TOEFL Topic: Children and the family Go Back

Exercise 1 - Complete definitions 1 – 15 with words and phrases from the box. There are some that you do not need.

  1. _____________ is the period in someone’s life when they change from being a child to being a young adult. A boy or a girl who is at this stage in their life is called an _____________.
  2. A _____________ is someone who has not reached the age at which they are legally an adult.
  3. Your brothers and sisters are sometimes referred to as your _____________.
  4. A couple (for example, a husband and wife) who are _____________ no longer live together. If a married couple get _____________, their marriage is legally ended.
  5. A _____________ is a family that looks after someone else’s child in their own home for a period of time. A child who lives with this family is called a _____________. The verb is _____________.
  6. A _____________ is a formal word for a young person, and can also be used as a word for a young person who has committed a crime.
  7. A _____________ child is one who is mentally strong and able to deal with problems without becoming upset. A child who is badly behaved and refuses to obey his / her parents, teachers, etc., can be described as _____________.
  8. Your _____________ are those in your life when your character and beliefs are most strongly influenced.
  9. If you bring someone else’s child into your family and legally make him or her your own child, we say that you _____________ him / her.
  10. A _____________ is a child between the ages of 13 and 19.
  11. An _____________ is a baby or very young child. This period in a child’s life is called _____________.
  12. _____________ and _____________ both mean the same thing: to take care of children while they are growing up.
  13. An _____________ is a family group that includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. A _____________ is a family unit consisting of a mother, a father and their children.
  14. A _____________ or _____________ parent is one who makes their children follow rules and behave in a very ‘correct’ way. The opposite of this is _____________.
  15. A _____________ is a child or other relative to whom you give food, money and a home. This word can also be an adjective.
  1. Adolescence is the period in someone’s life when they change from being a child to being a young adult. A boy or a girl who is at this stage in their life is called an adolescent.
  2. A minor is someone who has not reached the age at which they are legally an adult.
  3. Your brothers and sisters are sometimes referred to as your siblings.
  4. A couple (for example, a husband and wife) who are separated no longer live together. If a married couple get divorced, their marriage is legally ended.
  5. A foster family is a family that looks after someone else’s child in their own home for a period of time. A child who lives with this family is called a foster child. The verb is foster.
  6. A juvenile is a formal word for a young person, and can also be used as a word for a young person who has committed a crime.
  7. A well-adjusted child is one who is mentally strong and able to deal with problems without becoming upset. A child who is badly behaved and refuses to obey his / her parents, teachers, etc., can be described as running wild or rebellious.
  8. Your formative years are those in your life when your character and beliefs are most strongly influenced.
  9. If you bring someone else’s child into your family and legally make him or her your own child, we say that you adopt him / her.
  10. A teenager is a child between the ages of 13 and 19.
  11. An infant is a baby or very young child. This period in a child’s life is called infancy.
  12. Raise and bring up both mean the same thing: to take care of children while they are growing up.
  13. An extended family is a family group that includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. A nuclear family is a family unit consisting of a mother, a father and their children.
  14. A strict or authoritarian parent is one who makes their children follow rules and behave in a very ‘correct’ way. The opposite of this is lenient.
  15. A dependent is a child or other relative to whom you give food, money and a home. This word can also be an adjective.

Exercise 2 - Complete this case study with appropriate words and phrases from the box in Exercise 1. You may need to change the form of some of the words.

Bob's problems began during his (1) _____________ His parents got (2) _____________ when he was young, and neither of his parents wanted to raise him or his brother and sister, so he was (3) _____________ by a (4) _____________ chosen by his parents' social worker. Unfortunately, his foster father was a strict (5) _____________ and often beat him. Bob rebelled against this strict (6) _____________ and by the time he was eight, he was already (7) _____________, stealing from stores and playing hooky. By the time he reached (8) _____________, sometime around his thirteenth birthday, he had already appeared in court several times, charged with (9) _____________. The judge blamed his foster parents, explaining that children needed (10) _____________ parents and guardians who would look after them properly. The foster father objected to this, pointing out that Bob's (11) _____________ – his two brothers and sister – were (12) _____________ children who behaved at home and worked well at school. This has raised some interesting questions about the modern family system. While it is true that parents should not be too (13) _____________ with children by letting them do what they want when they want, or be too (14) _____________ by sheltering them from the realities of life, it is also true that they should not be too strict. It has also highlighted the disadvantages of the modern (15) _____________ family, where the child has only its mother and father to rely on (or the (16) _____________ in which the mother or father has to struggle particularly hard to support their (17) _____________. In fact, many believe that we should return to traditional family values and the (18) _____________ family: extensive research has shown that children from these families are generally better behaved and have a getter chance of success in later life.

Bob's problems began during his (1) formative years His parents got (2) divorced when he was young, and neither of his parents wanted to raise him or his brother and sister, so he was (3) brought up by a (4) foster family chosen by his parents' social worker. Unfortunately, his foster father was a strict (5) authoritarian and often beat him. Bob rebelled against this strict (6) upbringing and by the time he was eight, he was already (7) running wild, stealing from stores and playing hooky. By the time he reached (8) adolescence, sometime around his thirteenth birthday, he had already appeared in court several times, charged with (9) juvenile delinquency. The judge blamed his foster parents, explaining that children needed (10) responsible parents and guardians who would look after them properly. The foster father objected to this, pointing out that Bob's (11) siblings – his two brothers and sister – were (12) well-adjusted children who behaved at home and worked well at school. This has raised some interesting questions about the modern family system. While it is true that parents should not be too (13) lenient with children by letting them do what they want when they want, or be too (14) over-protective by sheltering them from the realities of life, it is also true that they should not be too strict. It has also highlighted the disadvantages of the modern (15) nuclear family, where the child has only its mother and father to rely on (or the (16) single-parent family in which the mother or father has to struggle particularly hard to support their (17) dependents. In fact, many believe that we should return to traditional family values and the (18) extended family: extensive research has shown that children from these families are generally better behaved and have a getter chance of success in later life.