Anthony Giddens • Sociology 6th edition

Student Resources

Chapter 9 — Families and Intimate Relationships

1. What does historian Lawrence Stone see as a key characteristic of marriage ties in the West?
   a) the pure relationship
   b) affective individualism
   c) instrumental individualism
   d) serial monogamy
2. In Victorian England, a sexual double standard operated. What was it?
   a) sex was only permitted within marriage
   b) only middle-class men could file for divorce
   c) sexual morality was different for middle-class men and women
   d) single women could not meet suitors without a chaperone
3. Göran Therborn argues that the First World War (1914-18) and Russian Revolution (1917) sparked a major change within the family. What was it?
   a) a shift towards smaller family size
   b) the rise of children's rights
   c) the demise of the extended family form
   d) the decline of patriarchal power
4. According to a 2007 survey by the World Economic Forum, which country had made most progress towards gender equality within families?
   a) Yemen
   b) Sweden
   c) Argentina
   d) Canada
5. Domestic violence is physical abuse by one family member against another. Which two of the following are most likely to be victims of such abuse?
   a) female partners/spouses and older relatives
   b) male partners/spouses and children
   c) female partners/spouses and children
   d) older relatives and children
6. Which of the following UK research-based statements is false?
   a) for 85% of solo mothers, pregnancy was unplanned
   b) younger women are more likely to become solo mothers
   c) 60% of lone parent households are the result of death of a partner
   d) the fastest growing category of lone parent is single, never-married mothers
7. According to recent findings from across Europe, which of the following statements best characterises cohabitation?
   a) an experimental stage before marriage
   b) a family form only found amongst younger people
   c) a short-lived experiment from the 1960s that is now in decline
   d) an alternative to traditional marriage
8. Jeffrey Weeks et al (1999) saw three main patterns in gay and lesbian relationships. Which of the following is not one of the three?
   a) more opportunity for equality in performing household tasks
   b) lower levels of commitment to having just one partner
   c) more scope for negotiation in the relationship
   d) a particular form of commitment based on mutual trust
9. Talcott Parsons argued that institution of the family performed two main functions for society. What are they?
   a) reproduction of the workforce and discipling of younger generations
   b) primary socialization and personality stabilization
   c) primary socialization and disciplining of younger generations
   d) reproduction of the workforce and personality stabilization
10. Which of the following has not been one of the main themes in feminist scholarship on the family?
    a) the domestic division of labour
    b) the emergence of the pure relationship
    c) unequal power relationships within families
    d) the study of caring activities
11. What term describes ties between individuals established through marriage or blood?
    a) family
    b) kinship
    c) network
    d) tribe
12. Which term describes a society in which women can marry more than one husband at a time but men may marry only one wife at a time?
    a) monogamy
    b) polygamy
    c) polygyny
    d) polyandry
13. Approximately how long on average did a Victorian marriage last?
    a) 12 years
    b) 22 years
    c) 32 years
    d) 42 years
14. Which term describes marriage patterns in contemporary Britain?
    a) flexible monogamy
    b) serial monogamy
    c) liquid monogamy
    d) reflexive monogamy
15. Which term describes societies where the family name and the inheritance of property passes down the male line?
    a) matrilineal
    b) androlineal
    c) homolineal
    d) patrilineal
16. In contemporary Britain, which ethnic group has the lowest proportion of one-parent families?
    a) Indian
    b) White
    c) Black Caribbean
    d) Chinese
17. Which of the following is NOT a reason for the rising divorce rate in the West?
    a) women have become less economically dependent
    b) a reduction in the stigma attached to divorce
    c) marriage is seen in terms of personal satisfaction
    d) increased acceptance of same-sex relationships
18. Which term describes families in which at least one adult has children from a previous marriage or relationship?
    a) beanpole families
    b) cohabiting families
    c) reconstituted families
    d) horizontal families
19. In 1971 in England and Wales, what was the average age at first marriage for women?
    a) 22.6
    b) 23.1
    c) 25.5
    d) 28.4
20. In 2001 in England and Wales, what was the average age at first marriage for men?
    a) 24.6
    b) 25.4
    c) 27.5
    d) 30.6
21. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic in Giddens's account in Transformations of Intimacy of intimate relationships in post-traditional societies?
    a) confluent love
    b) social reflexivity
    c) liquid desire
    d) plastic sexuality

e-alerts  •  privacy policy  •  contact webmaster