Chapter 4
Multiple Choice
1. American families have been called _______ because of the wide range of communication
media they used to stay connected:
a. Wired
b. Digital
c. Cyber
d. Networked
2. Each couple that lives together for a period of time develops its own set of relationship
agreements. What are these called?
a. Networks
b. Patterns
c. Themes
d. Rules
3. Family communication over time takes on definite patterns, depending upon how the family
organizes its activities. As working parents, Brian and Peggy call their housekeeper to relay
separate messages to their son when he comes home from school. Which answer best describes
this message sending?
a. Y-network
b. Wheel network
c. All-channel network
d. Chain network
4. Why is ethnicity discussed as an influence in family communication?
a. We see and relate to the world partly through cultural lenses.
b. Ethnicity does not disappear after the first generation.
c. Ethnicity is a deep-rooted part of identity.
d. All of the above
5. Constitutive rules do not:
a. Define what counts as communication.
b. Construct meanings among family members.
c. Indicate how and when to speak.
d. Provide family members with common understandings
6. Which network provides the maximum use of feedback?
a. Y-Network
b. All-channel network
c. Wheel network
d. Chain network
7. Which network style involves two-way exchanges of information flowing between all family
members in all directions?
a. Chain networks
b. Y-networks
c. All-channel networks
d. Wheel networks
8. There are different kinds of secrets. For example, Jane and her brothers were told of their
parents’ previous marriages, but they know not to tell this to their friends. Which kind of secret
does this exemplify?
a. Whole family secret
b. Individual secret
c. Safe harbor secret
d. Sweet secret
9. Jaclyn decided not to tell her daughter that she had cancer. This secret created stress and
uncertainty for both Jaclyn and her daughter, as the family issue remained unclear and un-
discussed. What type of family secret does this illustrate?
a. Essential secret
b. Sweet secret
c. Toxic secret
d. Dangerous secret
10. According to Vangelisti, secrets serve functions in families. Which of the following is NOT a
function?
a. Privacy
b. Bonding
c. Adaptability
d. Evaluation
11. Carrie and Craig have been married for two years and have experienced quite a few conflict
episodes that become physically violent. Carrie’s cousin, Doug, lives in the apartment below
them, and knows about their violent fighting, but has not told anyone about their secret
because he’s afraid to get them in trouble with the law. What type of family secret is this?
a. Dangerous
b. Essential
c. Dysfunctional
d. Toxic
12. Jen is an electrician and was recently diagnosed with degenerative arthritis, a condition that will
likely affect her ability to effectively do her job. Jen’s husband doesn’t tell anyone so that her
employers don’t find out, just in case they will hold it against her. Which function of family
secrets is this upholding?
a. Bonding
b. Defense
c. Maintenance
d. Evaluation
13. Which of the following is NOT true about telling stories?
a. Connected couples tell stories as if they are co-owned.
b. Dysfunctional separate couples exhibit contradiction, disagreement, and poor listening.
c. Functional separate couples demonstrate respect, validation, and support.
d. Men/Fathers are more active in telling stories than women/moms.
14. Trystan Salinas’s parents tell him a story about when they first got married and spent too much
money, leading to bad credit and financial struggles. What type of question does this story
answer?
a. Are parents human?
b. How did the family come to be?
c. Will the family stand behind its members?
d. What does it mean to be a Salinas?
15. Jian‘s family tells a story every Chinese New Year about the sacrifices their ancestors made to
give them the lives they lead. What function does this story serve?
a. Teach expected behavior and values
b. Entertain
c. Manage stress
d. Create belonging and sense of history
16. According to Dickson’s research on couple storytelling, couples who engage in validating and
individual storytelling are called:
a. Separates
b. Functional separates
c. Connected
d. Traditionals
17. At 8:30 p.m., the Horstman children are expected to brush their teeth and go to bed. This is an
example of what type of rule?
a. Regulative
b. Consitutive
c. Pluralistic
d. Discursive
18. Josef decided to tell his partner that he had lied about a trip he took to Las Vegas because he
figured his partner would eventually find out about the trip anyway. What criteria for revealing
did he consider?
a. Judgment
b. Intimate exchange
c. Exposure
d. Urgency
Answer Key
Quiz True False
1. Rules are maintained or changed via feedback processes.
a. True
b. False
2. A relational culture refers to the degree to which family members identify with their cultural
heritage.
a. True
b. False
3. The more similar the background of the members of a couple, the more negotiation is needed to
arrive at a mutually agreed upon worldview.
a. True
b. False
4. Nonverbal behaviors may distinguish between a distressed and a nondistressed couple.
a. True
b. False
5. Coordinated meanings between partners develop early and quickly within the relationship.
a. True
b. False
6. The all-channel network maintains the parents at the center of the network.
a. True
b. False
7. Family rules tend to reflect the current culture and social environment of the family rather than
the family’s ethnic background.
a. True
b. False
8. Metarules are the rules that regulate family rules.
a. True
b. False
9. Secrets in families are usually destructive to family functioning because they undermine open
communication patterns and promote unhealthy alliances among members.
a. True
b. False
10. Functional relationships involve people who don’t have to work very hard to coordinate their
meanings and partners have very few misunderstandings.
a. True
b. False
11. Verbal messages are more important for constructing family meanings and identities than
nonverbal messages.
a. True
b. False
Answer Key
Chapter 4:
Describe the impact of an important secret on the development of patterns of closeness or distance within
a real or fictional family. Use specific examples.
There are six questions that outline the lessons that family stories may teach.
Choose one of those questions and describe a family story in your family that answers the question. How
has this story impacted your life and/or shaped your identity as a member of the family? What does this
example reveal to you about the importance of stories in the formation of family identities and why?
List and describe three functions of secrets.