Families and Their Functions- Past and Present
True/False Questions
Circle T if the statement is true; circle F if the statement is false.
T F 1. The majority of families fit the stereotype of the “all-American family.”
T F 2. Only present-day families are struggling with problems resulting from political,
economic, and societal forces.
T F 3. The church had a tremendous influence on governmental matters, family life in
general, and child-rearing practices in Europe during the Middle Ages.
T F 4. Locke, an English philosopher, was the first one to introduce the idea that
children’s minds are like “clean slates” on which parents and teachers could write what
students were to learn.
T F 5. In 1912, the American government created the Children’s Bureau to address
concerns about undernourished, neglected, and abused children.
Multiple Choice Questions
Circle the best answer.
6. Parents of the past used their family values and functions to __________ and
_____________.
a. Earn money and spend time with family
b. Protect their children and prepare them for society
c. Protect their children from disease and educate them
d. Protect their children from starvation and educate them
7. With what conditions did pre-historical families deal?
a. Hunger, the elements, and disease
b. Clans, tribes, and other cultures
c. Starvation, lack of water, drought
d. None of the above
8.To protect their members against enemy tribes and to ensure that everyone had enough
to eat, pre-historical families:
a. Joined with other tribes to form clans
b. Made weapons and farmed
c. Were geographically isolated from others
d. Joined with other clans to form tribes
9. Greek and Roman period families were concerned simply with surviving during the
Middle Ages (400-1400). Only ___________ were educated.
a. Noble boys
b. Noble girls
c. Peasant boys
d. Peasant girls
10. Which group believed that children were naturally evil and introduced the phrased,
“beat the devil out of the child?”
a. European Medieval families
b. Age of Reason families
c. Greek and Roman families
d. Pre-historical families
11. Martin Luther (1482-1546), the “father of Reformation,” proposed which
revolutionary child practice?
a. Beating the devil out of the child.
b. Education for boys and girls by their parents was good.
c. Education should be reserved for nobles.
d. Racial equality in schools was good.
12. Which German educator became known as the “father of Kindergarten”?
a. Rousseau
b. Pestalozzi
c. Froebel
d. Locke
13. The _________ emphasized ____________________________.
a. Industrial Revolution; human dignity
b. The Age of Darkness; Reformation
c. The Age of Reason; The Age of Darkness
d. The Age of Reason; human dignity
14. Which period is associated with child exploitation?
a. Industrial Revolution
b. Age of Reason
c. Period of Enlightenment
d. Colonial time in North America
15. During which period did approximately one-third of all marriages last only 10 years?
a. Industrial Revolution
b. Age of Reason
c. Period of Enlightenment
d. Colonial time in North America
Essay Questions
Give complete responses to each statement.
16. Why have attitudes towards children altered through time?
17. How and why did the Industrial Revolution change how children were treated?
8. How did the Great Depression and World War II affect the function of the family in
the United States?
9. What are the unique challenges contemporary families face in comparison with the
earlier times? Explain why those challenges are unique.
10. What is the difference between a functional and a dysfunctional family?
Chapter 2:
1. F
2. F
3. T
4. T
5. T
6. B
7. A
8. D
9. A
10. A
11. B
12. C
13. D
14. A
15. D
Answers may include the statements provided below.
16. Why have attitudes towards children altered through time?
Attitudes towards children have altered through time because family values and functions
have changed due to social, political and economic shifts. Students may also give
answers which are more specific. For example, students may go through the different
periods of time and discuss why changes affected attitudes towards children.
17. How and why did the Industrial Revolution change how children were treated?
During the Industrial Revolution, children were exploited as cheap laborers. Unless a
family was wealthy, economic deprivation prevented families from looking after their
children. This harsh society resulted in children being expected to act like little adults.
18. How did the Great Depression and World War II affect the function of the family in
the United States?
Due to extreme economic hardships, women began to look for work to help support their
families. Men often lost their jobs and their status as the “bread winners” of their family.
Some families moved in together to share living costs. When WWII started, men often
joined the military. Due to both parents working, child care centers were created.
19. What are the unique challenges contemporary families face in comparison with the
earlier times? Explain why those challenges are unique.
Contemporary families deal with unique challenges compared to the traditional structure
of families including: teen mothers, unmarried mothers, divorced parents, blended
families.
The discussion of why the challenges are unique will depend upon the challenges
described.
20. What is the difference between a functional and a dysfunctional family?
A functional family is characterized by effective communication and respect towards one
another. It cultivates a sense of belonging, valuing the family as a team, appreciating each
other, having a spiritual or religious orientation, adapting to change, being socially
connected, having clearly defined roles, spending time together, and helps children grow
in a safe, supportive environment. A dysfunctional family is the opposite of the
functional family and may be characterized by being unstructured, not providing
emotional support for the children, having unrealistic expectations of the children,
lacking communication and diversity, and involving addiction, abuse, control,
unpredictability and fear. In essence, the functional family and dysfunctional family is
not characterized by the structure of the family but by how the family functions to
provide for the physical and emotional well being of the child.