What best describes a blended family?

• A. Nuclear family
• B. Blended family
• C. Polygamy
• D. Extended family

Answer: (B)

A blended family is formed when two previously separate families come together through remarriage, creating a new family unit that includes step-parents and step-siblings (and often half-siblings). This situation happens when one or both partners have children from prior relationships, and those children join together in one household. That specific idea—that two families merge into one through remarriage and bring together children from previous relationships—is what defines a blended family.

In contrast, a nuclear family is just two parents and their own children living together, without prior step-relations; polygamy refers to having multiple spouses, and an extended family includes relatives beyond the immediate parents and children, like grandparents or cousins, who may not be part of the same household.