Praxis Family and Consumer Sciences
(5122 ) UPDATED Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
Individuation is the process through which a person comes to think of himself or herself as a
distinct person despite being a member of a family. - Correct Answer- Children at first
identify entirely with the mores, norms, and values of their family; it is only after prolonged
exposure to other people outside the home that a child will begin to question his or her
upbringing and perhaps modify his or her belief system. A fully individualized person is able
to maintain a coherent personality without renouncing membership in a family with which he
or she may have some disagreement.
Agrarian societies are more likely to live with their extended families. - Correct Answer- An
extended family is comprised of more than one adult couple. For instance, it might include a
man and a woman, their children, and their grandchildren. Agrarian societies in which people
tend the same land for their entire lives are more conducive to the maintenance of the
extended family. This is in part because it is more difficult for a large group to move around
together. In modern, industrial, urban, and nomadic societies, it is more common for people
to be grouped together in nuclear families (one adult couple and their children)
Financial Stability is NOT necessary for a person to commit emotionally to a marriage. -
Correct Answer- Despite money being a main issue for divorce, it is more important for
partners to have good self-esteem, empathy, a feeling of permanence in the relationship, and
strong personal identities. Solid marriages weather the inevitable hard times with a mixture of
humor, empathy, and habit. The idea of empathy is particularly important in marriage because
it implies that each partner may not fully understand the other. Nevertheless, a loving spouse
with try to help whenever possible.
Having a child between the ages of 2 and 4 has little to no effect on job satisfaction. - Correct
Answer- Research suggests that parents often feel some strain as they occupy multiple roles,
but this is offset by the enjoyment they derive from their work. Having a newborn, on the
other hand, has a noticeably damaging effect on job satisfaction. The demands of caring for a
newborn, as well as the desire to spend as much time as possible with this new child, make it
unpleasant to be away from home for any reason. Flexible scheduling, high wages, and
intellectual challenge are all directly correlated with job satisfaction.
Accepting that the marriage is over is the first step a person should take after divorce. -
Correct Answer- Psychologists estimate that it takes most people at least two years to accept
,divorce entirely. Until this is reached, the divorcee should not initiate a new relationship. The
best way to complete the process of acceptance is to establish an individual identity. This may
include developing a balance between being single and being a parent. It is appropriate to
plan for the future, but people should be aware that it is impossible to predict what they will
want once they have fully processed the finality of the divorce.
Sibling rivalry is most pronounced in same-sex siblings within three years of age. - Correct
Answer- In the first eight to ten years of life, siblings tend to alternate between cooperation
and competition. As they grow older, they will often spend little time together for a few years,
but during adolescence will gradually develop empathy for one another. Most research
suggests that adult relationships between siblings simply exaggerate the tone of the
relationship of the youth; that is, good relationships get better and bad relationships get
worse.
Married women typically earn a lower wage than single women. - Correct Answer- This is an
exception to the general trend, which is that married people are healthier, wealthier, and more
content than their single counterparts. Married men are less likely to abuse alcohol and drugs,
and less likely to become depressed. Married women are healthier and more likely to report
satisfaction with their home lives. One reason why married women may earn less money is
that they are more likely to be raising children, and therefore less focused on professional
development. Despite reports about the decline of marriage, an overwhelming majority of
Americans will marry at least once during their lives.
Accepting a stepparent is hardest for adolescent girls. - Correct Answer- The bond between a
stepparent, particularly a stepfather, and an adolescent girl takes the longest to form. One
possible reason for this phenomenon is that stepfathers tend to be less engaged with
stepdaughters than with stepsons. The effect of remarriage on children is much the same as
divorce because it involves a fundamental restructuring of the family concept. Nevertheless,
stepparents who work to engage with their stepchildren can develop positive relationships
over time.
Both the content and the style of family communication are important. - Correct Answer- The
members of a family should work on communicating positively. The decisions made by
families tend to reinforce the status quo in the interest of conformity and conflict avoidance.
For reasons both genetic and environmental, the members of families are likely to struggle
with the same sorts of problems in life. Despite a general tendency toward stability and
consistency, families inevitably change in response to the aging of each member and to
pressures from the environment. Finally, it is a central tenet of family science that it is
impossible to understand a family member without understanding the family as a whole.
, According to John Gottman, humor is the best response to criticism by a spouse. - Correct
Answer- When the criticized partner responds to criticism by deflecting or soothing the other
person, tempers are quelled and the partnership remains strong. Gottman's research suggests
that there is a classic pattern of degenerating communication in an unsuccessful relationship.
The pattern begins with criticism that is not directed at a certain behavior, but at the other
person as a whole. In other words, the criticism of unsuccessful couples tends to lean toward
character assassination. Eventually, these negative interactions lead to contempt, in which one
partner openly disparages and disrespects the other. The inevitable response to contempt is
defensiveness, followed by stonewalling or a total lack of communication. When couples stop
communicating, the relationship is not likely to endure.
The greatest amount of variation between people of the same age is found during early
adolescence. - Correct Answer- The onset of puberty may occur at any time over the span of
five years, though it typically occurs earlier in females than in males. The changes brought on
by puberty are monumental and can cause rapid changes in personality, physical
development, and emotional maturity. Teachers need to be aware of these changes,
particularly when working with middle-school children. Family and consumer science
teachers may need to act as liaisons between parents and their children, as family
relationships can become strained during early adolescence.
When two children have a dispute and agree to settle it according to their mother's opinion,
they are engaging in arbitration. - Correct Answer- In arbitration, two conflicting parties
agree to rely on the advice of a supposedly impartial third party. Sometimes, the parties will
also establish guidelines for the way a decision is to be reached. In parenting, it can be
difficult to settle a dispute with arbitration, since children are unlikely to honor a decision that
goes against their interest. Conciliation is a method of settling disputes in which the
conflicting parties are simply asked to meet and converse, with the idea that a resolution will
naturally occur as a result of this meeting. In mediation, the conflicting parties decide to
enlist the aid of an impartial third party as they attempt to settle their differences. The parties
in mediation do not agree to follow the advice of the third party. In negotiation, two parties
try to agree on terms that are acceptable to both. Negotiation in family life is a bit like
compromise. A restorative justice system is where the person who has been wronged gets
some kind of compensation from the wrongdoer. When the parents force one sibling to
apologize to the other, they are essentially using restorative justice.
In general, when a mother works, her children have more self-esteem. - Correct Answer-
There is no one reason for this phenomenon, although one can speculate that girls might be
inspired by the positive example of a successful working mother. The daughters of working
mothers tend to be more independent, and they are likely to have a more egalitarian view of
gender relations. When the sons of working mothers are unsupervised, their performance in
school tends to decline. It is important for both parents to have a positive attitude about
maternal employment, and it is especially important for husbands to support their wives in
ways that can be perceived positively by children.
