Deck 9: Canadian Families: Past, Present, and Future

Question 1

The Canadian census definition of family has changed a great deal over the years.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Ontario has the highest proportion of common-law couples of any province in Canada.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Canadian federal benefits policy outlines a precise legal definition of family that coincides closely with the majority of Canadian nuclear families.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

One-half of all marriages in Canada end in divorce.

Question 5

Divorce rates for second marriages are the same as divorce rates for first marriages.

Question 6

A family composed of one or two parents and their dependent children, all of whom live apart from other relatives, is called an extended family.

Question 7

It is not acceptable to include and describe pets as members of the family.

Question 8

Most lone-parent families are now headed by women.

Question 9

Sexual expression is part of all family relationships.

Question 10

According to public opinion polls, one-third of people claim to be exhausted after spending a holiday with family.

Question 11

Most Canadians would characterize families as being about more than location and statuses. This means that a definition of family will include information about family processes, functions, and emotions.

Question 12

In Canada, the number of people cohabiting has declined in the last couple of decades.

Question 13

In Canada, since 1970, the rates of people who are getting married for both the first and second times have steadily increased

Question 14

In Aboriginal communities, patriarchal authority is central to family function.

Question 15

The standard sociological definition of family is generally accepted by functionalist sociologists today.

Question 16

Any definition of family will include the same basic components for "belonging," but the importance of each component will vary depending on the theoretical influence.

Question 17

People must be related by blood, marriage, or adoption to be considered family in our society.

Question 18

While defining families on the basis of love offers flexibility relative to inclusiveness and notions of emotional support, the tendency to focus on positive emotions is an idealized version of families that can neglect to account for negative emotional realities (e.g. family violence).

Question 19

Roles within the family are viewed by feminist theorists as primarily socially constructed rather than biologically determined.

Question 20

Couples in common-law relationships are more likely to break up.

Question 21

According to the text, what is the term applied to a family household that includes three generations in the same household?

A)extended
B)postmodern
C) communal
D) primordial

Question 22

Family life course development theory states that the final transition is to "parenthood."

Question 23

What pattern of descent has a legitimate son as the father's heir to property and sometimes social position?

A)monarchical
B)patrilocal
C) patriarchal
D) patrilineal

Question 24

Which of the following statements reflects the family pluralism perspective?

A)People should have more children.
B)Stable families tend to have religious foundations.
C) Today, people have less control of their children's socialization.
D) People have greater opportunity for relationship satisfaction.

Question 25

What did Émile Durkheim argue about the family?

A)Interaction between marital partners contributes to a shared reality.
B)Females are socialized to be passive and males are socialized to be aggressive.
C) The family is not worse off than it was prior to modernization.
D) Men's domination over women existed long before private ownership of property and capitalism.

Question 26

Michael and Jennifer each have one child from a previous relationship. They had legal adoption papers drawn up for each of these two children. They also had a set of twins after they became a common-law couple. According to the text and to census data classifications, how is this family best described?

A)nuclear and intact
B)stepfamily and intact
C) blended and stepfamily
D) blended and intact

Question 27

The success rates for in vitro fertilization are very low.

Question 28

Craig became as single father of four young children after he and his wife divorced. He wanted to move to a new city to start a new life but family and friends advised him to stay in the community in the same house to which his children were accustomed. Which term best describes this family's census definition?

A)functional
B)structural
C) dysfunctional
D) nuclear

Question 29

According to the "family decline perspective," lone parenthood is equated with what social outcome?

A)absentee fathers
B)loss of childcentredness
C) ineffective child socialization
D) increased child labour

Question 30

According to the text, what is the result of increased joint-custody arrangements between divorced parents?

A)an increased number of single fathers
B)a decreased involvement by mothers
C) a decreased involvement by both parents
D) an increased number of well-adjusted children

Question 31

Eugenia's family consists of herself, her ex-husband, their two children, and her sister and new brother-in-law. Her sister lives just down the street and has taken on some parental responsibilities when Eugenia's ex-husband cannot take the kids. According to the text, whose definition would best reflect Eugenia's definition of "family"?

A)Canadian Census
B)George Peter Murdock
C) Vanier Institute of the Family
D) Talcott Parsons

Question 32

In what family structure does the eldest male (usually the father) hold authority?

A)patriarchal
B)matriarchal
C) egalitarian
D) bilateral

Question 33

According to social exchange theory, we compare our relationship to alternative possibilities for our lives and may make changes if we perceive that another would make a better partner.
Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Question 34

According to the text, which of the following factors accounts for the increase in single parents?

A)a decrease in marriages
B)an increase in divorces
C) an increase in services for single parents
D) a decrease in taxes for single parents

Question 35

Why does the text suggest that the concept of family is so difficult to define?

A)There is much debate about who is included and excluded.
B)The nature of family life has changed little.
C) Most groups live in traditional nuclear families.
D) Today's families are homogeneous.

Question 36

Sociologist Jessie Bernard pointed out which of the following in the text?

A)Men and women experience marriage differently and that a marriage contains two marriages: "his marriage" and "her marriage."
B)Romantic love is no longer a very significant factor in mate selection in Western culture.
C) Problems of dominance and subordination inherent in relationships represent a "negative side of family life."
D) Patriarchy in the society is often reversed in the home, with the woman being more dominant than the man.

Question 37

In what year were "no-fault" provisions introduced in the Divorce Act, which made marital breakdown the sole ground for divorce in Canada?

A)1968
B)1973
C) 1985
D) 1994

Question 38

According to the text, what is the term used to describe families that include children form a previous relationship?

A)nuclear
B)blended
C) intact
D) stepfamilies

Question 39

According to the text's consideration of cohabitation, which of the following is accurate?

A)Many young adults view cohabitation as a form of "trial marriage."
B)The most likely to cohabit are teens between the ages of 19 and 24.
C) Cohabitation is growing in acceptability in all age groups.
D) Cohabitation almost always ends with the partners getting legally married to each other.

Question 40

Barry is a senior partner in an accounting firm. He is working on a retirement plan that includes cutting back to half-time work when he turns 63, 2 years hence. He was born in 1953. Most of the senior partners were born in roughly that same post-World War II timeframe. Barry is a member of which age cohort?

A)old age pensioners
B)the "golden parachute" group
C) baby boomers
D) early retirees

Question 41

Alaine and his wife Cleo and their two young sons live in a house they built shortly after Alain and Cleo got married. Cleo's parents live in a nearby city and Alaine has family across the country that they seldom see. How would a sociologist describe Alaine and Cleo's two-child family?

A)disjointed
B)extended
C) nuclear
D) conjugal

Question 42

Emily and Nathan, both in their mid-30s, want children but are experiencing infertility. Together, they earn a comfortable upper-middle class income. They and their physician have discussed several very expensive reproductive technologies. They have family members who opposed to purchasing a service that may result in human life. According to the text, this scenario highlights what bioethical concern?

A)The technologies are often not available in Canada.
B)The children born of these technologies are perceived as commodities.
C) Children born from reproductive technologies face social stigma.
D) Social supports for families who freeze fertilized eggs are dwindling.

Question 43

According to the text, what destroyed the traditional Aboriginal family?

A)a successful assimilation policy
B)interventionist strategies employed by the Canadian state and the church
C) cultural awareness and self-government
D) the informal network and the formal political hierarchy

Question 44

Which region in Canada has the lowest numbers of married couples and the highest proportion of common-law couples (33%)?

A)Quebec
B)New Brunswick
C) British Columbia
D) Nunavut

Question 45

The greater prevalence of joint custody arrangements is reflected in which of the following statistics?

A)an increase in lone-parent families headed by fathers
B)a decrease in lone-parent families headed by fathers
C) an increase in "mostly happy" children
D) a decrease in children attending therapy sessions

Question 46

Which of the following statements reflects the family pluralism perspective?

A)People should have more children.
B)It is a myth that families used to be better off than they are today.
C) Same-sex marriage reflects the decline of the family.
D) The 1950s was the height of family togetherness.

Question 47

What kind of approach does the Canadian Census use to define family?

A)structural
B)functional
C) sensible
D) antiquated

Question 48

In the 1930s, the Canadian government insisted that, at age five, Arora go to an Aboriginal residential school. She was abused and suffered from neglect. According to the text, what other outcome likely occurred as a result of her time in the government school?

A)She received a solid education.
B)She was punished for speaking English.
C) She grew up outside a family environment.
D) She became more aware of her Aboriginal heritage.

Question 49

Olivia married at 35 and did not have her first child until she turned 40. According to the text, Olivia's decision to have children at 40 is reflected in what growing trend in families?

A)dropping birthrates
B)reduced family orientation
C) higher divorce rates
D) financial instability

Question 50

Maya and Sandy have been living together in a committed relationship for five years, without being legally married. Which of the following terms describes their relationship?

A)a constitutional relationship
B)a common-law union
C) dual habitation
D) a trial marriage

Question 51

Jane and John are unhappy in their marriage. The likelihood that they might get a divorce is significantly greater today than it was in the 1950s. According to the text, which of the following changes to the law have contributed to this reality?

A)changes in penalties for abuse
B)changes in maximum penalties
C) changes in property rights
D) changes in the relationship between church and state

Question 52

Matthew staunchly believes that as long as society insists that women need to be responsible for home and children, women will be oppressed. He feels frustrated because people do not seem to understand that women's inferior position is linked to their lower status in the private sphere. Which of the following theoretical perspectives do Matthew's ideas mirror?

A)postmodern
B)feminist
C) conflict
D) symbolic interactionist

Question 53

Which of the following terms refers to family units composed of one or two parents and their dependent children, all of whom live apart from other relatives?

A)consanguine family
B)extended family
C) nuclear family
D) conjugal family

Question 54

Janine and Joshua married when they were both 38 and have decided to have only one child, primarily because of the cost of raising a child today. David Popenoe would explain their decision as a reflection of what social trend?

A)marrying later in life
B)a loss of childcentredness
C) pre-emptive custody concerns
D) divorce-focused marriages

Question 55

Which of the following perspectives is reflected in the statement, "The best families have two married parents"?

A)the family decline perspective
B)the family pluralism perspective
C) the family unit perspective
D) the family unity perspective

Question 56

What sociological term defines a family unit that is composed of relatives in addition to parents and children who live in the same household?

A)disjointed kin
B)extended family
C) nuclear family
D) conjugal family

Question 57

Margo is an Aboriginal women who had parents and other relatives who were forcibly sent to live in the first incarnation of the residential schools. Her parents grew up in these schools without learning most of the skills and capacities necessary to keep a family functioning. Margo's parents and many parents like Margo's, were not able to cope with the demands of parenthood and, without adequate education and employment, were impoverished. Subsequently, in the 1960s, Margo was also taken from her parents and placed into the residential school system. According to the text, what is the name given to the second wave of Aboriginal child apprehension?

A)Aboriginal baby boomers
B)the sixties scoop
C) the sixties educational placement strategy
D) Aboriginal child protection services

Question 58

According to the text, which of the following people examine the power dynamics and conflicts common to families?

A)feminist theorists
B)social Darwinists
C) symbolic interactionists
D) family-values politicians

Question 59

According to the text, what is the percentage of children who live in female-headed lone-parent families?

A)8.5 %
B)19%
C) 23%
D) 49%

Question 60

According to the text, what is at the core of our socialization experiences?

A)education
B)society
C) family
D) theory

Question 61

According to the text, a couple living together without being legally married demonstrates which of the following?

A)a constitution
B)a cohabitation
C) a trial separation
D) serial monogamy

Question 62

"When I get home from my full-time job, my husband often is waiting for me to make dinner. After we eat, we put the kids to bed, but then I have to straighten up the house or it doesn't get done." What is this a prime example of?

A)why men have children later in life
B)why the birthrate is falling
C) gendered inequality
D) a mothering ideology

Question 63

Lisa and Charles recently lost their father to heart disease. Charles inherits the family estate and lakefront property while Lisa gets nothing. What pattern of descent is at work here?

A)monarchical
B)patrilocal
C) patrilineal
D) patriarchal

Question 64

Which of the following statements is accurate regarding the text discussion of marriage and childrearing in Canada today?

A)Men are as likely as women to be single parents.
B)People are more inclined to get married than at any other time in history.
C) Same-sex couples cannot legally adopt children in Canada.
D) People marry at a much later age now than they did several decades ago.

Question 65

The definitions of families have evolved over time to reflect the new realities of Canadian contemporary life. Which term was included in the census definition as late as 2011?

A)stepfamily
B)nuclear
C) blended
D) intact

Question 66

According to the text, definitions of family are both inclusive and exclusive. Which terms best describe the two levels of human experience that are captured by that statement?

A)ethnicity and socioeconomic levels
B)cultural and social levels
C) macro and micro levels
D) functional and interpretive theoretical levels

Question 67

Dan and Aamori live in Vancouver with their two sons, Emmett and Imara. Which of the following terms best describes their family?

A)disjointed kin
B)extended family
C) nuclear family
D) conjugal family

Question 68

Kellan and Rachel are getting a divorce. Their friend Julie believes they are both being selfish and not thinking of their children. She believes they should work on their marriage to create a stable home for their children. According to the text, what perspective does Julie support?

A)the family decline perspective
B)the family pluralism perspective
C) the family unit perspective
D) the family unity perspective

Question 69

Madeleina came to Canada with her husband and two children. After their arrival, they met and befriended a young couple who were very helpful with the children and even lent them money once when they had bills to pay. The husband even shovelled the walk once when Madeleina's husband was ill. The families are so close that they now invite each other to celebrate Christmas, birthdays, and other celebrations during the year. According to the text, how would their relationship be defined?

A)as an immigrant family
B)as a family network
C) as fictive kin
D) as adoption

Question 70

In 1972, Elyse and Mathias had been separated for three years. According to the text, what is the term that describes divorce legislation that allowed this couple to obtain a divorce without evidence of wrong doing by either person?

A)practical divorce
B)annulment
C) no-fault divorce
D) blameless divorce

Question 71

As new parents, Colin and Erica are finding that parenthood has taken a toll on their marriage. They fight more often and rarely take time to show each other love or affection. According to the text, what theory would best be used to analyze their relationship?

A)social parenting theory
B)family expansion theory
C) dual-parenting theory
D) family life course development theory

Question 72

According to the text, what considerations indicate the importance of carefully defining the family?

A)The debate over what constitutes/defines a family has gone on for too long.
B)It is best for science when all sociologists agree on a definition.
C) There are practical and legal consequences that stem from definitions.
D) There should be only one family type in order to maintain social order.

Question 73

If members of a tribe practised the custom of marrying one person during their entire lifetime, what kind of marriage would they have?

A)homogamous
B)polygamous
C) monogamous
D) group marriage

Question 74

Theresa has owned and operated a popular bakery in New Jersey for three decades. Her five children work under her leadership. Which of the following describes this family structure?

A)patriarchal
B)matriarchal
C) egalitarian
D) bilateral

Question 75

According to the text, what label is given to individuals who are not related by blood, marriage, or adoption, but assume some of the benefits and/or some of the obligations of family life?

A)family friends
B)fictive kin
C) functional kin
D) family relations

Question 76

In what family structure does the mother hold authority?

A)patriarchal
B)matriarchal
C) egalitarian
D) bilateral

Question 77

According to the text, what do feminist theorists believe is the source of inequality in the family?

A)social status
B)class differences
C) property arrangements
D) patriarchy

Question 78

According to the text, how do conflict theorists view the relationship between men and women?

A)primarily egalitarian and cooperative within the family
B)similar to the relationship between capitalists and their workers
C) a subjective, shared reality between all members
D) having blurred boundaries, similar to what happens between work and family life

Question 79

According to Brooks (2002), what is the "most important problem" facing society?

A)same-sex marriage
B)aging population
C) uneducated parents
D) family decline

Question 80

Thomas and Vanessa are Aboriginal parents with two biological children but also house, support, and love three additional children whose parents were killed in a boating accident. The two sets of parents were not related but grew up together on the same Northern reserve. What is the Aboriginal term used to describe this family?

A)a fictional family
B)a family of convenience
C) a family of endurance
D) a family of the heart