4.2.2.1 The family, social structure and social change Quiz: AQA Sociology, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. Which four functions did George Murdock argue are performed by the nuclear family in all societies?

   • Sexual, reproductive, economic and educational (socialisation) functions
   • Financial, housing, agricultural and retirement functions
   • Political, military, religious and legal functions
   • Recreational, medical, transport and communication functions

2. Which functionalist argument did Talcott Parsons make about the family in modern industrial society?

   • The family stabilises adult personalities and socialises children, while the economy depends on the mobility of the nuclear family
   • The family is a patriarchal institution that serves the interests of men and reproduces male power
   • The family is a unit of production that depends on the labour of its members, and is run by the state
   • The family has no social function, because its functions are entirely taken over by schools and the state

3. Marxist sociologists argue that the family under capitalism performs which main function?

   • It produces the common values that bind together members of all social classes in a single culture
   • It reproduces labour power and helps to maintain the conditions for capitalist production
   • It is a neutral institution that has no connection with the economy or the class structure
   • It promotes equality between men and women in all areas of economic and domestic life

4. Which feminist argument about the family is most associated with the concept of patriarchy?

   • The family is a site where women's power over men is greatest, because mothers control the socialisation of children
   • The family is a biological unit that is determined by nature, so social power has no role within it
   • The family is a neutral unit that distributes power and resources equally between all its members
   • The family is a site where men's power over women and children is maintained through domestic and economic arrangements

5. Which argument is associated with the New Right view of the family?

   • The traditional two-parent nuclear family is the best basis for raising children and is threatened by welfare dependency
   • The family is irrelevant to social stability, because modern societies can function without any family structures
   • The family should be abolished, because it is a source of inequality that prevents social mobility for children
   • The family should be replaced by state institutions, which can provide better care for children than parents

6. Which concept, associated with Willmott and Young, describes a pattern in which couples share roles and tasks more equally within the family?

   • Segregated conjugal roles, in which husbands and wives perform separate roles and tasks within the home
   • Lone-parent family, in which one parent raises children without the support of a partner in the household
   • Extended family, in which relatives beyond the nuclear family share responsibilities and support each other
   • Symmetrical family, in which couples share domestic roles and decision making more equally

7. Which concept, associated with Elizabeth Bott, describes couples whose roles are separated, with the husband working outside the home and the wife remaining at home?

   • Joint conjugal roles, in which couples share leisure and decision making through a common social network
   • Extended kinship, in which relatives beyond the household provide support and share responsibilities
   • Symmetrical roles, in which partners share domestic and financial responsibilities equally
   • Segregated conjugal roles, in which husband and wife have separate and distinct roles within the family

8. Which statement about the relationship between the family and social change is most accurate?

   • The family changes only in societies without state welfare, since state welfare prevents any change in families
   • The family changes in response to wider social, economic and political developments, such as industrialisation and welfare policy
   • The family never changes, because it is a natural unit that remains identical across all historical periods
   • The family changes only because of the biological ageing of its members, not because of social developments

9. Which of the following is an example of how state policy can influence family life?

   • The weather patterns in a particular region, which affect the time that families spend together indoors
   • The language spoken in the home, which determines the type of education that children receive
   • Welfare benefits and tax arrangements that affect the economic position of lone-parent and two-parent families
   • The genetic inheritance of family members, which determines which family structures can exist

10. Which concept describes the wider network of relatives beyond the nuclear family who may provide support and shared responsibilities?

    • The extended family, which includes relatives such as grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins
    • The nuclear family, which consists of two parents and their children living together in one household
    • The reconstituted family, which consists of a couple and children from previous relationships living together
    • The lone-parent family, which consists of one parent and dependent children living apart from other relatives

11. Which argument best describes the impact of the industrial revolution on the family according to traditional sociological accounts?

    • Industrialisation had no effect on the family, because all households remained self-sufficient farming units
    • Industrialisation strengthened the extended family, because all workers moved into large households with relatives
    • Industrialisation separated many economic activities from the household and encouraged the nuclear family
    • Industrialisation abolished the family, because children were placed in state-run institutions for their upbringing

12. Which evaluation of the view that the nuclear family is universal is most consistent with sociological research?

    • It is not supported by historical and cross-cultural evidence, which shows wide variation in family forms
    • It is supported by evidence only in the medical profession, which has studied family structure for many decades
    • It is fully supported by evidence, because all societies in history have had the same nuclear family structure
    • It is supported by evidence only in the twenty-first century, because earlier families were all extended

13. Which concept describes families in which members are related through marriage or cohabitation, but where children from previous relationships are also included?

    • Nuclear family, in which two parents and their biological children live together in one household
    • Extended family, in which grandparents and other relatives live in the same household as the nuclear family
    • Reconstituted or blended family, in which step-parents and step-children live together as a household
    • Lone-parent family, in which one parent raises children without a partner living in the same household

14. Which argument about the family and the economy is associated with functionalist accounts?

    • The family has no connection with the economy, because family life is governed by emotion rather than money
    • The family opposes the economy, because it protects individuals from the market and its demands on workers
    • The family is a unit of exploitation, in which the labour of women is used without payment for capitalist gain
    • The family adapts to the needs of the economy, for example by supporting the mobility of workers

15. Which statement best describes the difference between the functionalist and Marxist views of the family?

    • Functionalists and Marxists both see the family as having no social function, but they disagree about its origins
    • Functionalists see the family as serving capitalism, while Marxists see it as serving the needs of society as a whole
    • Functionalists and Marxists both see the family as a patriarchal institution, but they disagree about its history
    • Functionalists see the family as serving the needs of society as a whole, while Marxists see it as serving capitalism and class interests

16. A government introduces tax credits to support families with children, and the number of lone-parent families rises. Which view would most likely interpret this as the outcome of welfare dependency?

    • Feminism, which argues that welfare has no effect on family structure, because women are never affected by income
    • Marxism, which argues that welfare has no effect on the economy, because families are isolated from the market
    • Interactionism, which argues that welfare has no effect on individuals, because meanings are fixed by the state
    • The New Right, which argues that welfare encourages family breakdown by making lone parenthood financially viable

17. Which function of the family is most closely associated with Murdock's account of the nuclear family?

    • Religious leadership, which provides spiritual guidance to members through formal ceremonies in the home
    • Legal representation, which provides advice to members on the courts and the civil law of the country
    • Military defence, which provides soldiers for the state in times of war and conflict across the nation
    • Sexual regulation, which channels sexual behaviour into a stable and socially approved form of partnership

18. Which concept describes the family as a unit that depends on the economic labour of its members for survival?

    • Family as a unit of production, in which households produce goods and services for their own use or for sale
    • Family as a unit of politics, in which households take part in the formal decisions of the state and government
    • Family as a unit of leisure, in which households spend time together through recreation and shared activities
    • Family as a unit of consumption, in which households spend income on goods and services for their members

19. Which statement best describes a limitation of the functionalist view of the family?

    • It assumes that the family has no social functions, so it cannot explain why families exist in all societies
    • It assumes that the family serves the needs of society without considering the power and inequality within it
    • It assumes that the family is determined by biology, so it cannot explain the diversity of family types
    • It assumes that the family is always a site of conflict, so it cannot explain the stability of family life

20. Which concept describes families that are formed by members who are not related by blood or marriage, but who live and share responsibilities together?

    • Nuclear families, in which parents and their biological children live together in a single household
    • Chosen families, in which people form close networks of care and support based on friendship or shared commitment
    • Lone-parent families, in which one parent raises children without a partner in the same household
    • Extended families, in which relatives beyond the nuclear family share a household and provide support

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