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MSCE Home Economics study materials
MSCE Home Economics study resources

MSCE Home Economics practice questions

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Question 1Human Development and Family Studies

In Erikson's psychosocial theory, which crisis is characteristic of the adolescent stage of development?

  1. Trust versus mistrust
  2. Intimacy versus isolation
  3. Identity versus role confusion Correct answer.
  4. Generativity versus stagnation

Explanation

Erikson placed identity versus role confusion in adolescence, when young people consolidate a coherent sense of self and explore social roles. The other crises belong to infancy, young adulthood, and middle adulthood respectively.

Question 2Human Development and Family Studies

A caregiver notices that a toddler frequently says 'no' and insists on dressing without help. Which developmental concept best explains this behavior?

  1. Social referencing used to interpret adult emotional cues
  2. Autonomy seeking during the second stage of psychosocial development Correct answer.
  3. Conservation failure described by Piaget's concrete operations
  4. Attachment disorganization caused by inconsistent caregiving

Explanation

Toddlers in Erikson's autonomy versus shame and doubt stage assert independence through refusals and self-help attempts. This is a normative expression of developing will rather than a sign of disordered attachment.

Question 3Human Development and Family Studies

According to Piaget, a child who can classify objects by two dimensions at once and understands that a short wide glass holds the same amount as a tall narrow one is in which stage?

  1. Sensorimotor
  2. Formal operational
  3. Preoperational
  4. Concrete operational Correct answer.

Explanation

Concrete operational thought, roughly ages seven to eleven, includes conservation and multiple classification of tangible materials. Formal operations adds abstract hypothetical reasoning, which is not required by these tasks.

Question 4Human Development and Family Studies

A parent shows a preschooler two rows of five coins. The parent spreads one row apart and asks which row has more. The child says the spread row has more. Which limitation does this illustrate?

  1. Difficulty with reversibility of gross motor sequences
  2. Egocentrism shown by difficulty taking another's visual perspective
  3. Lack of object permanence when the coins are covered
  4. Failure of conservation due to centration on one perceptual dimension Correct answer.

Explanation

The child centers on the length of the row and ignores number, a classic preoperational failure of conservation. Egocentrism and object permanence are different concepts and are not what this coin task measures.

Question 5Human Development and Family Studies

In Ainsworth's Strange Situation, a toddler explores freely while the caregiver is present, shows distress at separation, and is quickly comforted on reunion. Which attachment classification fits?

  1. Insecure-avoidant attachment
  2. Secure attachment Correct answer.
  3. Disorganized attachment
  4. Insecure-resistant attachment

Explanation

Secure attachment is marked by confident exploration with the caregiver present, distress at separation, and prompt soothing on reunion. Avoidant, resistant, and disorganized patterns each show different reunion responses.

Question 6Human Development and Family Studies

A foster parent wants to support a newly placed infant's attachment. Which practice is most consistent with attachment research?

  1. Keeping feeding and sleep schedules unpredictable to build flexibility
  2. Rotating among several caregivers to prevent overreliance on one adult
  3. Limiting physical contact so the infant learns self-reliance early
  4. Responding consistently and sensitively to the infant's cues across daily routines Correct answer.

Explanation

Secure attachment develops through consistent, sensitive responsiveness to an infant's signals, especially in caregiving routines. Predictability and warm physical contact support rather than undermine attachment.

Question 7Human Development and Family Studies

Which statement best describes the difference between a family life cycle framework and a family systems framework?

  1. The life cycle framework tracks predictable transitions over time, while systems theory emphasizes reciprocal interaction among members Correct answer.
  2. The life cycle framework ignores developmental stages, while systems theory focuses exclusively on stages
  3. The life cycle framework applies only to single-parent households, while systems theory applies only to extended families
  4. The life cycle framework studies only individual cognition, while systems theory studies only genetics

Explanation

Family life cycle models organize family experience into sequential stages and transitions, whereas family systems theory examines circular patterns of interaction, boundaries, and feedback among members. The two perspectives are complementary rather than opposed.

Question 8Human Development and Family Studies

A family therapist notices that when one parent criticizes a teenager, the other parent immediately defends the teenager, and the argument escalates. Which systems concept best describes this pattern?

  1. Linear causality
  2. Boundary diffusion
  3. Triangulation
  4. Circular causality Correct answer.

Explanation

Circular causality describes reciprocal, escalating loops in which each person's response feeds the other's, as in the criticize-defend cycle. Linear causality would instead assign blame to a single cause.

Question 9Human Development and Family Studies

Which parenting style, in Baumrind's typology, combines high warmth with high, clearly communicated expectations and explanations for rules?

  1. Authoritative Correct answer.
  2. Uninvolved
  3. Authoritarian
  4. Permissive

Explanation

Authoritative parenting pairs warmth and responsiveness with firm, reasoned expectations, and is associated with positive child outcomes. Authoritarian style is high on control but low on warmth.

Question 10Human Development and Family Studies

A parent sets clear homework expectations, explains the reasons behind them, and listens when the child raises concerns. Which outcome is most consistent with research on this style?

  1. Higher self-regulation and school engagement than children raised with harsh or permissive styles Correct answer.
  2. Greater externalizing behavior than children raised permissively
  3. Lower academic motivation than children raised authoritatively
  4. Increased anxiety comparable to children raised in authoritarian homes

Explanation

The described approach is authoritative, which research links to better self-regulation, social competence, and school engagement. Harsh authoritarian or laissez-faire permissive styles are associated with weaker outcomes.

Question 11Human Development and Family Studies

Which statement about the influence of heredity and environment on development is most consistent with current developmental science?

  1. Environment determines all traits, and heredity contributes nothing
  2. Heredity sets a fixed trajectory that environment cannot alter
  3. Genes and environments interact continuously, with effects depending on both Correct answer.
  4. Heredity and environment operate independently in separate domains

Explanation

Contemporary research treats development as the product of ongoing gene-environment interaction, including evocative and epigenetic processes. Neither a purely genetic nor a purely environmental account fits the evidence.

Question 12Human Development and Family Studies

A researcher finds that identical twins raised apart are more similar in a temperament trait than fraternal twins raised together. Which conclusion is best supported?

  1. Shared genes contribute to the trait, though environment also matters Correct answer.
  2. Temperament is not measurable in twins
  3. Environment has no effect on the trait
  4. The trait is entirely determined by shared family environment

Explanation

Greater similarity among identical twins points to a genetic contribution to the trait, while the presence of any differences confirms environmental influence as well. The finding supports heritability, not genetic determinism.

Question 13Human Development and Family Studies

Which describes a developmental milestone typically expected in the first year of life?

  1. Reading simple words by ten months
  2. Using two-word phrases by six months
  3. Sitting without support by around eight months Correct answer.
  4. Tying shoelaces by twelve months

Explanation

Independent sitting generally emerges between six and nine months as trunk strength develops. Multiword speech, shoe tying, and reading are far later achievements.

Question 14Human Development and Family Studies

A four-year-old uses short sentences, asks many questions, and can follow two-step directions but cannot yet write letters. How should this be interpreted?

  1. The child has a language disorder requiring immediate referral
  2. The child shows a developmental delay in all domains
  3. Language is developing typically, while writing reflects a skill that emerges later Correct answer.
  4. The child is advanced and should skip to formal reading instruction

Explanation

Preschoolers normally show rapid language growth with limited letter formation, which develops later with fine motor control. There is no evidence of delay or disorder from the described abilities.

Question 15Human Development and Family Studies

Which best characterizes the function of play in early childhood development?

  1. Play is primarily a way to burn excess energy
  2. Play is useful only for solitary entertainment
  3. Play delays academic learning and should be limited
  4. Play supports language, self-regulation, and social understanding Correct answer.

Explanation

Research links play, especially pretend and social play, to vocabulary growth, self-regulation, and perspective-taking. It is a central developmental activity rather than a distraction from learning.

Question 16Human Development and Family Studies

A kindergarten teacher observes children assigning roles, negotiating rules, and sustaining a pretend scenario together. Which type of play is this?

  1. Solitary functional play
  2. Parallel play
  3. Cooperative sociodramatic play Correct answer.
  4. Onlooker behavior

Explanation

Cooperative sociodramatic play involves shared pretend scenarios with negotiated roles and rules. Parallel play and onlooker behavior involve little or no joint participation.

Question 17Human Development and Family Studies

Which best describes the role of scaffolding in Vygotsky's theory?

  1. The learner is tested on material beyond the zone of proximal development
  2. A more knowledgeable person provides temporary support adjusted to the learner's current level Correct answer.
  3. Support is removed before the learner can succeed alone
  4. The learner practices independently without any guidance

Explanation

Scaffolding is temporary, responsive assistance that lets a learner accomplish a task within the zone of proximal development. Support is gradually withdrawn as competence grows.

Question 18Human Development and Family Studies

A caregiver helps a child complete a puzzle by pointing to edge pieces and gradually reducing hints as the child succeeds. This best illustrates which Vygotskian concept?

  1. Eriksonian identity exploration
  2. Bowlby's internal working model
  3. Scaffolding within the zone of proximal development Correct answer.
  4. Piagetian assimilation of a new schema

Explanation

The caregiver adjusts support to what the child can do with help and withdraws it as competence grows, which is scaffolding within the zone of proximal development. The other concepts address schema change, identity, and attachment expectations.

Question 19Human Development and Family Studies

Which statement about adolescent brain development is best supported by current research?

  1. Limbic reward systems mature earlier than prefrontal control systems Correct answer.
  2. The prefrontal cortex matures before the limbic system
  3. Myelination stops before adolescence
  4. Brain development is complete by early childhood

Explanation

Adolescent risk-taking is often explained by earlier maturation of reward-related limbic circuits relative to later-developing prefrontal control regions. Brain maturation, including myelination, continues into the twenties.

Question 20Human Development and Family Studies

A fifteen-year-old takes more risks when with friends than when alone. Which explanation is most consistent with developmental research?

  1. Peer presence heightens reward sensitivity in a still-maturing regulatory system Correct answer.
  2. Adolescents cannot evaluate risk under any circumstances
  3. Risk-taking is unrelated to social context
  4. Peer presence permanently impairs decision-making ability

Explanation

Research shows that peer presence amplifies reward-related motivation during a period when regulatory circuits are still maturing, increasing risk-taking in groups. This is a context-sensitive effect, not a permanent deficit.

Question 21Human Development and Family Studies

Which describes a normative age-graded influence on development?

  1. Puberty occurring at a biologically expected age range Correct answer.
  2. A hurricane displacing a family
  3. A historical economic depression affecting a cohort
  4. A personal job loss affecting one adult

Explanation

Age-graded influences are biological or social events expected at a particular age, such as puberty or school entry. Disasters and personal events are nonnormative, while cohort-wide historical events are history-graded.

Question 22Human Development and Family Studies

A family moves to a new country, and the children adopt local customs faster than the parents. Which concept best describes this pattern?

  1. Secular trend
  2. Cohort effect
  3. Critical period
  4. Acculturation gap Correct answer.

Explanation

An acculturation gap occurs when children adapt to a new culture more quickly than their parents, creating different expectations and communication styles within the family. Cohort effects, secular trends, and critical periods describe other developmental phenomena.

Question 23Human Development and Family Studies

Which best describes the concept of a critical period in development?

  1. A limited window when specific experiences are required for typical development Correct answer.
  2. A period of rapid physical growth in adolescence
  3. A stage when children become more independent
  4. The age at which formal schooling begins

Explanation

A critical period is a bounded developmental window during which particular experiences must occur for a function to develop typically, as in early visual or language exposure. It differs from broader sensitive periods and from ordinary stage concepts.

Question 24Human Development and Family Studies

A child who was deprived of language exposure in early childhood shows lasting difficulty with complex grammar despite later intervention. Which concept does this best illustrate?

  1. A secular trend in language use
  2. A sensitive period for language development Correct answer.
  3. A cohort effect on vocabulary
  4. A nonnormative family event

Explanation

Language acquisition is strongly shaped by early experience, and later intervention often cannot fully compensate for early deprivation, consistent with a sensitive or critical period. Cohort and secular concepts describe population-level change, not individual timing effects.

Question 25Human Development and Family Studies

Which statement best describes family stress theory's view of how families respond to a crisis?

  1. Stress always produces family breakdown regardless of resources
  2. Resources play no role in buffering family stress
  3. A family's response depends on the meaning it assigns to the event and its available resources Correct answer.
  4. Family stress is determined solely by the objective severity of the event

Explanation

Family stress theory, as in the ABC-X model, holds that the stressor, the family's resources, and the family's definition of the event jointly shape the outcome. Objective severity alone does not predict adaptation.

Question 26Human Development and Family Studies

In Bowlby's ethological theory of attachment, which behavior in a seven-month-old most directly indicates that a specific attachment has formed?

  1. The infant calms whenever a mobile is switched on above the cot
  2. The infant smiles at any adult who leans over the crib and speaks softly
  3. The infant shows stranger wariness and protests when the primary caregiver leaves the room Correct answer.
  4. The infant sleeps through the night after being fed a larger evening bottle

Explanation

Bowlby described attachment as developing through phases, with the phase of focused attachment marked by separation protest and wariness of unfamiliar adults directed specifically toward the attachment figure. These behaviors show that the infant has built an internal working model tied to one particular caregiver rather than to adults in general.

Question 27Human Development and Family Studies

A toddler repeatedly stacks blocks, knocks them down, and stacks them again while a caregiver watches nearby. Which interpretation of this behavior is most consistent with Piaget's account of cognitive development?

  1. The child is showing egocentric speech that guides the planning of the tower
  2. The child is rehearsing a scheme through circular reactions and building understanding of cause and effect Correct answer.
  3. The child is displaying symbolic play that requires a mental representation of an absent object
  4. The child is demonstrating conservation of number by keeping the same blocks across trials

Explanation

In Piaget's sensorimotor and early preoperational periods, repeated actions on objects function as circular reactions through which the child explores what actions produce and refines schemes. Repeating the stack-and-topple cycle lets the toddler test cause and effect and consolidate knowledge about objects.

Question 28Human Development and Family Studies

A family life educator is designing a program for couples expecting their first child. Which focus is most consistent with a family development (life cycle) perspective rather than a family systems perspective?

  1. Mapping the recurring patterns of conflict that emerge whenever the couple's parents visit
  2. Identifying which member's symptoms serve to stabilize the household's current equilibrium
  3. Tracing how a change in one partner's mood ripples through the daily routines of the other
  4. Helping the couple anticipate the normative transition in roles and tasks that the arrival of a first child brings Correct answer.

Explanation

The family development framework organizes family life into stages and highlights the developmental tasks and role changes associated with transitions such as the birth of a first child. The other options describe circular patterns, homeostasis, and interdependence, which are the core concepts of family systems thinking.

Question 29Human Development and Family Studies

A community program wants to reduce harsh discipline among parents of preschoolers. Which design is most consistent with the principles of a randomized controlled trial for evaluating the program's effect?

  1. Families are assigned by chance to the program or a waitlist condition, and parenting behavior is measured before and after with the same instruments Correct answer.
  2. Families who volunteer eagerly are placed in the program while reluctant families form the comparison group, and both are assessed afterward
  3. Families are assigned to the program in the order they enroll, and only the facilitators judge whether each family improved
  4. All families receive the program, and satisfaction ratings collected at the final session serve as the outcome measure

Explanation

Random assignment distributes both measured and unmeasured characteristics across conditions, and equivalent pre- and post-measures allow change to be attributed to the program rather than to pre-existing differences. This is the defining logic of a randomized controlled trial.

Question 30Human Development and Family Studies

A researcher reports that a parenting intervention produced a statistically significant improvement in child behavior, but the effect size was small and the sample was drawn entirely from one urban clinic. Which conclusion is best supported?

  1. The result confirms the intervention's mechanism because significance and effect size measure the same thing
  2. The result is unlikely to be due to chance, but the practical importance and generalizability of the finding remain limited Correct answer.
  3. The result should be dismissed because a small effect size means the intervention had no real benefit
  4. The result proves the intervention will work in all communities because statistical significance was achieved

Explanation

Statistical significance addresses the probability that an observed difference arose by chance, whereas effect size indicates the magnitude of the difference and generalizability depends on how representative the sample is. A significant but small effect from a single urban clinic therefore supports only a cautious, limited conclusion.

Question 31Family and Consumer Resource Management

In family resource management, which term describes the process of setting priorities and deciding how limited resources such as time, money, and energy will be used to meet family goals?

  1. Planning Correct answer.
  2. Consumption
  3. Budgeting
  4. Marketing

Explanation

Planning is the management function of deciding in advance what goals to pursue and how resources will be allocated to reach them. Budgeting is one specific tool used within planning for money, while consumption and marketing are unrelated to the forward-looking allocation of family resources.

Question 32Family and Consumer Resource Management

A household lists all the tasks that must be done each week, then assigns each task to a family member based on skills and available time. Which management function does this assignment step illustrate?

  1. Organizing Correct answer.
  2. Implementing
  3. Controlling
  4. Evaluating

Explanation

Organizing is the management function that arranges tasks, people, and resources into a workable structure so that goals can be carried out. Assigning tasks according to skills and time is precisely this arranging activity, distinct from evaluating results or controlling progress.

Question 33Family and Consumer Resource Management

Which statement best describes the relationship between needs and wants when a family builds a spending plan?

  1. Wants should always be funded before needs to motivate saving.
  2. Needs are essentials for survival and well-being, while wants improve comfort but can be postponed. Correct answer.
  3. Needs and wants are identical because both must be funded first.
  4. Wants are limited to luxury goods, and needs cover every purchase a family makes.

Explanation

Needs are the essentials required for health and basic functioning, such as food, shelter, and health care, whereas wants enhance life but are not essential and can be delayed. Sound resource management funds needs first, then allocates remaining resources to wants.

Question 34Family and Consumer Resource Management

A family's income is fixed, but it wants to increase savings. Using the concept of opportunity cost, what does the family give up when it directs more money to savings?

  1. The value of the family's existing assets
  2. The goods or services that the money could otherwise have purchased Correct answer.
  3. The interest earned on the savings account
  4. The taxes owed on the saved income

Explanation

Opportunity cost is the value of the next best alternative forgone when a choice is made. When money goes to savings, the family forgoes the current consumption that the same money could have funded, which is the opportunity cost of saving.

Question 35Family and Consumer Resource Management

Which of the following is an example of a fixed expense in a family budget?

  1. Weekly grocery spending
  2. Electricity bill that rises in summer
  3. Monthly rent payment Correct answer.
  4. Spending on holiday gifts

Explanation

Fixed expenses stay the same from period to period regardless of usage, and a monthly rent payment is a standard example. Variable expenses such as groceries, seasonal utility bills, and holiday gifts change with consumption or season.

Question 36Family and Consumer Resource Management

Which of the following best defines a family's net worth?

  1. Total assets minus total liabilities Correct answer.
  2. Total liabilities divided by total assets
  3. Total monthly income minus total monthly expenses
  4. Total savings divided by total income

Explanation

Net worth is a balance-sheet measure calculated by subtracting everything the family owes from everything it owns. Income minus expenses measures cash flow for a period, which is a different concept from net worth.

Question 37Family and Consumer Resource Management

A family records every purchase for one month to see where its money actually goes. Which step of the management process does this record-keeping represent?

  1. Setting goals
  2. Evaluating and controlling Correct answer.
  3. Identifying values
  4. Implementing the plan

Explanation

Recording actual spending allows the family to compare performance with the plan and make corrections, which is the evaluating and controlling stage. Goal setting and implementation occur earlier, and clarifying values is a preliminary step rather than monitoring action.

Question 38Family and Consumer Resource Management

A family of four has a monthly net income of 4,000 and fixed expenses of 2,200. If it aims to save 10 percent of net income each month, how much remains for variable expenses after funding savings?

  1. 1,800
  2. 2,200
  3. 1,400 Correct answer.
  4. 400

Explanation

Ten percent of 4,000 is 400, so savings takes 400. Subtracting both fixed expenses of 2,200 and savings of 400 from 4,000 leaves 1,400 available for variable expenses.

Question 39Family and Consumer Resource Management

A family uses the envelope method, placing cash for each budget category into a separate envelope and stopping spending in a category when its envelope is empty. Which financial principle does this method most directly enforce?

  1. Spending limits set in advance for each category Correct answer.
  2. Buying on credit to build a payment history
  3. Investing surplus cash for long-term growth
  4. Consolidating all spending into a single account

Explanation

The envelope method makes the spending limit for each category physically visible and prevents overspending once the allocated cash is gone. It enforces predetermined category limits rather than encouraging credit use or investment.

Question 40Family and Consumer Resource Management

A working parent hires a housecleaning service and uses the freed hours to take on additional paid work. Which resource-management concept does this decision best illustrate?

  1. Eliminating the need for time planning
  2. Avoiding all forms of paid help to save money
  3. Substituting one resource for another to increase overall productivity Correct answer.
  4. Reducing total family income to lower expenses

Explanation

The family trades money for time, substituting a purchased service for its own labor so that time can be redirected to higher-value paid work. This is resource substitution aimed at raising overall productivity rather than cutting income or avoiding planning.

Question 41Family and Consumer Resource Management

A family wants to buy a car in three years and estimates it will need 12,000. If it saves equal monthly amounts with no interest, how much must it set aside each month?

  1. 333 Correct answer.
  2. 250
  3. 500
  4. 400

Explanation

Three years contains 36 months, so 12,000 divided by 36 equals approximately 333 per month. Dividing by 24 or 30 months would produce the other figures and misstate the time horizon.

Question 42Family and Consumer Resource Management

Which action best demonstrates the management principle of using resources according to their highest priority?

  1. Spending the entire monthly income on entertainment before paying rent
  2. Saving nothing so that all income can be spent immediately
  3. Paying essential housing and food costs before funding recreational activities Correct answer.
  4. Borrowing money to fund a vacation while utility bills are overdue

Explanation

Prioritizing resources means directing them first to the most important obligations, such as housing and food, before discretionary spending. The other choices reverse this order and create financial risk.

Question 43Family and Consumer Resource Management

A family's values strongly emphasize education. How should this value most directly influence its resource-management decisions?

  1. It should replace the need for a written spending plan.
  2. It should guide the family to allocate money and time toward schooling and learning goals. Correct answer.
  3. It should cause the family to ignore all other needs until education is fully funded.
  4. It should have no effect because values are personal and unrelated to budgeting.

Explanation

Values act as standards that shape goals and priorities, so a family that values education will direct resources toward learning-related goals. Values guide allocation but do not eliminate other needs or remove the need for planning.

Question 44Family and Consumer Resource Management

A family compares the cost of cooking meals at home with the cost of restaurant meals, including the value of the time spent cooking. Which analysis are they performing?

  1. A depreciation schedule
  2. A credit report review
  3. A net-worth statement
  4. A cost-benefit comparison of alternatives Correct answer.

Explanation

Weighing the money and time costs of two alternatives against their benefits is a cost-benefit comparison. Credit reports, net-worth statements, and depreciation schedules address different financial questions entirely.

Question 45Family and Consumer Resource Management

A family receives a modest annual bonus. Which use of the bonus best reflects sound resource management for long-term financial security?

  1. Spending it immediately on a luxury item before it is absorbed into the budget
  2. Using it to pay down high-interest debt and then fund an emergency savings account Correct answer.
  3. Lending the entire amount without a written agreement
  4. Using it to increase recurring monthly expenses

Explanation

Directing a windfall to high-interest debt reduces costly interest and frees future income, and building an emergency fund protects the family against unexpected expenses. Immediate luxury spending or raising recurring costs undermines long-term security.

Question 46Family and Consumer Resource Management

A family's plan calls for saving 300 monthly, but after three months only 450 has been saved. Which control action is most appropriate?

  1. Compare actual spending with the plan, identify the shortfall cause, and adjust categories Correct answer.
  2. Ignore the gap because savings goals are only suggestions
  3. Double the savings goal to make up for lost time without review
  4. Abandon the savings goal entirely

Explanation

Controlling involves comparing actual results with the standard, finding the cause of the deviation, and taking corrective action such as adjusting category allocations. Abandoning the goal or ignoring the gap defeats the control function.

Question 47Family and Consumer Resource Management

A family wants to reduce food costs without harming nutrition. Which strategy best applies resource management reasoning?

  1. Plan meals around sales and seasonal produce while keeping a shopping list Correct answer.
  2. Replace all fresh foods with expensive supplements
  3. Buy only pre-packaged convenience meals to save time
  4. Shop without a list so that purchases respond to in-store promotions

Explanation

Meal planning around sales and seasonal produce lowers cost while a shopping list reduces impulse purchases, preserving both budget and nutrition. Unplanned shopping and costly supplements raise expenses without clear benefit.

Question 48Family and Consumer Resource Management

Which situation best illustrates a family using human resources rather than material resources?

  1. Drawing on a parent's cooking skills to prepare meals Correct answer.
  2. Using a family car for errands
  3. Using a washing machine for laundry
  4. Spending savings on new furniture

Explanation

Human resources are the skills, knowledge, energy, and abilities of people, so a parent's cooking skill is a human resource. Cars, furniture, and appliances are material or nonhuman resources.

Question 49Family and Consumer Resource Management

A family with two working parents and three school-age children finds mornings chaotic. Which management approach best addresses the underlying time problem?

  1. Hiring help without first identifying where time is lost
  2. Assigning each member specific morning tasks the night before and sequencing them Correct answer.
  3. Adding more activities to the morning schedule
  4. Eliminating all morning routines to reduce stress

Explanation

Analyzing the morning routine, assigning tasks in advance, and sequencing them uses work simplification and division of labor to reduce conflict and wasted time. Adding activities or removing routines worsens the problem.

Question 50Family and Consumer Resource Management

A family earns 5,000 monthly, has fixed expenses of 2,500, variable expenses of 1,500, and debt payments of 500. What is its approximate debt-to-income ratio for the month?

  1. 30 percent
  2. 50 percent
  3. 10 percent Correct answer.
  4. 20 percent

Explanation

The debt payment of 500 divided by monthly income of 5,000 equals 0.10, or 10 percent. The other figures would result from dividing by a smaller base or including nondebt expenses in the numerator.