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Will You Avoid These Disasters at Your Next Family Gathering? Take Our Quiz

How to prevent pitfalls, and what to do if they happen at your party

Michelle R. Davis,

AARP

En español

Published July 20, 2022

8 Questions

Will You Avoid These Disasters at Your Next Family Gathering? Take Our Quiz

[ {
 "question" : "Your family gathering may include a picnic or barbecue, which means food may be sitting out in the sun. Without safe food handling, bacteria can grow. What temperature should cold food and hot food be kept at to prevent food poisoning?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Cold food at 40 degrees F, hot food at 140 degrees F",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Cold food at 32 degrees F, hot food at 120 degrees F",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Cold food at 60 degrees F, hot food at 200 degrees F",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Cold food at 0 degrees F, hot food at 130 degrees F",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Cold food should be kept at 40 degrees F, either in a cooler or on ice, until serving and should not sit out for more than two hours, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Hot food should be keep at 140 degrees F or above.\n",
 "hint" : "",
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}, {
 "question" : "For a big family party or event, relatives may come in from out of town or be traveling to other countries. In these days of canceled flights and lost hotel reservations, it’s a good idea to invest in travel insurance. What is generally not an option for trip insurance?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Travel health insurance",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Poor lodging insurance ",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Medical evacuation insurance",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Trip cancellation or disruption insurance",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Travel insurance, medical evacuation insurance and trip cancellation insurance can protect travelers when it comes to injuries, the need to be transported to a medical facility, some weather disruptions and flight cancellations, and even COVID-19-related issues. Generally, travel insurance does not cover lodging that travelers find not to their liking.\n",
 "hint" : "",
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}, {
 "question" : "COVID-19 is still around, and the BA.5 omicron subvariant is highly contagious. The last thing anyone wants to do is to spread COVID to family members at a gathering. What’s one strategy that won’t help prevent COVID from spreading?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Asking guests to take COVID-19 rapid tests before attending",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Encouraging family members to get vaccinated",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Banning swimming at gatherings",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Masking when requested",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Holding events outdoors",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Swimming won’t spread COVID-19, but masking, vaccinations and holding events outdoors may decrease transmission.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
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}, {
 "question" : "Even at family gatherings or reunions, conversations can stall. What are some topics for discussion that can help you avoid those awkward silences?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Pets",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Music",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Vacations",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Shared memories or experiences",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "All of the above",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Experts recommend having some questions ready to help move a conversation forward if it feels stale. But listening and then following up on the answers can be just as important.\n",
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}, {
 "question" : "If relatives are traveling in from out of town, they may be flying. Air travel can be chaotic these days. What’s one strategy that isn’t helpful to prevent or deal with problems when traveling by plane?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Reducing the number of connecting flights",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Booking flights earlier in the day",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Only taking carry-on luggage",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Arguing with airline employees",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Using a travel agent",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Staff shortages and a growing demand for air travel are causing disruptions at many airports. But travel experts say being rude to airline staff won’t help. Being polite might inspire them to take that extra step to assist.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
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}, {
 "question" : "To keep a positive atmosphere and sidestep arguments at a family gathering, it’s better to avoid some conversation topics. Which topic is not one that experts recommend staying away from?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Grandchildren ",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Politics",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Religion",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Personal appearance",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Negative gossip",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "In 2021, 59 percent of U.S. adults said they found political conversations stressful, up from 50 percent in May 2019, according to the Pew Research Center. Talking about grandchildren or children or inquiring about others’ grandchildren or children is a safer bet. “The whole goal of these gatherings is to be creating good memories with loved ones,” says Danielle Androff, a licensed clinical social worker in St. Louis, Missouri. “So anything that doesn’t serve that goal isn’t necessary in that setting.”\n",
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}, {
 "question" : "Bragging, one-upmanship and judgmental relatives can ruin a family gathering. What are some techniques experts suggest to deflect inappropriate comments or to avoid making those mistakes yourself?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Use humor to lighten the mood",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Don’t comment on personal appearances, like tattoos or weight",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Agree to disagree on controversial topics",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Ask questions of others instead of talking about yourself",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "All of the above",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Experts say guests should avoid highly personal questions, like asking newly married couples “When are you going to have children?” or inquiring too closely about a person’s health status. If family gatherings typically break down later in the evening, plan an early exit, and limit alcohol intake to avoid saying something inappropriate.\n",
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}, {
 "question" : "One way family gatherings can go off the rails is when someone drinks too much alcohol. After age 50, alcohol can affect people differently than it did when they were younger. What is not one way alcohol impacts older adults differently?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Less production of alcohol-digesting enzyme ADH",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "More accurate ability to gauge sobriety",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "More severe hangovers",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Sense of balance more impacted",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Older bodies lose muscle, gain fat and carry less water in the bloodstream. So any alcohol you consume isn’t diluted to the degree it was in your 20s, resulting in a higher blood-alcohol content. In fact, older adults have a less accurate ability to gauge their own sobriety.\n",
 "hint" : "",
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} ]

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Michelle Davis is an executive editor for AARP. Previously, she was the senior writer and social media strategist for EdWeek Market Brief and a senior correspondent at Education Week.