Chapter 6

Question 1

1. The fertility transition can best be described as the shift
   a. to a higher probability that children born will survive to adulthood.
   b. from low to high female empowerment.
   c. from family building by fate to family building by design.
   d. from parental bondage to parental freedom.

Answer 1

c. from family building by fate to family building by design.

Question 2

2. “Natural” fertility in most populations produces an average of about ____ children.
   a. two to three
   b. four to five
   c. six to seven
   d. eight to nine

Answer 2

c. six to seven

Question 3

3. Hutterite society has been notable especially for having high fertility in the context of
   a. low mortality.
   b. dense urban life.
   c. acceptance of abortion.
   d. late age at marriage.

Answer 3

a. low mortality.

Question 4

4. Of the following, _______ is least likely to be an explanation for the high fertility that existed for
   most of human history.
   a. the need to overcome high mortality
   b. the fact that children are a source of security and labor for their parents
   c. the desire for sons
   d. religious objections to the use of contraception

Answer 4

d. religious objections to the use of contraception

Question 5

5. The concept of accepting calculated choice as being a valid element in marital fertility decisions
   is one of the
   a. differences between fecundity and fertility.
   b. preconditions for a substantial fertility decline
   c. proximate determinants of fertility.
   d. diffusion processes leading to a drop in fertility.

Answer 5

b. preconditions for a substantial fertility decline

Question 6

6. The single most important instigator of fertility decline at the societal level is
   a. increased longevity.
   b. the empowerment of women.
   c. secularization.
   d. higher levels of education.

Answer 6

a. increased longevity.

Question 7

7. The idea that couples strive to maintain a balance between how many surviving children they
   have and how many they want is associated with the concept of the
   a. preconditions for a substantial fertility decline.
   b. exogenous factors that influence reproductive behavior.
   c. new household economics of fertility behavior.
   d. demographic linkage between fertility and reproductive health.

Answer 7

c. new household economics of fertility behavior.

Question 8

. The concept that parents seek a trade-off between quantity and quality is derived from

a. the innovation-diffusion perspective.
b. neo-classical economic theory.
c. rational choice theory.
d. the supply-demand framework.

Answer 8

b. neo-classical economic theory

Question 9

9. The concept that fertility is importantly influenced by other people with whom we live and
associate is derived from
a. the innovation-diffusion perspective.
b. neo-classical economic theory.
c. rational choice theory.
d. the supply-demand framework.

Answer 9

a. the innovation-diffusion perspective.

Question 10

10. Of the following characteristics of women, \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ is most closely associated with fertility
levels.
a. educational level
b. labor force participation
c. religious preference
d. wealth

Answer 10

a. educational level

Question 11

11. Of the following important proximate determinants of fertility, ________ is least effective in
    terms of its average effect on fertility levels.
    a. abortion
    b. age at entry into sexual unions
    c. voluntary abstinence
    d. breast-feeding

Answer 11

c. voluntary abstinence

Question 12

12. The available evidence suggests that the most widely used method of birth control in the world
is
a. the pill.
b. the condom.
c. voluntary abstinence.
d. abortion.

Answer 12

c. voluntary abstinence.

Question 13

13. The total fertility rate measures the total number of
    a. children born in a population.
    b. surviving children that a woman will have in her lifetime.
    c. children ever born to a woman at the end of her reproductive career.
    d. projected children ever born per woman if ASFRs do not change

Answer 13

d. projected children ever born per woman if ASFRs do not change

Question 14

14. The net reproduction rate is also known as the
    a. generational replacement rate.
    b. total fertility rate.
    c. fertility index.
    d. mean length of generation.

Answer 14

a. generational replacement rate.

Question 15

15. Data on fertility intentions help to sort out the difference between
    a. timing and quantum of births.
    b. gross and net reproduction.
    c. general and age-specific rates.
    d. proximate and distal determinants of fertility.

Answer 15

a. timing and quantum of births.

Question 16

16. The region of the world that currently has the highest levels of fertility is
    a. Africa.
    b. Asia.
    c. Latin America.
    d. Oceania.

Answer 16

a. Africa.

Question 17

17. The evidence suggests that ________ is an important impediment to higher fertility levels in
    Europe.
    a. lack of gender equity within marriage
    b. the widespread use of abortion
    c. a continually sluggish economic environment
    d. the “glass ceiling” for women in the workplace

Answer 17

a. lack of gender equity within marriage

Question 18

18. The impact of China’s one-child policy on that country’s fertility level can best be described as
    a. having provided the initial impetus for a fertility decline.
    b. allowing China to mirror similar fertility declines among its neighbors.
    c. facilitating an already existing decline in fertility.
    d. being important only because it accompanied measures of social equity.

Answer 18

c. facilitating an already existing decline in fertility.