Deck 46: Miller Mcpherson, Lynn Smith-Lovin, and Matthew Brashears, the Ties That Bind Are Fraying

Question 1

According to McPherson and his colleagues, among persons with at least a high school diploma,

A) they are more likely to say they have no one to talk to about important matters than they were 20 years earlier.
B) divorce has declined dramatically but those who divorce are unlikely to ever remarry.
C) the likelihood that they will marry a college graduate has increased by almost 100% since 1960.
D) the economic decline of rural communities has caused most young people to leave and pursue work elsewhere, leaving their aging parents without social support from family members.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

According to McPherson and his colleagues in "The Ties That Bind Are Fraying," people who are more isolated in terms of having close ties to others,

A) have been able to establish new, strong ties through social media.
B) are more likely to be more affluent and have more education than the average person.
C) may suffer not only in times of personal need but may have higher rates of stress and other chronic illnesses.
D) tell researchers that they are as happy as the next person, and they find pleasure in having time to themselves.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In "The Ties That Bind Are Fraying," McPherson and his colleagues found that

A) those with lower incomes are more involved in their communities than are the most affluent.
B) over the time period they studied, 1940 to 1995, older people developed more social ties.
C) over the time period they studied, 1990 to 2015, young people developed more social ties than any other group.
D) there is "inadequate social support" for about half of all American adults.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

In "The Ties That Bind Are Fraying," McPherson and his colleagues found that, among men and women,

A) women's strongest social ties are with those in their neighborhood.
B) job-related stress and money worries are the main contributors to divorce for women, whereas for men it is unhappiness about sex.
C) their lives have become increasingly intertwined, in terms of a person's closest confidant.
D) there is no difference in their use of social media, but women use it more to communicate with people they know, while men use it to communicate with strangers.

Question 5

In "The Ties That Bind Are Fraying," McPherson and his colleagues studied

A) divorce and the upsurge in unmarried young people.
B) General Social Survey data on people's numbers and types of confidants.
C) the decline in civic activism and belonging to community groups and fraternal organizations.
D) social media, which encourages "friending," though people avoid actually developing friendships.