q13.2.30
Frank and Marty have been a couple for 25 years but they only married in July, 2015, following the landmark U.S.
Supreme Court ruling that allows same-sex marriage in all 50 states. In the 2010 census, they were recorded as living
in a _____, but in 2020 they will be considered a _____.
a. household; family.
b. nonfamily household; household.
c. nonfamily household; family.
d. nonfamily household; real household.
Learning Objective: LO 13.2: Explain how family forms are affected by societal economic transformations.
Topic/Concept: U.S. Families in Historical Perspective
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
TB_Q13.2.31
The fastest growth among nonfamily households in recent years has been among
a. immigrants.
b. cohabiting heterosexual couples.
c. college-age youth sharing apartments.
d. individuals living alone.
Learning Objective: LO 13.2: Explain how family forms are affected by societal economic transformations.
Topic/Concept: U.S. Families in Historical Perspective
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q13.2.32
In Conflict and Order, 14th edition
In the next decade, the overall composition of households is projected to continue to shift, with a increasing
proportion of
a. nonfamily households.
b. family households.
c. modern families.
d. traditional families.
Learning Objective: LO 13.2: Explain how family forms are affected by societal economic transformations.
Topic/Concept: U.S. Families in Historical Perspective
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q13.2.33
Greta is a 62-year-old woman who is raising her five-year-old grandson. They rent an apartment in a converted
garage behind a house in a residential neighborhood of a small city. When the census taker visits Greta, she
records this household as a
a. blended family.
b. family.
c. nonfamily household.
d. postmodern family.
Learning Objective: LO 13.2: Explain how family forms are affected by societal economic transformations.
Topic/Concept: U.S. Families in Historical Perspective
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
TB_Q13.3.34
In 1970, 72% of all U.S. adults were married. Today, that figure is
a. just over 60%.
b. almost 55%.
c. just under 50%.
d. almost 25%.
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q13.3.35
Chapter Thirteen: Families
The _____ is made up of family scholars and therapists, educators, policymakers, and religious leaders who
have proposed a number of strategies for improving marriage and reducing divorce.
a. feminist movement
b. marriage movement
c. family enhancement movement
d. conservative coalition
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q13.3.36
Companionship and intimacy are obvious benefits of marriage, but research has also found another benefit, which is
a. married people who divorce are happier than people who never marry.
b. married people enjoy participating in risky behaviors like excessive drinking together.
c. marriage promotes better health, both physical and mental.
d. marriage promotes a higher level of education.
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q13.3.37
Recent research finds the _____ benefits of marriage to be uneven; that is, they differ by social class and race.
a. intimacy
b. companionship
c. social
d. economic
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q13.3.38
Jessie Bernard’s work demonstrated that each marriage is actually
a. two marriages—his and hers.
b. the merging of two separate human beings into a single entity.
c. impossible to evaluate from the outside.
d. a balance of advantage and abuse.
In Conflict and Order, 14th edition
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q13.3.39
Same-sex marriage was legalized on June 27, 2015. Prior to that decision, there was much debate on both sides.
Supporters of same-sex marriage argued that denying same-sex couples access to things straight couples take
for granted, such as _____, was discriminatory.
a. setting up a household together
b. Social Security benefits, health care, and pension benefits
c. sending their children to public school
d. starting a business together
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q13.3.40
Which of the following is NOT one of the patterns noted about divorce in the United States?
a. One in five marriages ends in divorce or separation within five years.
b. Couples who separate do so, on average, after seven years and divorce after eight years.
c. One in eight marriages dissolves within 10 years.
d. Divorce patterns for African Americans differ from those of Whites.
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q13.3.41
What percentage of people in the United States who remarry were previously divorced (rather than widowed)?
a. 10%
b. 40%
c. 60%
d. 90%
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q13.3.42
Chapter Thirteen: Families
Since the 1960s, the rise of _____ in the workforce has been dramatic, creating both benefits and constraints for
families.
a. women
b. African Americans
c. Latinos
d. first-generation immigrants
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q13.3.43
Which term is defined as the way in which the connections between jobs and family life may be a source of
tension for workers and family members?
a. Spillover
b. Work–family interference
c. Home-as-haven
d. Work–life balance
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q13.3.44
The term _____ is used to describe the transfer of moods, feelings, and behavior between work and family
settings.
a. glass wall
b. boundary issue
c. spillover
d. stress reaction
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q13.3.45
A comparison of various factors such as infant mortality, child and teen death rates, and teen birth rates show
that children’s well-being in the early 21st century is _____ than in the late 20th century.
a. equal to
b. somewhat worse
c. much worse
d. better
In Conflict and Order, 14th edition
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Analyze It
TB_Q13.3.46
Unlike premodern societies, which have _____ serving to identify the individual as a child or an adult,
adulthood in U.S. society is unclear.
a. rites of passage
b. secret names
c. identity cards
d. technology
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q13.3.47
The chapter makes the case that, along with the changing pace of life, _____ is (are) decreasing family
interactions.
a. rites of passage
b. technology
c. formal education
d. afterschool jobs
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q13.3.48
During the 20th century, the population of the United States experienced a profound change—it became older
and is on the verge of becoming much older. The chapter refers to this phenomenon as the
a. multigenerational family.
b. grandparent glut.
c. senior boom.
d. second childhood.
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Chapter Thirteen: Families
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q13.3.49
The chapter predicts several possibilities for families in the future based on the growing numbers of senior
citizens in our society. Which of the following is NOT one of those predictions?
a. The percentage of multigenerational households will grow.
b. Elders will enter shared living arrangement such as dorm-style living in retirement communities.
c. Adult children will boomerang back to their parents.
d. Parents will boomerang back to their adult children.
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
TB_Q13.3.50
Trends regarding families led Joseph Coates in 2002 to make predictions about family life in the future. What
did he speculate about divorce?
a. Divorce rates will diminish as more minority families decide to remain intact.
b. Divorce rates will soar as more women enter the workforce, either out of necessity or a desire for
personal fulfillment.
c. Divorce will diminish because society will focus on creating more effective families as profamily
movements emerge.
d. Divorce will continue but society will focus on creating more effective families as profamily movements
emerge.
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Essay Questions
TB_Q13.1.51
In Conflict and Order, 14th edition
Compare and contrast the order and conflict perspectives on the myth of separate worlds as it relates to the idea of the
family as a “haven in a heartless world.”
Learning Objective: LO 13.1: Compare the mythical American family to the reality of family life in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Mythical Family in the United States
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
TB_Q13.1.52
Discuss the evolution of how families have been portrayed on American television.
Learning Objective: LO 13.1: Compare the mythical American family to the reality of family life in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Mythical Family in the United States
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
TB_Q13.2.53
Discuss how sociologist Judith Stacey’s concept of the modern family differs from her idea of the postmodern
family. How does class factor into each type of family?
Learning Objective: LO 13.2: Explain how family forms are affected by societal economic transformations.
Topic/Concept: U.S. Families in Historical Perspective
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
Chapter Thirteen: Families
TB_Q13.3.54
Discuss the ways in which work affects family life, and how gender differences affect work and family roles in
the United States today.
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
TB_Q13.3.55
Discuss child poverty and how it relates to changing family structures.
Learning Objective: LO 13.3: Using the material presented in this section, critique the predictions about families of the future.
Topic/Concept: Changes in Marriage and Family Roles
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It