4.2.2.2 Marriage, cohabitation, divorce and the life course Quiz: AQA Sociology, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. Which law in England and Wales is generally associated with making divorce easier to obtain in the late twentieth century?

   • The Education Reform Act 1988, which introduced the national curriculum and local management of schools
   • The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, which restructured the workhouse system for the relief of the poor
   • The Divorce Reform Act 1969, which introduced the concept of irretrievable breakdown as the sole ground for divorce
   • The Housing Act 1980, which introduced the right to buy council housing for tenants in England and Wales

2. Which trend in cohabitation is most often reported in UK statistics over the last few decades?

   • A rise in cohabitation only among pensioners, with no change among younger adults at any point
   • A rise in the number of couples cohabiting, with many people cohabiting before or instead of marrying
   • A stable pattern of cohabitation at the same level, with no change in the number of couples since 1960
   • A fall in the number of couples cohabiting, because the state has banned unmarried couples from living together

3. Which concept, associated with Anthony Giddens, describes a relationship entered into for its own sake, sustained only while it gives satisfaction to both partners?

   • The conjugal role, which is based on the division of household tasks between husband and wife in a marriage
   • The nuclear family, which is based on the legal obligations of parents to their children in a single household
   • The pure relationship, which is based on emotional intimacy and continues only while both partners are satisfied
   • The extended family, which is based on kinship ties that extend beyond the nuclear household to wider relatives

4. Which statement about the average age at first marriage in the UK is most accurate?

   • It has fallen steadily since 1900, as young people have increasingly married in their early teenage years
   • It has risen considerably over the last few decades, as people delay marriage in favour of education and careers
   • It has remained unchanged since the nineteenth century, with most people marrying in the same year of life
   • It has risen only for men, while the age at which women marry has remained at the same level since 1950

5. Which concept describes the sequence of stages that people pass through over their lifetime, such as childhood, young adulthood, parenthood and retirement?

   • The labour process, which describes the way that work is organised and controlled within a workplace
   • The division of labour, which describes the specialisation of tasks within a society or organisation
   • The class structure, which describes the distribution of economic resources between social groups
   • The life course, which describes the sequence of transitions and events across a person's life

6. Which argument is associated with Ulrich Beck and the individualisation thesis?

   • Individuals are increasingly bound by fixed religious rules, which determine every decision about marriage and divorce
   • Individuals are increasingly freed from traditional social ties, and they must make their own choices about relationships and lives
   • Individuals have lost all freedom of choice, because the state now controls every aspect of relationships and family life
   • Individuals have become more dependent on their extended families, which now determine all relationship choices

7. Which concept describes the study of personal relationships, including the ways that people make decisions and commitments outside the traditional family?

   • The sociology of religion, which examines the role of beliefs and institutions in the lives of believers
   • The sociology of crime, which examines patterns of offending and the responses of the criminal justice system
   • The sociology of personal life, which examines intimacy, commitment and relationships beyond formal institutions
   • The sociology of labour, which examines the organisation of work and the relations between employers and employees

8. Which change in marriage and partnership is associated with the Civil Partnership Act 2004 and the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013?

   • The legal abolition of all marriage in England and Wales, so that couples could only cohabit after 2004
   • The legal prohibition of cohabitation for couples with children, which was introduced in the late twentieth century
   • The legal requirement for all couples to divorce after five years, regardless of the wishes of either partner
   • The legal recognition of same-sex couples through civil partnership and then marriage in England and Wales

9. Which evaluation of the trend towards cohabitation is most consistent with sociological debate?

   • It reflects changing attitudes to commitment, but cohabiting relationships are often less stable than marriages on average
   • It shows that cohabitation has no effect on family life, because cohabiting couples always marry within one year
   • It shows that the family has disappeared, because cohabiting couples do not form households or raise children
   • It shows that cohabitation is always the most stable form of relationship, with no risk of separation at any point

10. Which factor is most likely to affect the experience of divorce for children, according to research on family change?

    • The make of car the family owns, which determines the social status that children feel in their school
    • The colour of the family home, which determines whether children feel secure in their home environment
    • The level of conflict between parents and the quality of the relationships children have with both parents
    • The number of holidays the family takes, which determines whether children feel valued by their parents

11. Which concept describes the stages in a person's life that are shaped by historical time, social change and individual choice?

    • The life course, in which the timing and sequence of life events vary with social and historical context
    • The mode of production, in which the economic base determines all aspects of social life across history
    • The social structure, in which people are fixed in roles determined by their occupational position alone
    • The welfare state, in which the government provides support for individuals at all stages of their lives

12. Which statement about the number of people living alone in the UK is most accurate?

    • It has remained exactly the same since 1900, because households have always been of a fixed size
    • It has fallen to almost zero, because all adults now live with a partner for the whole of their lives
    • It has risen over recent decades, reflecting changes in marriage, divorce and the ageing of the population
    • It has risen only among children, who are increasingly living alone without any adult supervision in the home

13. Which argument would a feminist most likely make about the impact of divorce on women?

    • Women may face financial hardship after divorce, especially if they have caring responsibilities for children
    • Women are always the ones who benefit from having children, so divorce never affects their economic position
    • Women experience no difference in finances after divorce, since the law always treats partners as financially equal
    • Women are always financially better off after divorce, because they no longer have to share domestic responsibilities

14. Which concept describes a living arrangement in which two partners maintain separate homes but have a committed relationship?

    • Lone-parent family, in which one parent raises children without a partner living in the same household
    • Reconstituted family, in which a parent and children from a previous relationship live with a new partner
    • Extended family, in which relatives beyond the nuclear family live together and share domestic responsibilities
    • Living apart together, in which couples in a committed relationship choose not to share a household

15. Which evaluation of the view that marriage is in decline is most consistent with sociological research?

    • Marriage has never changed, so the decline in marriage is an error in the statistical data collected by the state
    • Marriage has become less common and later, but it remains an important institution for many people in the UK
    • Marriage has become more common than at any point in history, with all couples marrying before the age of twenty
    • Marriage has completely disappeared from British society, because no couples have married since the 1990s

16. A researcher finds that cohabiting couples with children are more likely to separate than married couples with children. Which evaluation would be most appropriate?

    • The finding proves that cohabitation is always harmful for children, and that it should be made illegal in all cases
    • The finding is irrelevant, because separation rates are not a feature of family life in the UK at any point
    • The finding proves that marriage causes couples to stay together, with no other factors involved in the relationship
    • The finding may reflect differences in commitment, age and social background, not only the legal status of the union

17. Which statement best describes the trend in the number of marriages in the UK over recent decades?

    • The number of marriages has risen steadily, so most adults in the UK now marry before the age of twenty-five
    • The number of marriages has risen only among pensioners, who are increasingly marrying for the second time
    • The number of marriages has remained constant, with no change in the number of weddings since the 1960s
    • The number of marriages has fallen, although most people still marry at some point in their lives

18. Which term describes a family arrangement in which children live with one parent after the separation of their parents?

    • Nuclear family, in which two parents live together with their biological children in a single household
    • Symmetrical family, in which both partners share domestic and financial responsibilities equally in the home
    • Lone-parent family, in which one parent has the main responsibility for raising the children
    • Extended family, in which relatives beyond the nuclear family live together and share caring responsibilities

19. Which concept describes the legal process by which a marriage is formally ended?

    • Widowhood, which is the state of a person whose spouse has died while they are still married
    • Separation, which is the decision of two partners to live apart without ending their legal union
    • Cohabitation, which is the living together of a couple without a legal marriage
    • Divorce, which is the legal dissolution of a marriage by a court

20. Which statement best describes the life course approach to family transitions?

    • Family transitions are the same in all societies, so comparisons between countries reveal no differences at all
    • Family transitions always occur at the same age for everyone, because the life course is fixed by biology
    • Family transitions have no relationship with social context, because individuals make them at random times
    • Family transitions such as marriage, parenthood and divorce occur at different ages, depending on social and historical context

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