Iasked this question a couple of days ago- and got several different opinions.
Ms. Sue tried to point out to me why she thought the correct answer is (B);
however,I think some read my text wrong.
Would someone please,reread the question
and reread what my text states?
Which scenario best describes a
nuclear family?
A) Jeremiah is growing up within a
cluster of adults and children who
maintain their own living quarters
but come together for work and meals.
Child-rearing is a shared responsibility
B) The Farrish family is comprised of
ten-year-old Mary Beth and her mother
who teaches at Ingleside High School.
Since Mary Beth's grandparents live
too far away to help,she goes to
after-school care until her mother
picks her up after work
C) Following an accident in which her
parents were killed,Josefina,age six,
is taken in by her mother's sister
and brother-in-law and raised as one
of her own children
D) Adam is a foster child currently
living with a family in which there
is a father, a stay-at-home mother,
and the couple's two children.
This is what my text states about a nuclear family:
For various reasons(including economic necessity),family structures and the roles of caregivers often are different
in nonmainstream culture families.
The middle-class preference for relatively small nuclear families consisting of a mother,father(or a single mother),is unusual when compared
with families from most other
non-European backgrounds. Most cultures include maternal or paternal grandparents in the family structure,
and even aunts,uncles,cousins,and close
family friends.
By comparison,the small nuclear family
is relatively isolated. Nonmainstream
families view such family structures as lacking adequate social support for
nurturing and caretaking young children.
The reliance of mainstream families
on child care provided outside the home by relative strangers is viewed as
inappropriate.
On the other hand, you may view large,
extendes,multigenerational families as chaotic. You may be concerned about
consistency in child rearing because there are multiple caretakers.
It is important to realize,however,
that only a generation or two ago,
this was the norm in many mainstream
families in the U.S. Particularly in
farm families living in rural America,
families with seven or eight children were not unusual. It was also common
for a widowed grandparent to live with the family. Although not formally
ascribed as in some cultural
groups,older siblings often took responsibility for younger children.
Since mothers were full-time
homemakers,childcare outside the home was uncommon;children rarely experienced peer groups or caregivers outside the home until formal schooling began at age five or six. Children
raised in this enviroment were not considered as suffering from chaotic
and/or inconsistent child rearing;
nor were they considered socially
deprived.
After reaing what my text states,
do others still think as Ms.Sue does,
that the correct answer is (B)?
I am still of the opinion that C is the correct answer. Regardless of her parents' deaths, she is being raised by family members "as one of their own"
Again, the definition according to the Online Dictionary:
Main Entry: nuclear family
Function: noun
Date: 1947
: a family group that consists only of father, mother, and children
Is your text then changing that definition?
P.S. The direction is STILL to find which is the closest to the nuclear family and that would have to be B.
Rose, this is enough on this particular question. You have received several answers including an indepth interpretation of your text by Ms. Sue. Now it's time for you to read and comprehend ... and make your own decision.
Based on the information provided in your text, it is clear that a nuclear family refers to a relatively small family structure consisting of a mother, father (or a single mother), and their children. This type of family is considered isolated compared to families with extended relatives involved in caregiving. In a nuclear family, childrearing is typically done by the parents themselves.
Applying this definition to the given scenarios, we can evaluate each option:
A) This scenario describes a cluster of adults and children living in separate quarters but coming together for work and meals. Child-rearing is shared among these adults and children. This scenario does not align with the definition of a nuclear family as there is no mention of a traditional mother-father setup or a single mother raising her child.
B) This scenario describes Mary Beth and her mother as the only members of the Farrish family. There is no mention of a father or any other extended family members. Mary Beth goes to after-school care until her mother picks her up. This scenario better aligns with the definition of a nuclear family, as it involves a single mother and her child.
C) In this scenario, Josefina is taken in by her mother's sister and brother-in-law after her parents' death. Although there is some similarity to a nuclear family in terms of the child being raised by extended family members, it does not fit the traditional definition as it lacks a mother and father figure.
D) This scenario describes Adam as a foster child living with a father, a stay-at-home mother, and the couple's two children. This scenario aligns with the traditional definition of a nuclear family, as it involves a father, a mother, and their children.
After considering the information provided in your text, it appears that Option B (The Farrish family) best describes a nuclear family.