Kinship, Marriage, and Family Systems – MCQs

1. What does the term “kinship” primarily refer to?
(A) Biological relationships
(B) Socially recognized relationships
(C) Legal marriage ties
(D) Political alliances

2. What is the main basis for kinship classification in most societies?
(A) Political structure
(B) Economic systems
(C) Blood ties and marriage
(D) Religious beliefs

3. What is “patrilineal descent”?
(A) Tracing lineage through the mother
(B) Tracing lineage through both parents
(C) Tracing lineage through the father
(D) Tracing lineage through non-relatives

4. In a matrilineal society, inheritance is traced through:
(A) The mother’s side
(B) The father’s side
(C) Both parents
(D) Siblings only

5. Which term describes marriage within a specific group or community?
(A) Exogamy
(B) Polygamy
(C) Endogamy
(D) Monogamy

6. The prohibition of marrying close relatives is known as:
(A) Exogamy
(B) Incest taboo
(C) Endogamy
(D) Dowry system

7. Polygamy refers to:
(A) Marriage between one man and one woman
(B) A union of multiple partners
(C) A temporary marriage arrangement
(D) The prohibition of marriage

8. Which of the following is an example of a nuclear family?
(A) Parents and their children
(B) Aunts, uncles, and cousins
(C) Grandparents and grandchildren
(D) All extended relatives

9. What type of marriage involves one man marrying multiple women?
(A) Monogamy
(B) Polyandry
(C) Polygyny
(D) Group marriage

10. Which system of descent is based on both maternal and paternal ancestry?
(A) Bilateral descent
(B) Unilineal descent
(C) Matrilineal descent
(D) Patrilineal descent

11. A family that includes parents, children, and other relatives is called:
(A) Nuclear family
(B) Extended family
(C) Blended family
(D) Single-parent family

12. What is the term for a socially recognized union between two or more individuals?
(A) Kinship
(B) Descent
(C) Marriage
(D) Household

13. In most patriarchal societies, authority is:
(A) Shared equally between genders
(B) Dominated by women
(C) Dominated by men
(D) Absent in family systems

14. Which type of marriage is common in matriarchal societies?
(A) Polygamy
(B) Exogamy
(C) Matrilocal marriage
(D) Endogamy

15. What is a dowry?
(A) Payment made to the groom’s family
(B) An inheritance given by parents to children
(C) Payment made to the bride’s family
(D) A cultural tradition unrelated to marriage

16. The term “household” refers to:
(A) A nuclear family only
(B) A group of people living together
(C) Blood relatives only
(D) Legally married couples

17. In a patrilocal residence system, the couple resides:
(A) With the wife’s family
(B) With the husband’s family
(C) Independently
(D) With a community leader

18. A society that practices polyandry typically has:
(A) Multiple men married to one woman
(B) One man married to multiple women
(C) Monogamous relationships
(D) Group marriages

19. What is the primary function of kinship systems?
(A) Enforcing laws
(B) Organizing social relationships
(C) Creating economic wealth
(D) Determining political boundaries

20. A clan is defined as:
(A) A small nuclear family
(B) A group of people who claim descent from a common ancestor
(C) A legal unit of marriage
(D) A religious organization

21. What is neolocal residence?
(A) The couple resides with the husband’s family
(B) The couple resides with the wife’s family
(C) The couple establishes a new, independent household
(D) The couple moves in with their children

22. Exogamy promotes:
(A) Marriage within a specific group
(B) Marriage outside a specific group
(C) Avoidance of any form of marriage
(D) Polygamous unions

23. A blended family consists of:
(A) Blood relatives only
(B) Parents and children from previous marriages
(C) A nuclear family living with extended family
(D) Unrelated individuals living together

24. The primary focus of marriage in many traditional societies is:
(A) Love and romance
(B) Economic and social alliances
(C) Religious fulfillment
(D) Political gain

25. What is a levirate marriage?
(A) A marriage between two unrelated individuals
(B) A man marries his brother’s widow
(C) A woman marries multiple brothers
(D) Marriage within the same community