Chapter 1
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following does NOT represent a societal trend relevant to families today?
a. Stepfamilies continue to increase through marriage and cohabitation.
b. Number of single-parent families continues to increase.
c. LGBTQ families continue to increase.
d. Divorce rates continue to increase.
2. Which statement best reflects the book’s definition of a “functional family”?
a. Families are functional if they are able to adapt to stresses and contexts.
b. Families are functional if they match traditional family forms.
c. Families are functional if they fit typical or “normal” patterns of behavior.
d. Families are functional if they do not exhibit any symptoms of psychopathology.
3. Following the birth of their second child, the Graham family experienced some changes in their
typical patterns of behavior. They decided to try to keep their routines and rules as stable as
possible so their older children would not feel disrupted. According to systems theory, they are
using what form of calibration?
a. Maintenance feedback
b. Change-promoting feedback
c. Positive feedback
d. Equifinality
4. ______ refers to the idea that families are greater than the sum of each member considered
separately.
a. Equifinality
b. Interdependence
c. Wholeness
d. Openness
5. ______ refers to the idea that if one family member changes, that change will affect other
family members, which will then affect the initial member and family.
a. Triangulation
b. Interdependence
c. Interactive complexity
d. Wholeness
6. According to systems theory, what is the process of interrupting sequences of behaviors in order
to give them meaning (e.g., cause-effect)?
a. Coalition
b. Equifinality
c. Self-regulating patterns
d. Punctuation
7. Which of the following statements best reflects equifinality?
a. Whole is greater than the sum of its parts
b. Many paths to arrive at the same outcome
c. Family members mutually influence each other
d. Boundaries separate the family from the world
8. Erik’s mother–in-law and nephew live with him and his wife in their home. Which category of
family does this scenario best illustrate?
a. Single-family
b. Extended
c. Blended
d. Partners without children
9. Which of the following definitions is the most inclusive?
a. A family is a blood relationship.
b. A family is a socializing unit recognized by law and religion.
c. A family is a group with a past history.
d. A family is created when individuals consider each other as members and share and care
for one another.
10. Steve exhibits a communicative behavior similar to that of his grandfather and his father. This is
an example of which family communication principle?
a. The definition of family is normative.
b. Communication is a process of sharing meaning.
c. Multigenerational communication patterns exist.
d. Healthy family communication is dynamic.
11. Communication is constitutive, which means…
a. Communication is the key to family happiness.
b. Communication constructs the relationships between family members.
c. Communication displays the family’s interactions.
d. Communication patterns cross generations.
12. Which types of families seem to be growing in the U.S.?
a. Cohabitating partners
b. Lesbian and gay families
c. Multi-generational families
d. All of the above
13. Which of the following is NOT true about well-functioning families?
a. They value effective communication
b. They have the ability to manage conflict
c. They develop capacities to adapt to varying circumstances and challenges
d. They maintain relationships easily and comfortably, without effort
14. According to the role lens of defining families, relationships that can be considered “family”
relationships are those in which:
a. Relational partners feel and act like family
b. Relational partners are formally sanctioned by law
c. Relational partners share genetic material
d. All of the above
15. The Taylors rely on one another and share skills to accomplish family tasks. This system
characteristic is called:
a. Relational partners feel and act like family
b. Relational partners are formally sanctioned by law
c. Relational partners share genetic material
d. All of the above
16. What is the function in a family system that regulates stability and/or change?
a. Morphostasis
b. Patterns and self-regulation
c. Interactive complexity
d. Calibration
17. Al grew up in a family in which members did not talk about affection for each other. When he
married Fatimah, she said, “Goodbye, I love you,” every time she left him or her in-laws. After a
few years, Al and his family began to do the same. This is an example of:
a. Maintenance feedback
b. Regulating feedback
c. System feedback
d. Change-promoting feedback
18. When you punctuate a sequence of behavior to give it meaning, you are saying…
a. “Things started here.”
b. “We need to continue this conversation.”
c. “We need to find the guilty person.”
d. “This has to stop.”
19. According to the systems theory principle of _________, family members should not blame each
other for their behaviors because they all contributed to the behavior in some way, at some
time.
a. Complex relationships
b. Interactive complexity/punctuation
c. Wholeness
d. Self-regulation
Answer Key
Quiz True False
1. More young adults are living at home for longer periods of time and returning to live at home
after a departure (college or military service).
a. True
b. False
2. There is an ideal, best way to be an effective family.
a. True
b. False
3. Committed partners may be considered to be in a voluntaristic family.
a. True
b. False
4. According to some scholars, families may be formed through constitutive means or defining
themselves as family.
a. True
b. False
5. Primary parents are those who raise children without the support or assistance of the other
parent.
a. True
b. False
6. The term “family–of–origin” refers primarily to the country in which one’s ancestors were born.
a. True
b. False
7. A family has a past, a present that includes some kind of sharing and contact, and a future that
includes the expectation of continuing the relationships.
a. True
b. False
8. Problems in relationships can relate back to the family-of-origin.
a. True
b. False
9. The divorce rate continues to rise in the 21st century.
a. True
b. False
10. Family communication patterns both construct and reflect family life.
a. True
b. False
11. Each family generation constructs their own communication patterns, regardless of the
communication patterns of prior generations.
a. True
b. False
12. There is such a thing as a universal family type.
a. True
b. False
13. “Discourse–dependent” families rely upon communication strategies to maintain members’
internal sense of “we–ness” as well as to reveal or conceal information about the family to
outsiders
a. True
b. False
14. An example of a “blended family” is a family constructed through adoption.
a. True
b. False
Answer Key
Chapter 1:
List and describe the three lenses through which we can view family types. Please provide an
example family type that fits within each lens.
Please discuss an economic, demographic, structural, and cultural trend (one for each) that most
surprised you (and why?).
Examine your current beliefs about what it means to be a family. Write your personal answer to the
question, “What constitutes a family?” Follow this with a reflection on the extent to which you believe
communication plays a role in the creation of family ties.
Based on your experience or informed speculation, describe three implications of ethnicity or economics
on how family members interact. Give specific examples.
What is a “discourse–dependent” family? Based upon the definition, explain why this type of family is
becoming increasingly common in the U.S. Be sure to give at least 2 specific examples of discourse-
dependent families to support your answer.