Midterm Review

Introduction to Family Studies

FCST 200

Montclair State University

Midterm Exam• Take on Blackboard Tuesday March 8 at 10:00

A.M. through Wednesday March 9, at 4:00 P.M.

• Test will be under folder COURSE DOCUMENTS

• 40 multiple choice questions

• 8 questions on 5 charts (also multiple choice)

• Make sure to download “CHARTS for Midterm” files to use during the exam.

• These are under on the wiki and on Blackboard Under Course Documents folder

Taking an exam on Blackboard•Log in to our class on Blackboard•Under Content Area – choose •COURSE DOCUMENTS•Click on MIDTERM EXAM•Once you have logged on – you will have 1 HOUR and 15 MIN to complete.•Use Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox for better results

•Make sure you have the most up-to-date version of your web browser

Taking an exam on Blackboard

• Do not use you books or notes – You will not be able to answer most questions by using notes and reading

• You should finish the exam in an hour – it is only 40 questions.

• Close all other programs and files while taking the exam to avoid problems.

• If the exam freezes, e-mail me to unlock your attempt, and you can retake the exam.

• Just in case: write down your answers as you go on a piece of paper.

Midterm Review

• 1.  A ________ is a major sphere of social life with a set of beliefs and rules that is organized to meet human needs.

• A. social institution

• B. social norm

• C. social rule

• D. social organization

Midterm Review• 2.     While structural functionalist theory views society as

a set of interacting parts, conflict theory focuses on

A) socially constructed differences

between men and women

B) inequality between the “haves” and the “have nots”

C) Weighing the costs and benefits in personal relationships

D) None of the above

Answer: B

Midterm Review

• 3. Give an example of a macro level analysis:

• A. Examining large scale changes such as the increase in married women’s employment rate in U.S.

• B.Comparing divorce rates in two countries: U.S. vs. Japan

Midterm Review• 4.    Briefly define and distinguish between the

terms sex and gender

• Sex refers to the biological characteristics such as reproductive organs, sex chromosomes, hormones, that distinguish males and females

• Gender refers to the cultural or social characteristics that distinguish men and women

Midterm Review

5. What is the main argument of the social exchange perspective

A. Humans are rational actors who seek to maximize their utility in exchanges

They weigh the cost and benefits of exchanges in relationships

Emphasis on efficiency

Midterm Review

6. According to Cherlin, your textbook author, which of the following statements about cohabitation is FALSE?A. Cohabitation can be viewed as an alternative way of being single.B Cohabitation can be viewed as a relationship exactly like marriage.C. Cohabitation can be viewed as a testing ground for marriage,D. Cohabitation may be an alternative to marriage.Answer: B is FALSE

Midterm Review7. According to sociologists, race is defined as

___________

while ethnicity refers to_________________

Race: groups with a common set of physical features that distinguishes them from other groups, skin color eye shape

Ethnicity: A population that shares a cultural heritage or common ancestry

Ethnic groups have a sense of brotherhood or sisterhood maintained within the larger culture

Midterm Review8. Which of the following statements about

cohabitation is FALSE?

A. Cohabitation is on the rise in the United States.

B. Cohabitation started with people in the upper-middle class.

C. 9 in 10 cohabiting couples marry within 5 years.

D. Increases in cohabitation are related to a cultural shift toward greater individual autonomy and freedom.

• Answer B

Midterm Review

9.  Briefly distinguish between the macro and micro levels of analysis in sociological inquiry

Analysis at the macro level focuses on large-scale institutions, structures, and processes; comparisons between entire societies

Analysis at the micro level examines interaction between individuals and small groups like families

Midterm Review

10. List two factors that have contributed to the postponement of marriage in the past two decades?  Increase in women attending and graduating from college

Increase in women’s labor force participation

Rise in cohabitation

Attitude changes

Midterm Review

11. According to the research on changes in the characteristics men and women want in a marriage partner, what is the # 1 characteristics BOTH men and women seek?

A.  Good looks.B.  Love.C.  Neatness and refinement.D.  Education.

Answer B

Midterm Review

• 12.  What is social desirability bias? Can you give an example from class?

• When people give a response on surveys that they think is the socially acceptable response

• i.e. reporting that you have a happy marriage or reporting of fewer sexual partners than in reality

Number of sexual partners in past 12 months, Number of sexual partners in past 12 months, for never-married, non cohabiting women and for never-married, non cohabiting women and men, 2002 (NCHS)men, 2002 (NCHS)

Midterm Review•13.  According to the lecture on Social Class and Families, which of the following statements about social class categories in the United States is FALSE?

A.  Members of the upper class possess great wealth and privilege.B.  Most Hispanics tend to self-identify as middle-class.C.  Middle-class families are those whose connection to the economy provides them with a secure, comfortable income. D.  Working-class families usually have incomes that allow them to buy a small house or rent an apartment and to send their children to state or community college.

Answer B is FALSE

Midterm Review• 14.  Which of the following statements about colonial

families is true?

• A. Most colonial families lived in urban areas with borders, servants, and apprentices.

• B. Most colonial families lives on farms with borders, servants and apprentices.

• C. Colonial families also served as educational, social, and welfare institutions before there were hospitals and schools.

• D. Both B & C.

• Answer is D

Midterm Review15. What are the approximate percentages of Non Hispanic Whites, Non Hispanic Blacks, Asians, Native Americans, and Hispanics living in the US? 

African-American: 12.1 %

White: 75.0 %

Asian-American: 4.3 %

Native American: .9 %

Hispanic/Latino: 14.5 %

Midterm Review16. What are two reasons that sociologists argue that

race is socially constructed?

While racial characteristics are biological in origin, the interpretation of those characteristics may vary

Choice of racial characteristics that are emphasized is subjective

Racial definitions varies over time –from one historic period to another

Racial definitions vary across space - from one society to the next

Midterm Review17. Families can be defined as

A.a relationship by blood, marriage, or affection

B.a group of people whose members may cooperate economically and may care for children

C.a related group who may consider their individual identities to be intimately connected to the larger group

D.All of the above

Answer D

Midterm Review

18. Identify two main areas that demographers study 1. Fertility – birth rates, average number of births per woman2. Mortality – age that people die3. Migration- what countries people move from and why4. Marriage, divorce and cohabitation –divorce rate, age at marriage, increasing rate of cohabitation

Midterm Review

19. What racial-ethnic group has the highest percentage of children living in two-parent, intact families and why?

Asian Americans Because they are more likely to be newer

immigrants who are coming from a more traditional culture, and a country where divorce is less common, less socially acceptable

Percentage of Children under 18, by Family Type and Racial-Ethnic Group, 2001

Midterm Review

20. Social Class refers to an ordering of individuals according to their prestige, power, and privilege. Which 3 variables to measure social class

A.Education, class, and ageB.Education, occupation, and years of work experienceC.Education, occupation, and incomeD.None of the above

Answer: C

• 21. Which of the following statements about how families have changed over time is FALSE?

A.  While the power of marriage over people's lives has weakened, 90 percent of whites and 75 percent of African Americans will eventually marry.

B.  Images of the happy, nuclear family of the 1950s are largely myths.

C.  Families today are similar to those in the past in which three generations lived together for long periods of time.

D.  Families are adapting to demographic and social changes, but remain a strong influence over the lives of adults and children.

• Answer: C

Midterm Review

Midterm Review22. What is the trend in the following rates, since 1980?

• Cohabitation rate:

• up

• Divorce rate:

leveled off

• Women’s labor force participation rate:

• up

• Fertility rate:

• Down (due to the economy)

Use previous chart to answer

question23. Which group had the lowest labor force

participation rate in 1955, but the second highest in 2005?

A. Single women

B. Divorced women

C. Married women, spouse present

D. All of the above

Answer C

Midterm Review

24. What is the average age at marriage for women and for men today?

Women: 25

Men: 27

See and review the next chart on percentage of never married from lecture!

27.1

25.3

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

1890 1910 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 1995 2000 2003

Age

Year

Chart 2: Median Age at First Marriage by Sex: 1890 to Present

Men Women

http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/tabMS-2.pdf

Chart 4: Percentage change in number of births between 1990 and 2002 by State

Midterm Review

25. Which region of the U.S experienced the largest increase in births from 1990 to 2002?

A: The midwest

B. The southeast

C. The northeast

D. The southwest

Answer D

Midterm Review26. According to the new survey: National Survey of

Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB), which group is the LEAST likely to use condoms?

A: cohabiting couples ages 20-29

B. teenagers

C. Adults in their late 40s and older who are newly single

D. None of the above

Answer C

EXTRA CREDIT

• Extra Credit:

• The most recent U.S. Census data was collected in

• A.  2000

•  B.  2010

•  C.  3010

•  D.  2005

• Answer B 2010