You are on page 1of 12

Chapter 11 The Second Time Around

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. The 2011 Census counted which type of family for the first time?
a. stepfamilies
b. lone-parent families
c. extended families
d. intentional families
ANS: A REF: p. 288 BLM: Remember

2. In 2011, stepfamilies represented which proportion of couple families with children?


a. one in five
b. one in eight
c. one in ten
d. one in fourteen
ANS: B REF: p. 288 BLM: Remember

3. Which of the following describes a stepfamily when the current married spouse or common-law
partner adopts the child or children of the other married spouse or common-law partner?
a. nothing changes
b. it becomes a simple stepfamily
c. it becomes a complex stepfamily
d. it is no longer a stepfamily
ANS: D REF: p. 289 BLM: Higher order

4. Which term describes a family in which all children are the biological or adopted children of one and
only one married spouse or common-law partner in the couple?
a. simple stepfamily
b. complex stepfamily
c. lone-parent family
d. unblended stepfamily
ANS: A REF: p. 289 BLM: Remember

5. Gisèle is married to René. They live together with Gisèle’s daughter and René’s two sons. What kind
of family is this?
a. simple stepfamily
b. complex stepfamily
c. extended family
d. binuclear family
ANS: B REF: p. 289 BLM: Higher order

6. Since World War II, which change has taken place regarding remarriage?
a. Recently there has been an increase in remarriage among the widowed.
b. There has been a shift from widowed to divorced individuals among those remarrying.
c. The widowed who now remarry were, on the average, older when their husbands died.
d. There has been a shift from divorced to widowed individuals among those remarrying.

150 © 2015 by Nelson Education Limited


ANS: B REF: p. 290 BLM: Higher order

7. Which of the following is a reason for an increase in remarriages?


a. more people are widowed
b. more people are divorced
c. more people marry at a younger age
d. families are getting larger
ANS: B REF: p. 290 BLM: Higher order

8. Which of the following is true regarding the choice to remarry?


a. a higher proportion of divorced parents with children plan to remarry
b. the intention to remarry increases with age
c. the proportion of divorced people stating that they intended to remarry decreased between
1990 and 2006
d. people who have divorced multiple times are more likely to want to remarry
ANS: C REF: p. 290 BLM: Higher order

9. Which of the following best describes stepfamilies?


a. parents in stepfamilies tend to be younger
b. parents in stepfamilies are less likely to be in a common-law union than to be married
c. parents in stepfamilies identify fewer financial concerns than parents in non-stepfamilies
d. no significant difference exists between the family income of parents in stepfamilies and
those in non-stepfamilies
ANS: B REF: p. 290 BLM: Higher order

10. How do remarriage families differ from nuclear families?


a. Remarriage families are limited by norms and expectations.
b. Remarriage families have a less complex structure.
c. Remarriage families have few norms to guide their formation.
d. Remarriage families are less likely to end in divorce.
ANS: C REF: p. 290 BLM: Higher order

11. Which of the following is a stage in establishing a second marriage?


a. deciding if it is true love
b. prolonged courtship
c. overcoming the previous relationship
d. forming the remarriage family
ANS: D REF: p. 292 BLM: Higher order

12. Before people can enter a new marriage emotionally, what do they need to do?
a. focus their anger on their ex-spouse
b. mimic a first-marriage family
c. draw tight boundaries around the new relationship
d. achieve an emotional divorce from their earlier union
ANS: D REF: p. 292 BLM: Higher order

13. Which of the following is NOT an aspect of planning the remarriage?


a. The new partners need to cut off all ties with the ex-spouse’s family.

© 2015 by Nelson Education Limited 151


b. Spouses need to accept that difficulties will not be solved overnight.
c. Children need to stay connected with the ex-spouse’s family.
d. The relationship with the ex-spouse over child support needs to be maintained.
ANS: A REF: pp. 292–293 BLM: Higher order

14. Which of the following is NOT an aspect of forming the new family?
a. Boundaries and roles need to be renegotiated.
b. Spouses need to accept that difficulties will not be solved overnight.
c. Children need to stay connected with the ex-spouse’s family.
d. The relationship with the ex-spouse over child support needs to be maintained.
ANS: A REF: p. 293 BLM: Higher order

15. How do boundaries differ between first marriages and remarriages?


a. They need to be more permeable in first-marriage families.
b. They must be more permeable in remarriages.
c. They are well defined in stepfamilies.
d. First-marriage families experience greater boundary ambiguity.
ANS: B REF: p. 293 BLM: Higher order

16. Why might remarriage families have boundary problems?


a. Children may belong to two families.
b. Such families keep their boundaries permeable.
c. Remarriage families try to establish their own stable lifestyle.
d. Children reject the nonresidential parent.
ANS: A REF: p. 293 BLM: Higher order

17. What happens if stepfamilies respond to boundary ambiguity by trying to become as much like a first-
marriage family as possible?
a. They are realistically trying to follow social scripts.
b. They are using the most workable solution to visiting.
c. Children will feel less confusion about their roles.
d. It may throw children into a conflict of loyalties.
ANS: D REF: p. 293 BLM: Higher order

18. In general, what is the most workable approach to ambiguity in stepfamilies?


a. to cut children off from their nonresidential parent
b. to reduce visits from nonresident children to a minimum
c. to keep boundaries permeable
d. to establish permanent family roles
ANS: C REF: p. 293 BLM: Higher order

19. What is one of the main difficulties in remarriage families?


a. There are too many candidates for available family roles.
b. The stepmother role is too rigid for most families.
c. There is insufficient role strain for a healthy family.
d. There is not enough role flexibility.
ANS: A REF: p. 294 BLM: Higher order

152 © 2015 by Nelson Education Limited


20. Which of the following factors makes it difficult for children to understand stepfamily relationships?
a. Most stepfamilies are formed after one parent dies and the other remarries.
b. There is a lack of appropriate terms to describe these relationships.
c. Most children in stepfamilies are too young to understand complex relationships.
d. Boundaries between households are too permeable and lack structure.
ANS: B REF: p. 294 BLM: Higher order

21. Why do traditional gender roles work against stepfamilies?


a. Stepmothers are expected to be cruel.
b. Traditional gender roles include the nonresident parent in the family.
c. Traditional gender roles often do not fit the family reality.
d. Children may face the loss of accustomed roles.
ANS: C REF: p. 294 BLM: Higher order

22. How does the stepparent often act in successful reconstituted families?
a. as a stern disciplinarian to the children
b. as an adult friend to the children
c. as a substitute parent to the children
d. as a source of treats to the children
ANS: B REF: p. 294 BLM: Higher order

23. After two years, Yana and Marec have finally worked out comfortable relationships with each other’s
children and are happy with visiting arrangements. What is likely to happen in the years to come?
a. They will have to work hard to keep these arrangements from changing.
b. They will need to resolve role ambiguities.
c. They will need to make adjustments as circumstances change.
d. They must be vigilant so that family boundaries won’t become permeable.
ANS: C REF: p. 294 BLM: Higher order

24. What does a remarried couple need to do in addition to tasks faced by first-marriage families?
a. be more romantic so as to avoid conflict
b. keep relationships with their children and ex-spouse the same
c. cut off contact with former in-laws
d. adjust the relationship with their children and ex-spouse
ANS: D REF: p. 295 BLM: Higher order

25. Which of the following is a difference between the relationships of first-marriage and second-marriage
couples?
a. Couples in second marriages are more romantic than those in first marriages.
b. Couples in first marriages are more honest about difficulties in the marriage than those in
second marriages.
c. Couples in second marriages are more sensitive to conflict than couples in first marriages.
d. Couples in first marriages have less defined roles than couples in second marriages.
ANS: C REF: p. 295 BLM: Higher order

26. Remarried couples may be especially sensitive to conflict. According to the text, what is a healthy
response?
a. conceal differences behind a shield of apparent agreement
b. have greater awareness of the feelings of the new spouse

© 2015 by Nelson Education Limited 153


c. avoid situations which may result in conflict
d. acknowledge conflict is a normal part of all relationships
ANS: B REF: p. 295 BLM: Remember

27. Joel is divorced and has two children from his ex-wife. Which of the following likely describes the
role of Joel’s ex-wife now that Joel has remarried?
a. She can affect the new marriage because she is the mother of Joel’s children.
b. She cannot affect the new marriage because Joel is still very angry at her.
c. She can cause problems in the new marriage by gossiping with Joel’s new wife.
d. She has no more influence over Joel and cannot affect the new marriage.
ANS: A REF: p. 295 BLM: Higher order

28. Following their adult child’s divorce, in which circumstances are grandparents least likely to lose
contact with grandchildren?
a. they have mixed in to their son’s marital disputes
b. their daughter has primary custody of her children
c. their ex-daughter-in-law has custody of the children
d. they threaten to take the custodial parent to court
ANS: B REF: p. 296 BLM: Higher order

29. What is the most common difficulty between spouses in a second marriage?
a. conflict over children
b. conflict over finances
c. jealousy over the previous spouse
d. negotiating new roles around the home
ANS: A REF: p. 296 BLM: Remember

30. Which of the following is likely to happen if a second marriage does not dissolve quickly?
a. It will be more stable than a first marriage.
b. It will be as stable as any first marriage.
c. The couple will face serious difficulties within five years.
d. It will be an exceptionally happy marriage.
ANS: B REF: p. 297 BLM: Higher order

31. Following her divorce, Susanna has been very disorganized and withdrawn. In order to keep the family
functioning, her daughter has taken over an unusual level of responsibility for the care of a younger
brother. What has the daughter become?
a. a parentified child
b. a bossy sibling
c. a mother’s helper
d. a babysitter
ANS: A REF: p. 297 BLM: Remember

32. Sometimes a daughter becomes the confidante of her divorced mother. When the mother remarries,
which of the following is the daughter’s least likely response?
a. feeling a sense of loss and resentment over giving up the role of confidante
b. becoming more demanding with acting-out behaviour
c. feeling a sense of relief that someone else is responsible for her mother

154 © 2015 by Nelson Education Limited


d. becoming depressed, withdrawn, and uncommunicative
ANS: C REF: p. 297 BLM: Higher order

33. Following his parents’ divorce, Brendan lives with one parent and often sees the other. In which
circumstances is frequent contact such as Brendan experiences most likely?
a. when the nonresidential parent has remarried
b. when the residential parent is unfriendly toward the ex-spouse
c. when the nonresidential parent is the mother
d. when the nonresidential parent has relatively low education and income
ANS: C REF: p. 297 BLM: Higher order

34. Which of the following problems do nonresidential parents often face?


a. They are cut off from the daily life of their children.
b. They are seen as a source of social and fun activities.
c. They have little or no contact with their children.
d. Their ex-spouse expects too much childcare from them.
ANS: A REF: p. 298 BLM: Higher order

35. What is one task a stepparent needs to accomplish in order to be successful?


a. taking over discipline to relieve the spouse of a heavy responsibility
b. developing an appropriately affectionate relationship with the stepchild
c. keeping all family members happy with the new relationship
d. remaining detached from the child so as to avoid conflict
ANS: B REF: p. 298 BLM: Higher order

36. Both stepfathers and stepmothers report more positive relationships with which of the following?
a. adolescent girls
b. adolescent boys
c. younger girls
d. younger boys
ANS: D REF: p. 298 BLM: Remember

37. Which of the following is least likely to be a loyalty issue in stepfamilies?


a. Stepfathers may feel disloyal to biological children who do not live with them.
b. Stepparents may feel disloyal to their biological children if they become attached to
stepchildren.
c. The remarried couple may feel disloyal to each other if they side with their biological
children.
d. The children may feel disloyal to their same-sex biological parent if they become attached
to their stepparent.
ANS: C REF: pp. 298–299 BLM: Higher order

38. What is one possible complication between stepparents and stepchildren?


a. There are rigid rules about how they should interact.
b. Stepchildren may like them more than their biological parent.
c. There is no explicit incest taboo surrounding this relationship.
d. Stepparents always avoid conflict in order to keep a good relationship.

© 2015 by Nelson Education Limited 155


ANS: C REF: p. 299 BLM: Higher order

39. Why is discipline a potential area of conflict in stepfamilies?


a. stepparents always try to impose their discipline style on their partner’s children
b. stepparents are more likely to be neglectful
c. stepparents are more likely to be authoritarian
d. stepparents are not seen as “real” parents because they are not the children’s birth parents
ANS: D REF: p. 299 BLM: Higher order

40. Any differences in treatment of the children in stepfamilies are usually interpreted by children as
which of the following?
a. Normal
b. Favouritism
c. the new norm
d. a way to show affection
ANS: B REF: p. 300 BLM: Remember

41. Why might adolescents in a stepfamily adopt a conflict attitude toward stepsiblings?
a. because that is what all adolescents do
b. as a way of maintaining a safe distance from stepsiblings
c. to annoy their parents
d. to show loyalty to their birth parent
ANS: D REF: p. 300 BLM: Higher order

42. In what way has the likelihood of two sibling groups being combined in one household changed?
a. It has decreased because the trend is toward giving mothers custody.
b. It has decreased because it is not in the best interests of the children.
c. It has increased because more fathers are being given custody.
d. It has increased because families have been getting larger.
ANS: C REF: p. 300 BLM: Remember

43. What do children expect when they experience conflicts with stepsiblings?
a. to have their biological parent to side with them
b. to have family “rules” to draw upon when making decisions
c. to have different attitudes about each other’s property
d. to have their parents mediate in major arguments
ANS: A REF: p. 300 BLM: Higher order

44. Which of the following is least likely to be a source of conflict between stepsiblings?
a. the children interpret any differences in treatment as favouritism
b. there are difficulties over turf when a second set of children joins the household
c. visits are arranged so that there is only one set of children in the house at once
d. combining two groups of children produces a duplication in roles
ANS: C REF: p. 300 BLM: Higher order

45. What is one positive aspect of stepsibling relationships?


a. romantic attachments that develop among stepsiblings
b. the importance of learning to share possessions and space

156 © 2015 by Nelson Education Limited


c. the ability to reduce conflict by gaining new roles
d. the emotional support they can provide each other
ANS: D REF: p. 300 BLM: Remember

46. What do studies show regarding having a baby born into a stepfamily?
a. It is related to family stability.
b. It increases conflict among stepsiblings.
c. It makes stepchildren feel more wanted.
d. It increases husband–wife conflict over children.
ANS: A REF: p. 301 BLM: Remember

47. Who are children living in a stepfamily most similar to in terms of their adjustment in later life?
a. children raised by lesbian parents
b. children raised in traditional nuclear families
c. children raised by grandparents
d. children raised by lone mothers
ANS: D REF: p. 301 BLM: Remember

48. Which of the following is least likely to account for difficulties stepchildren experience?
a. Stepchildren have undergone several family transitions.
b. Stepparents use an authoritative parenting style.
c. Stepfathers show less affection and supervise children less.
d. The problems may reach back before the formation of a stepfamily.
ANS: B REF: p. 301 BLM: Higher order

49. What is one way to explain why some stepchildren do better than others?
a. Stepchildren have undergone several family transitions.
b. Stepparents use an authoritative parenting style.
c. Stepfathers show less affection and supervise children less.
d. The problems may reach back before the formation of a stepfamily.
ANS: B REF: p. 302 BLM: Higher order

50. When do particular problems in remarriage families occur?


a. when the remarried couple shares common problems because they are in the same life-
cycle phase
b. when adult children shift their image of parents to include a stepparent
c. when one spouse is considerably older than the other and their life-cycle stages differ
d. when remarriage occurs after the death of a spouse
ANS: C REF: p. 303 BLM: Remember

51. Stepfamilies often receive conflicting messages from society. What is this called?
a. role ambiguity
b. self-fulfilling prophecy
c. social scripting
d. petty criticism
ANS: A REF: p. 304

© 2015 by Nelson Education Limited 157


52. Which of James Bray’s three types of stepfamily forms comes closest to the idealized image of the
loving and functional stepfamily?
a. Romantic
b. Matriarchal
c. Neotraditional
d. Patriarchal
ANS: C REF: p. 303 BLM: Higher order

53. Why is the stepfamily sometimes called an “incomplete institution”?


a. It does not come with ready-made roles and norms.
b. Not all the children live full-time in the household.
c. A stepparent is not considered to be a real parent.
d. There is duplication of roles and functions.
ANS: A REF: p. 304 BLM: Higher order

COMPLETION

1. _____________ is a marriage that takes place after a previous marriage has ended.

ANS: Remarriage

REF: p. 288

2. The 2011 Census counted stepfamilies for the first time and they represented about one in _________
couple families with children.

ANS: eight

REF: p. 288

3. ____________ refers to a family where the children are related to one parent but not the other.

ANS: Stepfamily

REF: p. 289

4. A(n) ________________ is one in which all children are the biological or adopted children of one and
only one married spouse or common-law partner in the couple.

ANS: simple stepfamily

REF: p. 289

5. Complex stepfamilies are also called ____________ families.

ANS: blended

REF: p. 289

158 © 2015 by Nelson Education Limited


6. One of the main differences between first marriages and later ones involves family _____________.

ANS: boundaries

REF: p. 293

7. The term ____________________ has been coined to refer to the relationship between current and ex-
wives.

ANS: wife-in-law

REF: p. 295

8. A child who accepts an unusually high degree of the parent’s responsibilities of care and nurturing is
called a(n) ____________________ child.

ANS: parentified

REF: p. 297

9. ____________________ parents are seen as a source of pleasure, but may be cut off from the
mainstream of daily living.

ANS: Nonresidential

REF: p. 297

10. One important area of conflict between stepparents and stepchildren is ______________, because
stepparents are not regarded as “real” parents.

ANS: discipline

REF: p. 297

11. A marriage between divorced parents creates ___________.

ANS: stepsiblings

REF: p. 300

12. In James Bray’s stepfamily types, the ______________ type is the least likely to succeed.

ANS: romantic

REF: p. 303

© 2015 by Nelson Education Limited 159


SHORT ANSWER

1. What changes have occurred following World War II in remarriage patterns?

ANS:
Responses will vary.

2. How do boundaries in remarriage families differ from those in first-marriage families?

ANS:
Responses will vary.

3. Briefly explain the three stages of remarriage-family formation.

ANS:
Responses will vary.

4. How do traditional gender roles work against stepfamilies?

ANS:
Responses will vary.

5. Explain difficulties experienced by a parentified child when his or her parent remarries.

ANS:
Responses will vary.

6. What factors affect the frequency of visits between a nonresidential parent and his or her child?

ANS:
Responses will vary.

7. State why the relationship between stepparent and stepchild is important.

ANS:
Responses will vary.

8. Give four factors that may lead to conflict between stepsiblings.

ANS:
Responses will vary.

9. Explain the difference between simple and complex stepfamilies.

ANS:
Responses will vary.

10. Describe James Bray’s three stepfamily types.

ANS:

160 © 2015 by Nelson Education Limited


Responses will vary.

ESSAY

1. Explain why remarriage families often face more problems than first-marriage families. Use examples
to illustrate your points.

ANS:
Responses will vary.

2. Negotiating boundaries and roles is extremely important for remarriage families. Discuss the
difficulties faced by family members in these two areas.

ANS:
Responses will vary.

3. Discuss the effect of remarriage on the relationship between children and their biological parents.

ANS:
Responses will vary.

4. Describe the differences between simple and complex stepfamilies. Provide real examples to illustrate
the different stepfamily forms.

ANS:
Responses will vary.

5. Using information from the text about the various issues facing stepfamilies, explain why each of
James Bray’s three stepfamily types may or may not be successful.

ANS:
Responses will vary.

© 2015 by Nelson Education Limited 161

You might also like