Deck 16: Remarriages and Stepfamilies

Question 1

According to the latest government statistics available, remarriages have been less _________ than first marriages.

A) heterogamous
B) homogamous
C) exogamous
D) endogamous

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Today, the vast majority of remarrieds have been __________.

A) widowed
B) divorced
C) married multiple times
D) unfaithful

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The text points out that choosing a remarriage partner differs from making a marital choice the first time inasmuch as there is a(n)

A) sense of pessimism surrounding the courtship process.
B) atmosphere of fear and doubt.
C) smaller pool of eligibles with a wider range on any given attribute.
D) feeling of getting "used merchandise."

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The text observes that today, more and more stepfamilies result from

A) cohabitation.
B) first marriages.
C) illegal remarriage.
D) separation rather than divorce.

Question 5

The U.S. Census Bureau stopped compiling remarriage statistics in

A) 1968.
B) 1978.
C) 1988.
D) 1998.

Question 6

In remarriage, women may trade child raising for enhanced economic security. This is referred to in the text as ___________.

A) the "traditional exchange."
B) a sexist political posture.
C) an unstable marriage system.
D) a divorce-recompense.

Question 7

Which ethnic group has the greatest percentage of children living with their biological mother and a stepfather, at 13 %?

A) Latinas
B) Native Americans
C) non-Hispanic white
D) African American

Question 8

Remarrying women generally benefit __________ more than do remarrying men..

A) parentally
B) socially
C) emotionally
D) financially

Question 9

About 4-10 percent of households with children are __________; i.e., at least one child is the biological child of both parents, and at least one other child is the biological child of one parent and the stepchild of the other parent.

A) extended-step
B) nuclear-step
C) modified-extended-step
D) joint biological-step

Question 10

According to the text's discussion of remarriage,

A) during the 1950s, both the divorce rate and the remarriage rate increased sharply.
B) during the 1960s, both the divorce rate and the remarriage rate stabilized.
C) the remarriage rate peaked in about 1972, but declined slightly after that.
D) the divorce rate has been rather low since the 1960s.

Question 11

Some people divorce, remarry, redivorce, and then marry again. But a majority of remarriages are__________ marriages.

A) first
B) second
C) third
D) fourth

Question 12

Women's remarriage rate is __________ men's.

A) considerably lower than
B) the same as
C) slightly higher than
D) almost twice as high as

Question 13

In U.S. households, about four million, or __________ percent of children under age eighteen are stepchildren.

A) 3.5
B) 5
C) 8.5
D) 10

Question 14

Enough remarriages involve stepchildren that travel packages market the "__________," a honeymoon that includes the entire new stepfamily.

A) stepping out vacation package
B) familymoon
C) remarried suite with childcare
D) stepfamilymoon

Question 15

Today, approximately __________ percent of all marriages involve a remarriage of one or both partners.

A) 10
B) 20
C) 30
D) 40

Question 16

According to the text, about __________ of divorced individuals remarry.

A) one-third
B) one-half
C) two-thirds
D) three-quarters

Question 17

Which of the following is one of the reasons offered in the text for the slight decline in remarriage rates?

A) Many divorced persons who would have remarried in the past are now cohabiting in stepfamilies.
B) The divorce rate has decreased dramatically.
C) Economic constraints and uncertainties that have discouraged divorced women, but not men.
D) Marriage has clearly lost some of its popularity.

Question 18

At least one in _________ Americans are now stepparents, stepchildren, stepsiblings, or living in a stepfamily.

A) three
B) five
C) ten
D) twelve

Question 19

The text characterizes the components of a "common remarriage courtship pattern." Which of the following is NOT one of these components?

A) male partner spends a few nights per week in the mother's household
B) a brief period of full-time living together
C) an adaptation period allowing for the adjustment of stepchildren
D) remarriage

Question 20

__________ lower the likelihood of remarriage for both men and women.

A) Financial burdens
B) Children
C) Past relationships
D) Emotional scars

Question 21

Some religions, such as Catholicism, do not recognize a remarriage after divorce unless

A) the ex-spouse has died since the divorce.
B) both partners are re-baptized.
C) neither partner was Catholic until after they were married.
D) the first marriage has been annulled.

Question 22

Social work professor Roni Berger points out that the topics of remarriage and __________ can occur simultaneously, making for extra family stress.

A) immigration
B) divorce
C) parenthood
D) child rearing

Question 23

The text states that remarriages dissolve at higher rates than first marriages, especially for couples with __________.

A) issues
B) financial difficulties
C) stepchildren
D) hostile in-laws

Question 24

White and Booth found that marital quality does not vary greatly between first marriages and single or double remarriages; it is __________ that is generally affected.

A) satisfaction with family life
B) the anger level in the relationship
C) the stress level in the relationship
D) occupational stability

Question 25

The text indicates that perhaps the most significant factor in the comparative instability of remarriages is

A) the presence of stepchildren.
B) the abrasive nature of the partners.
C) the pessimism of the partners.
D) economic hardship.

Question 26

The text points out that as family members separate and then join new families formed by remarriage, the new kin do not so much replace as __________ kin from the first marriage.

A) subtract from
B) add to
C) compensate for
D) substitute for

Question 27

Postdivorce cohabitation is positively associated with ___________.

A) adultery
B) remarital instability
C) remarital happiness
D) multiple marriages

Question 28

Society offers members of stepfamilies an underdeveloped __________, or set of socially prescribed and understood guidelines, for relating to each other or for defining responsibilities and obligations.

A) gender role understanding
B) stepfamily moral code
C) family law
D) cultural script

Question 29

Which of the following terms in the textbook refers to the duration of marriage?

A) marital happiness
B) marital satisfaction
C) marital stability
D) marriage tenacity

Question 30

The text points out that immigration and remarriage are similar in three important ways. Which of the following is NOT one of these?

A) multiple losses
B) discrepancy between expectations and reality
C) the likelihood of divorce
D) integration of two cultures within one unit

Question 31

The text points to various differences between stepfamilies and first marriages with children. Which of the following is NOT one of these?

A) the balance of power is different
B) a complicated "supra-family system"
C) excessive family loyalty
D) preexisting parent-child coalitions

Question 32

The text points out that remarriages dissolve at higher rates than first marriages, especially for remarried couples who have

A) no biological children.
B) stepchildren.
C) no stepchildren.
D) biological children of their own.

Question 33

Considerable research shows that remarrieds experience more tension and conflict than do first marrieds, usually on issues related to__________.

A) stepchildren-discipline or distribution of resources to stepchildren.
B) previous marriages, and unresolved in-law ties
C) new gender roles and sharing household tasks
D) the possibility of divorce and whether the marriage is "working"

Question 34

The text explores three areas in which the stepfamily is likely to seem an incomplete institution, with ambiguous norms. Which of the following is NOT one of these areas?

A) gender roles
B) boundary ambiguity
C) relationships with kin
D) family law

Question 35

"When family members are uncertain in their perception of who is in or out of the family or who is performing what roles and tasks within the family system," this is a state called __________.

A) multi-layer role confusion
B) gender mistrust
C) unequal division of labor
D) family boundary ambiguity

Question 36

Because of the cultural ambiguity of remarried family relationships, social scientist Andrew Cherlin calls the remarried family a(n)

A) nuclear-family monopoly.
B) incomplete institution.
C) absent cultural script.
D) normless norm.

Question 37

The text offers several reasons for the lower overall stability of remarriages. Which of the following is NOT one of these?

A) People who divorce in the first place are disproportionately from lower middle- and lower-class groups, which generally have higher divorce rates.
B) People who remarry after divorce are, as a group, more accepting of divorce and may have already demonstrated that they are willing to choose divorce as a way of resolving an unsatisfactory marriage.
C) Remarrieds receive more social support from their families of origin and are generally more integrated with parents and in-laws.
D) Remarriages present special stresses on couples, such as the presence of stepchildren.

Question 38

According to the Stepfamily Association of America, about __________ percent of remarriages end in divorce.

A) 20
B) 30
C) 40
D) 60

Question 39

Cohabiting stepfamilies are more likely to experience __________ than are remarried stepfamilies.

A) multi-layer role confusion
B) gender mistrust
C) unequal division of labor
D) boundary ambiguity

Question 40

About __________ of remarriages end in divorce. This statistic compares to between 40 and 50 percent of first marriages.

A) 90
B) 80
C) 70
D) 60

Question 41

Research on communication patterns in stepfamilies reveals several different communication patterns. In which pattern is the child's interaction with the stepparent accomplished through the child's biological or adoptive parent?

A) outsider triad
B) linked triad
C) adult-coalition triad
D) complete triad

Question 42

WFolktales like Snow White, Cinderella, and Hansel and Gretel reflect the view of stepmothers as

A) concerned parents.
B) friends.
C) cruel, vain, selfish, competitive, and even abusive.
D) unemotional participants in the parenting process.

Question 43

According to the text, considerable research has shown that on average, in comparison with children in first-marriage families, stepchildren of all ages

A) do equally well in school.
B) experience an equal amount of family conflict.
C) are somewhat less well-adjusted.
D) are less likely to become juvenile delinquents.

Question 44

Research on communication patterns in stepfamilies reveals several different communication patterns. In which pattern do the child and the biological/adoptive parent maintain interaction, but the stepparent remains pretty much irrelevant to the child's life?

A) outsider triad
B) linked triad
C) adult-coalition triad
D) complete triad

Question 45

Originally, the text points out, the term stepparent applied to

A) an acquired quasi-kin who becomes an additional parent.
B) a person who replaces a dead parent.
C) people who only assist in parenting.
D) childcare workers.

Question 46

A small study cited in the text asked 265 stepmothers about their expectations of the stepmother role. The researchers found that

A) stepmothers usually see themselves as replacing the stepchild's mother.
B) stepmothers expect to be included in stepfamily activities.
C) the less time a stepmother spent with her stepchildren, the more she expected to be included in stepfamily functions and decisions.
D) a clear majority of stepmothers behaved as a "friend," rather than as a "concerned parent."

Question 47

Another challenge to remarried families is that roles of stepchild and stepparent are __________.

A) well defined
B) clearly understood
C) fully agreed upon
D) not well defined, clearly understood or fully agreed upon

Question 48

White and Booth found that, in comparison with teens in intact families, older teenage and young adult children in stepfamilies leave home

A) at about the same age.
B) when they are significantly older.
C) at significantly lower ages.
D) when they are slightly older.

Question 49

The text highlights some key points to consider when a person is contemplating entering a steprelationship. Which of the following is NOT one of these?

A) Plan ahead.
B) Avoid discussing the changes remarriage will bring with your children.
C) Give your children ample opportunity to get to know your future spouse well.
D) Understand that there are bound to be periods of doubt, frustration, and resentment.

Question 50

The stepmother role has been described as the "stepmother ________."

A) shift
B) job
C) duty
D) trap

Question 51

If a stepparent dies without a will, stepchildren __________ legally entitled to an inheritance.

A) are always
B) are not
C) are sometimes, depending on the state law,
D) can never be

Question 52

The text urges consideration of various points in easing the transition from single-parent to stepfamily status. Which of the following is NOT one of these?

A) Try as best you can to replace a lost parent.
B) Let your relationship with stepchildren develop gradually.
C) Expect to deal with confusing feelings.
D) Recognize that you may be compared with the absent partner.

Question 53

The role of the stepparent is ___________; the relationship between a stepparent and stepchild only exists in law as long as the biological parent and stepparent are married.

A) precarious
B)permanent
C) solid
D) always temporary

Question 54

Relatively low role ambiguity has been associated with

A) higher remarital satisfaction, especially for wives.
B) lower remarital satisfaction, especially for stepfathers.
C) divorce, especially for men.
D) divorce, especially for women.

Question 55

Family structure (whether the family is first-marriage, cohabiting, divorced, or remarried) is not as important to stepchildren's well-being or future outcomes as is

A) the parenting style used in the family.
B) the gender roles taken on by the parents.
C) time spent in discipline matters.
D) the quality of the communication and relationships among family members.

Question 56

Visitation rights (and corresponding support obligation) of stepparents

A) are beginning to be legally clarified.
B) are clearly clarified, but change according to state law.
C) have never been clarified legally.
D) are up to the discretion of the individual family.

Question 57

The text points out that the particular challenges that characterize remarriages often begin with the

A) courtship process.
B) childhoods of the partners involved.
C) previous divorce.
D) parenting process.

Question 58

In most states, stepparents are __________ provide contributions.

A) legally required to support their spouses' children financially, and are forced to
B) required to support only the joint biological offspring, to legally
C) not required to support their spouses' children financially, and most do not choose to
D) not required to support their spouses' financially, although most voluntarily choose to

Question 59

Research on communication patterns in stepfamilies reveals several different communication patterns. In which pattern does communication flow freely, involving all members of the stepfamily equally?

A) outsider triad
B) linked triad
C) adult-coalition triad
D) complete triad

Question 60

Special issues accompany the role of the "weekend," or __________ stepmother when women are married to noncustodial fathers who see their children for visitation periods.

A) temporary
B) wicked
C) nonresidential
D) nonparent

Question 61

During the 1950s, both the divorce rate and the remarriage rate increased dramatically and remained high until the 1960s, when these rates declined slightly.

Question 62

One in three Americans are now stepparents, stepchildren, stepsiblings, or living in a stepfamily.

Question 63

Until well into the twentieth century, almost all remarriages followed widowhood.

Question 64

Eventually, a stepfamily might achieve integration and appreciate its unique identity. This is known as the _________ stage in Papernow's seven-stage model of stepfamily development.

A) awareness
B) fantasy
C) immersion
D) resolution

Question 65

Children lower the likelihood of remarriage for both men and women, but the impact of children is greater on men's probability of remarriage.

Question 66

Marital happiness, or satisfaction, and marital stability are, essentially, the same.

Question 67

The term stepparent originally meant an additional parent figure, not a person who replaces a dead parent.

Question 68

According to the text, a stepfather can react to difficulties in finding a place in a new family in at least four ways. Which of the following is NOT one of these?

A) He can be driven away.
B) He may become a "shrinking violet."
C) He may take control, establishing himself as undisputed head of the household.
D) He can negotiate new ways of doing things with the other members of the family unit.

Question 69

Research shows that both stepmothers and stepfathers play their roles with more __________ than do biological parents-more like friends than monitoring parents.

A) distance
B) playfulness
C) strictness
D) informality

Question 70

The authors of this text choose not to use the once-familiar term __________ in this chapter because family therapists and other stepfamily experts have concluded that stepfamilies do not readily __________.

A) merged family/merge
B) patchwork family/stitch together
C) mixed family/mix
D) blended family/blend

Question 71

According to the text, the nuclear-family model

A) does not work well for most remarried families.
B) is most appropriate for remarried families.
C) applies to some remarried families.
D) is irrelevant to remarried families.

Question 72

It may help to think of a stepfamily as a __________ family - a new family type that includes members of the two (or more) families that existed before the divorce and remarriage.

A) nuclear
B) extended
C) binuclear
D) modified extended

Question 73

In general, research shows little difference in spouses' overall well-being or in marital happiness between first and later unions.

Question 74

Adults who form stepfamilies expect a smooth and quick adjustment while children expect that the stepparent will disappear and their parents will be reunited. This is known as the _________ stage in Papernow's seven-stage model of stepfamily development.

A) awareness
B) fantasy
C) immersion
D) resolution

Question 75

Therapists agree that creating a supportive stepfamily takes time-from __________ years.

A) one to two
B) two to three
C) three to five
D) four to seven

Question 76

There are several pathways to stepfatherhood. Which of the following is NOT one of the pathways mentioned in the text?

A) single man
B) divorced and carefree
C) divorced and declared unfit
D) divorced with custody

Question 77

The remarriage rate peaked in 1972, but declined slightly after that.

Question 78

When neither spouse enters a remarriage with children, the couple's union is usually very much like a first marriage.

Question 79

One stepfamily scholar (Papernow) has suggested a seven-stage model of stepfamily development. Which of the following is NOT one of the stages in this model?

A) fantasy
B) immersion
C) rebellion
D) awareness

Question 80

Social scientists typically research the topics of remarriage and immigration separately.