Q&A Hero

Q: Which adolescent is least likely to exhibit high academic achievement? A. Barney, whose parents set high scholastic standards and expect him to go to college B. Bernie, whose parents go to all of his school programs and help him select his classes C. Benny, whose parents do not want to pressure him, but argue with his teachers about his grades D. Bob, whose parents join together with other parents who stay involved in school activities

Q: According to the textbook, which of the following is not an effective form of parental involvement? A. helping with homework B. encouraging achievement in school C. expecting achievement in school D. being involved in school-based activities

Q: Which of the following parenting styles is associated with adolescents' development of mastery motivation and academic achievement? A. permissive B. authoritative C. authoritarian D. demonstrative

Q: Which type of parenting is linked to school success during adolescence? A. authoritarian B. authoritative C. indulgent D. neglectful

Q: Who is probably most likely to drop out of high school? A. Luanne, whose parents are consistently authoritative B. Dierdre, whose parents are consistently authoritarian C. Bobby Jo, whose parents are inconsistent D. Sally, whose parents are consistently permissive

Q: Which of the following is not identified in the textbook as one of the factors that researchers study in connection with how home environment influences adolescents' level of achievement? A. parents' values and expectations B. parenting practices C. cultural factors D. quality of home environment

Q: The comprehensive sex education discussed in the textbook has all of the following elements except: A. it must teach adolescents how to refuse unwanted sex and avoid unintended sex. B. it must increase adolescents' motivation to engage in safe sex. C. it must change perceptions about peer norms and attitudes. D. it must reduce adolescents' likelihood of having sex.

Q: Evaluations of school-based clinics have found that: A. they increase adolescents' use of contraception. B. they appear to increase adolescents' sexual activity. C. contrary to parents' concerns, they do no appear to increase sexual activity. D. they are largely effective, especially among White and Hispanic youths.

Q: Michelle, a 16-year-old female, is the only one in her circle of friends who has not yet had sex. She is beginning to feel pressure to have sex. Discuss two ways that her friends are influencing her attitude toward sex.

Q: Provide four reasons, discussed in your textbook, that growing up in a single-parent home affects girls' sexual behavior more than boys' sexual behavior.

Q: Pretend you are talking to your virgin 16-year-old self (or another 16-year-old that is thinking about having sex for the first time). Your 16-year-old self wants to know if sexuality is normal, when(if) he/she is ready to engage in sexual behaviors, and what the potential risks are. Be sure to tell the 16-year-old everything you wish you would have known about sex when you were younger.

Q: One of your friends, Tom, has come to the realization that he is attracted to both males and females. He is worried that he is the only one who feels attracted to peers of his same-sex. He knows that you have just taken a class on adolescent sexuality and asks you for some information regarding the prevalence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adolescents. What would you tell him? He is also concerned that, although he enjoys playing typical male sports, such as baseball and football, his attraction to males will cause people to assume that he is more feminine than his heterosexual teammates. Knowing that he likely has a bisexual orientation, what do you predict for his gender identity and sex-role behavior? In your view, is homosexuality more due to biological factors or social/contextual factors? Is there anything else that Tom should be aware of?

Q: Paul won't even try to learn how to swim because when he has tried before, he has not done very well and he is now convinced that no matter what he does, he will never learn to swim. Paul's situation is an example of: A. ego deflation. B. Type-A behavior. C. learned helplessness. D. temperament.

Q: Mrs. Kumin wants to help her lower-achieving students. She should: A. acknowledge that they do not have the ability to achieve and stop pressuring them. B. help them learn to attribute their performance to factors that are under their control. C. have them placed into special education classes. D. provide them with remedial education and have them keep trying.

Q: According to the textbook, which of the following is not something that policymakers have called for to ensure young mothers have an adequate income and the chance for adequate employment? A. adaptations in school schedules and the development of school-based child-care centers B. the expansion of subsidized child-care for young mothers who are out of school C. the expansion of family planning services to adolescent mothers D. laws that ensure companies cannot discriminate against teen mothers

Q: According to the textbook, evaluations of programs aimed at enhancing teen mothers' access to adequate income and employment have found that: A. while enhancing teen mothers' employability has not been successful, decreasing their reliance on welfare has been hugely successful. B. both decreasing teen mothers' reliance on welfare and preventing their subsequent pregnancies have been successful. C. programs aimed at preventing future pregnancies have been successful, but programs aimed at enhancing teen mothers' employability have been largely disappointing. D. programs aimed at enhancing teen mothers' employability and preventing their subsequent pregnancies have been largely disappointing.

Q: Studies of the long-term consequences of adolescent parenthood indicate that the problems associated with it: A. are actually relatively minor, and research studies have difficulty replicating the findings. B. may actually be greater for the children than for their mothers. C. may actually be greater for the mothers than for their children. D. are likely limited to psychological and emotional domains.

Q: One study indicated that there is quite a bit of diversity among teenage mothers in their transitions to adulthood. Which of the following is not one of the three groups of teen moms identified in Oxford and colleague's study? A. a problem-prone group that had chronic problems in many areas of life B. a psychologically vulnerable group that had high rates of mental health problems but were able to transition into adult roles with some degree of success C. a group who seemed to develop "typically" and made successful transitions into adult roles D. a group of individuals who bounced back and forth between identities and scored alarmingly low on all measures of "life satisfaction" (higher scores = more satisfaction)

Q: Compared to adolescent women who choose to have their child, adolescents who abort their pregnancy: A. are typically filled with feelings of self-doubt and insecurity. B. are more likely to have a children over the following 2 years. C. are psychologically, socially, and economically better off. D. less likely to practice contraception.

Q: The adverse outcomes of being born to an adolescent mother are generally a result of all of the following, except: A. characteristics of the mother. B. characteristics of the mother's family environment. C. the immature reproductive system of an adolescent mother. D. prenatal malnutrition.

Q: According to research cited in the textbook, all of the following are reasons that some sex education programs fail, except: A. when they are introduced into the curriculum too late (after adolescents are already sexually active). B. when teachers are uncomfortable talking about the subject with students. C. when they focus primarily on changing students' knowledge rather than their behavior. D. when they emphasize abstinence-only sex education.

Q: Although sex education programs have not been particularly successful in reducing the high rates of adolescent pregnancy, there is current optimism that _____ may be effective. A. encouraging sexual abstinence B. a comprehensive sex education C. family planning services D. having the unwed mother marry her baby's father

Q: Kate is a Black teen mom and has decided to move back to her parents' home. Which of the following statements is not true? A. Kate is more likely to stay in school. B. Living with parents might actually undermine the development of Kate's parenting skills and increase her likelihood of getting pregnant again. C. It would be best if Kate lived with her parents for an extended period. D. Problems in the relationship between Kate and her mother can adversely affect Kate's mental health.

Q: The birthrate among adolescent women today is _____ in previous eras. A. impossible to compare to what it was B. considerably lower than it was C. higher than it was D. the same as it was

Q: Which country has the highest rate of teen pregnancy? A. Sweden B. the United States C. England D. Israel

Q: Although the rate of sexual activity among adolescents in the United States does not differ much from that reported by other industrialized countries, the rate of teenage pregnancy in the United States is: A. in the top third of all industrialized countries. B. in the bottom third of all industrialized countries. C. the highest in the world among industrialized countries. D. average as compared to other industrialized countries.

Q: According to the textbook, international disparities in rates of teenage childbearing are associated with: A. income equality and educational attainment. B. average income and educational attainment. C. the amount of independence a culture allows adolescents to have. D. the influence of the mass media.

Q: Who is the least likely adolescent to bear her first child while married? A. Maria, a Mexican American B. Alisha, a Black adolescent C. Francine, an Asian American D. Sylvia, a White American

Q: Alice, a 16-year-old, gave birth to a baby boy last year. How will this affect the likelihood that her 13-year-old sister, Marie, will have a baby? A. It will increase. B. It will increase only if Marie is already sexually active. C. It will be unaffected. D. It will decrease.

Q: Who is the most likely, after becoming pregnant, to have an abortion? A. Jamie, a White female living in the suburbs B. Kimberly, a White female who dropped out of high school C. Dotty, a Black female who dropped out of high school D. Tara, a Black female living in poverty

Q: Which of the following statements about abortion and teen pregnancy is not true? A. There are no long-term differences between pregnant teenagers who do and do not seek abortion. B. Unplanned pregnancies are much more likely to be terminated by abortion among young women who are academically successfully and ambitious. C. Approximately one-third of teenage pregnancies result in abortion. D. Young women who terminate their pregnancy by abortion are less likely over the next two years to experience a subsequent pregnancy and more likely to practice contraception than those who do not abort their pregnancy.

Q: According to the textbook, which adolescent is most likely to use contraception? A. Nancy, who had an abortion a year ago B. Geraldine, who had a baby a year ago C. Annie, who is not doing well in school D. Melanie, who lives in a state that requires parental notification for abortions

Q: Greg, a 17-year-old, has gotten his girlfriend pregnant. If he is typical of other males who impregnate adolescent women, we would expect him to experience all of the following, except: A. low self-esteem. B. school or work problems. C. an increased sense of responsibility and optimism about the future. D. problems with alcohol and other drugs.

Q: Research on teenage mothers indicates that: A. their infants are at heightened risk for school problems and other behavior problems in childhood. B. most of them unconsciously "wanted" to have a baby. C. within 2 to 3 years, their lives are similar to those of their peers who did not bear a child. D. they are better off psychologically than teenagers who had aborted their pregnancy.

Q: What percentage of American adolescents who become pregnant get an abortion? A. fewer than 2% B. 15% C. 33% D. 70%

Q: Sexual activity in the United States is _____ in other industrialized countries, and the rate of pregnancy is _____. A. higher than; higher B. lower than; the same C. comparable; the same D. comparable; higher

Q: Which of the following sexually transmitted diseases is caused by a virus? A. gonorrhea B. herpes C. chlamydia D. trichomoniasis

Q: Which of the following sexually transmitted diseases is caused by a parasite? A. gonorrhea B. herpes C. chlamydia D. trichomoniasis

Q: Both _____________ are cause by a bacterium, whereas ____________ are caused by a virus. A. chlamydia and herpes; gonorrhea and human papilloma virus B. gonorrhea and herpes; chlamydia and human papilloma virus C. human papilloma virus and gonorrhea; chlamydia and herpes D. gonorrhea and chlamydia; herpes and human papilloma virus

Q: AIDS is transmitted through: A. casual contact. B. bodily fluids. C. kissing. D. mosquito bites.

Q: Approximately what percent of sexually active women between the ages of 14 and 19 have at least one of the following infections: HPV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, or trichomoniasis? A. 5% B. 20% C. 40% D. 80%

Q: What is not a risk factor for contracting HIV? A. using drugs B. having unprotected sex C. having many sexual partners D. being male

Q: Professor Bertrande understands that most adolescents she talks to are not likely to engage in abstinence. Her research has demonstrated that the next best way for adolescents to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases is: A. effective condom use during sex. B. use of the withdrawal method. C. use of the rhythm method. D. taking antiviral drugs before and after having sex.

Q: Recent research on promoting safe-sex behaviors among adolescents has suggested all of the following, except: A. it is more effective to focus on adolescents' motives and social relationships, rather than their knowledge about safe sex. B. adolescents are often unaware that their partners may be having sex with others as well. C. being aware of the risk of STDs is sufficient to ensure safe sex practices among adolescents. D. it may be important to use different strategies for sexually active and inexperienced adolescents.

Q: Which of the following messages was not part of the large-scale media campaign targeted at reducing risky safe and the prevalence of STDs among Black youth? A. "using condoms would make sex worry-free and therefore more enjoyable" B. "waiting to have sex is a way of showing respect for your partner" C. "STDs are painful" D. "having a steady partner is a safe partner"

Q: Fourteen-year-old Sarah began "acting out" behaviors that her teacher had never observed in her before, such as a decline in self-esteem, sexual promiscuity, and risky behavior. Sarah's teacher suspects that Sarah is: A. pregnant. B. fighting with her boyfriend. C. a victim of sexual abuse. D. questioning her sexual orientation.

Q: Suzanne has just found out that her 13-year-old daughter had been sexually abused by her piano teacher. According to research presented in the textbook, what type of problems is Suzanne's daughter most likely to face? A. dissociative disorders B. psychopathic disorders C. academic difficulties D. infertility

Q: What is the most common method of birth control among sexually active adolescents? A. condoms B. birth control pills C. withdrawal D. the rhythm method

Q: Research has indicated that many young people do not use contraception regularly for all of the following reasons, except: A. using contraception would indicate that they are planfully and willingly sexually active. B. they unconsciously desire to become pregnant. C. contraceptives may be difficult for them to obtain. D. their egocentric thinking leads them to believe that they are immune from getting pregnant or contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

Q: Which adolescent is most likely to use contraception effectively while engaging in sex? A. Vanessa, who feels guilty about having sex with her boyfriend B. Lynn, who belongs to a conservative religious faith C. Vesta, who had previously pledged to remain a virgin D. Tasha, who is sexually active and relatively conventional

Q: The textbook suggests all of the following as ways to increase use of contraceptives among adolescents, except: A. ensure the availability of contraceptive devices to adolescents. B. offer sex education that teaches the fundamentals of contraceptive use once adolescents become sexually active. C. ensure open lines of communication so adolescents feel free to talk to adults about their sexual issues and concerns. D. portray sex in the media more responsibly, showing contraception use along with sexual activity.

Q: Because Andrea is a lesbian, she is more likely to exhibit what types of behaviors? A. feminine behaviors B. masculine behaviors C. androgynous behaviors D. There is no connection between sex-role behavior and sexual preference.

Q: Amy is a "straight" 16-year-old adolescent. Kelly, also 16, has discovered that she has homosexual interests. Which girl is most confused about her gender identity because of her sexual orientation? A. Amy B. Kelly C. Amy and Kelly are likely to be equally confused because gender identity is separate from sexual orientation. D. Neither Amy nor Kelly will be confused about their gender, because they understand their sexual orientations.

Q: Studies suggest which of the following are antecedents of homosexuality? A. biological factors B. social factors C. the interaction between biological and social factors D. All of the above.

Q: According to the textbook, which adults are most likely to describe their fathers as distant and rejecting? A. bisexual males B. homosexual males C. bisexual and homosexual adolescents D. transgender males

Q: Date rape is when a young person is forced to have sex when he or she does not want to. Sexual coercion and date rape are more likely to occur when: A. a girl plays hard to get with her boyfriend. B. there is a large (3 or more years) age difference between a girl and her partner. C. a stranger attacks and sexually assaults a teenager. D. the teen's parents utilize an authoritarian style of parenting.

Q: Professor Snapes is conducting research on sexual harassment of adolescents. He is likely to learn all of the following, except: A. sexual harassment is widespread within American public schools. B. a significant number of adolescents report having been sexually harassed by their teachers. C. school-based programs aimed at reducing sexual harassment, such as a program called Safe Dates, have had long-term success. D. the majority of adolescents who have been sexually harassed had themselves harassed others.

Q: Which of the following statements about sexual abuse during adolescence is false? A. Histories of individuals who commit dating violence suggest the perpetrators are likely to have been exposed to physical punishment and abuse at home. B. Younger children are more likely than adolescents to be abused and neglected. C. Adolescent victims of sexual abuse are disproportionately female and poor. D. Both perpetrators and victims of sexual assaults are often reluctant to admit the assault occurred.

Q: Which is not a risk factor for sexual abuse? A. living apart from one's parents B. living in a major city, compared to living in a rural area C. being raised in poverty D. having parents who abuse alcohol or other drugs

Q: Which of the following statements about boys' first sexual experience is false? A. A boy's first sexual experience is usually through masturbation. B. Boys typically view sex as recreation. C. A boy's first sexual partner is likely to be someone he's in love with. D. Boys are more likely than girls to keep sex and intimacy separate.

Q: Early sexuality for males is tinged with elements of ________, whereas for females it is more linked to feelings of _______________. A. intimacy; recreation B. recreation; intimacy C. enjoyment; guilt D. guilt; enjoyment

Q: Amy, a 15-year-old, lost her virginity to her boyfriend last night. Which of the following is Amy least likely to say? A. "I'm in love!" B. "I'm so worriedwhat if I'm pregnant!" C. "I'm so glad I'm no longer a virgin!" D. "I'm so excited!"

Q: Generalizing from the textbook, Marge is most likely to have her first sexual encounter with a: A. younger partner. B. classmate. C. casual acquaintance. D. steady boyfriend.

Q: Michael and Kayla are concerned because they noticed their 10-year-old son, Tom, engaging in sex play with a male friend. They ask a psychologist what she thinks. What did she probably say? A. "Tom is probably homosexual." B. "It is likely that Tom has been sexually abused." C. "Same-sex play among young adolescents is more common than many would think and nothing to worry about." D. "Tom needs to get counseling as this is a symptom of a larger psychological issue."

Q: Which of the following statements about sexual orientation in adolescence is false? A. Thirteen percent of girls, compared to 6% of boys, report having had same-sex attractions, a non-heterosexual orientation, or engaging in same-sex activity during adolescence. B. Approximately 2 to 5% of adolescents identify themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. C. Researchers have been able to identify consistent predictors for adolescents who will later identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. D. The majority of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender adults engaged in heterosexual activity during adolescence.

Q: Todd would rather date men than women. This refers to Todd's: A. gender identity. B. sexual orientation. C. sex-role behavior. D. homophobia.

Q: Bill is a very feminine man. Based on this sex-role behavior, one would predict that Bill is probably: A. homosexual. B. heterosexual. C. bisexual. D. There is no connection between sex-role behavior and sexual orientation.

Q: An analysis of "virginity pledges" that encourage adolescents to promise to abstain from premarital sex has found that: A. pledging works equally well for adolescents of all ages. B. pledging has a big effect in schools in which few students take the pledge. C. pledging works well in schools in which nearly everyone takes the pledge. D. about 82% of adolescents who take a virginity pledge will deny having done so five years later.

Q: The sexual ______ of males and females may be similar, but the sexual _____ of males and females is quite different. A. behavior; socialization B. socialization; behavior C. attitudes; experiences D. experiences; attitudes

Q: According to research by Small and Luster, which adolescent is most likely to engage in early sexual activity? A. Chelsea, who lives in a low SES/disadvantaged neighborhood B. Ryan, who has many antisocial peers C. Frank, someone who has completely disengaged from school D. The adolescent most likely to engage in early sexual activity is one that has a combination of the above risk factors.

Q: Research on risk factors for adolescent sexual activity has found all of the following, except: A. lack of parental support is a risk factor for boys but not for girls. B. as the number of risk factors increases, the likelihood of engaging in sexual intercourse increases. C. the same risk factors that predict sexual activity for White adolescents also predict sexual activity among ethnic minority adolescents. D. efforts aimed at predicting adolescent sexual activity must focus on more than one risk factor.

Q: In contrast to delinquent individuals who engage in sex in a romantic relationship, at least one research study found that delinquent adolescents who engage in casual sex: A. are more depressed and have more psychological issues. B. tend to have very similar genetic and psychological profiles to individuals who abstain from sex. C. may have genes that influence both the propensity to engage in delinquency and the tendency to seek opportunities to have sex "just for fun," which is consistent with other research on the genetic basis of traits like sensation seeking and impulsivity. D. tend to have parents that have very conservative attitudes toward sexuality.

Q: Research assessing parent-adolescent communication about sex has found all of the following, except: A. although parents may indicate that they talked to their adolescents about a topic, such as sexually transmitted diseases, their adolescents are likely to say they have not. B. parents believe that if they express their disapproval of sexual activity, their adolescents will not be sexually active. C. parent-adolescent communication about sex significantly lowers adolescents' likelihood of being sexually active. D. parent-adolescent communication about contraception lowers the rate of risky sex.

Q: Generalizing from the textbook, if Nicky's parents want to slow down her sexual involvement, which of her parents should talk to her about sex? A. her mother B. her father C. Both of her parents should talk to her at the same time. D. Neither of her parents should talk to her about sex.

Q: Which of the following statements about parent-adolescent communication about sex is not true? A. Adolescents are more receptive to having one "big talk" about sex than having multiple conversations over a period of time. B. Sexually active adolescents underestimate their parents' disapproval of sexual activity. C. Parents assume that if they disapprove of sexual activity, their adolescent is not likely to be sexually active. D. There seems to be a gap between what parents say they have discussed with their adolescent child and what adolescents say they have discussed with their parents.

Q: Which aspect of parent-adolescent communication about sex is likely to have a meaningful effect on the adolescent's behavior? A. parent-child communication specifically focused on the topic of contraception lowers the rate of risky sex B. parent-child discussion about whether the adolescent should have sex at all C. parent-child communication that involves an authoritarian approach with specific, rigid rules with respect to sexual activity D. parent-child communication that directly cautions their teenager against sex but avoids implying that sex is a moral or religious issue

Q: Which of the following is not a good predictor of whether adolescents will engage in sexual activity? A. the adolescent's opportunity to have sex B. parent-adolescent communication C. having sexually active friends D. use of alcohol and other drugs

Q: What do researchers believe explains why some individuals who engage in precocious, promiscuous, or unprotected sex are also highly likely to engage in other types of delinquent behavior? A. It is likely that risky sexual behavior causes other types of risky and delinquent behaviors. B. It is likely that risky and delinquent behaviors cause risky sexual activity. C. It is likely that risky sexual behavior and other types of risky behavior are both symptoms of a certain personality profile which makes individuals more likely to behave risky in general. D. These two behaviors are likely spuriously related by a third, unrelated (and unmeasured) variable.

Q: What family factor appears to predict adolescent sexual involvement, especially among girls? A. household composition B. mother's employment C. number of siblings D. parenting styles

Q: According to research presented in the textbook, who is more likely to be sexually active: Ingrid, who lives in a single-parent home, or Leanne, who lives in a two-parent home? A. Ingrid B. Leanne C. Ingrid, but only immediately following her parents' divorce. D. Both girls are equally likely to be sexually active.