Identify the nature of the family structure consisting of more than two brothers, each with their own families, living together.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Extended
Option (1) Nuclear — Incorrect. A nuclear family has only one set of parents and their children. Brothers living together with their own families make several couples in one household, so the family is not nuclear.
Option (2) Extended — Correct. An extended or ‘joint’ family has more than one couple, often of more than two generations, living together; a set of brothers with their individual families is one of its forms.
Option (3) Matrilocal — Incorrect. Matrilocal is a rule of residence: after marriage the couple lives with the woman’s parents. It tells us where a couple lives, not how many families make up the household.
Option (4) Patrilocal — Incorrect. Patrilocal is also a rule of residence: the couple lives with the man’s parents. Brothers staying together may well be patrilocal, but the question asks for the type of family structure, and that is extended.
NCERT (2025-26): “NUCLEAR AND EXTENDED FAMILY … A nuclear family consists of only one set of parents and their children. An extended family (commonly known as the ‘joint family’) can take different forms, but has more than one couple, and often more than two generations, living together. This could be a set of brothers with their individual families, or an elderly couple with their sons and grandsons and their respective families.…” |