Chapter 4 Quiz: The Language of Desire
Instructions: Choose the best answer for multiple choice questions. For short answer questions, write 2–4 complete sentences.
1. Which of the following best describes the distinction between attraction and desire?
a) Attraction is sexual; desire is emotional. b) Attraction is an evaluative appraisal of another person; desire carries a motivational urgency — the wanting directed at a specific person or experience. c) Attraction is conscious; desire is unconscious. d) Attraction involves physical appearance; desire involves personality.
Answer: b
2. Robert Trivers's Parental Investment Theory predicts that:
a) Both sexes will be equally selective in mate choice. b) The sex that invests more in offspring will be more competitive for mates. c) The sex that invests more in offspring will be more selective in mate choice. d) Females will always invest more in offspring than males across all species.
Answer: c
3. According to Eva Illouz's analysis, contemporary romantic suffering is primarily caused by:
a) Fundamental incompatibilities between men's and women's evolved preferences. b) The structure of late capitalism, feminism, and psychological culture — not individual failure. c) Insecure attachment patterns formed in early childhood. d) The declining influence of religion on romantic norms.
Answer: b
4. In social exchange theory, the comparison level for alternatives (CL-alt) refers to:
a) The rewards one expects from a relationship based on prior experience. b) The minimum standard of rewards required to stay in any relationship. c) One's assessment of what could be obtained from other available partners. d) The investment of resources already committed to a current relationship.
Answer: c
5. Judith Butler's concept of gender performativity argues that:
a) Gender is a biological trait expressed differently in different cultures. b) Gender is a theatrical performance chosen deliberately by individuals. c) Gender is constituted through repeated enactments of cultural norms rather than expressed from an inner essence. d) Gender has no relationship to sexual desire or attraction.
Answer: c
6. Which theorist introduced the concept of intersectionality, and in what field was it originally developed?
a) Judith Butler; gender studies b) Kimberlé Crenshaw; legal scholarship c) Patricia Hill Collins; sociology d) Angela Davis; political science
Answer: b
7. The Latin root of the word seduction (seducere) means:
a) To create irresistible desire in another person. b) To offer gifts in exchange for romantic interest. c) To lead someone aside or away from their intended path. d) To demonstrate superior fitness or resources.
Answer: c
8. Lisa Diamond's longitudinal research on women's sexual attraction primarily demonstrated:
a) That lesbian and bisexual women have lower average sex drives than heterosexual women. b) That sexual orientation is a stable, unchanging biological trait. c) That patterns of attraction in women can shift significantly over time, exceeding what categorical models predict. d) That heterosexual women report the highest levels of sexual desire.
Answer: c
9. Helen Fisher's neurobiological model of love proposes three distinct systems. Which of the following correctly identifies them?
a) Lust, romantic love, and companionate love b) Lust, romantic love, and attachment c) Arousal, desire, and attachment d) Attraction, infatuation, and commitment
Answer: b
10. The critique that evolutionary psychology commits the naturalistic fallacy means:
a) It relies too heavily on observations of animal behavior rather than human behavior. b) It incorrectly assumes that what is biologically natural or adaptive is therefore morally acceptable or socially desirable. c) Its findings cannot be tested using controlled experiments. d) It ignores the role of genetics in shaping personality traits.
Answer: b
11. SHORT ANSWER: What is the difference between lust and romantic love as distinct psychological states? Use at least one piece of neurobiological evidence to support your answer.
Model answer: Lust is associated with the motivational drive for sexual gratification and is linked primarily to testosterone, estrogen, and hypothalamic activity; it is not necessarily directed at a specific person. Romantic love, by contrast, is person-specific, involves idealization of the target, and activates reward circuitry — particularly the ventral tegmental area and caudate nucleus — with dopamine central to the experience. Helen Fisher's neuroimaging research (2005) demonstrated these distinct neural signatures. A person can experience lust without romantic love, and romantic love can exist in the relative absence of sexual desire, as asexual individuals who report strong romantic attraction demonstrate.
12. SHORT ANSWER: Explain why queer theory argues that heteronormativity is a structural issue rather than simply a form of anti-LGBTQ+ prejudice. What consequences does this distinction have for how we conduct attraction research?
Model answer: Queer theory distinguishes between individual prejudice (negative attitudes toward LGBTQ+ people) and heteronormativity as a structural feature — the social organization of institutions, laws, medicine, family, and public space around the assumption that heterosexuality is the natural, default form of desire. Even researchers with no personal anti-LGBTQ+ bias may build heteronormativity into their research design by treating sexual orientation as a fixed binary trait, using opposite-sex dyads as the default unit of analysis, or framing same-sex attraction as a "variation" to be explained. Queer theory asks researchers to examine these built-in assumptions, which requires not just adding "LGBTQ+ samples" but reconsidering the categories the research uses to define attraction in the first place.
Total questions: 12 (10 multiple choice, 2 short answer). Suggested point distribution: 5 points per multiple choice question (50 points), 25 points per short answer (50 points).