The way people trace kinship over generations is called what?

• A. The system of descent
• B. The family tree
• C. The kinship index
• D. The lineage chart

Answer: (A)

Tracing kinship across generations is described by the system of descent. This concept covers the cultural rules that determine how people identify and connect to their ancestors, including whether descent is traced through the father, mother, or both, and how those lines form groups or lineages that influence social roles and inheritance. A family tree or lineage chart is simply a diagram that shows those connections, not the mechanism or rules that govern how kinship is traced. The term kinship index isn’t a standard way to describe this process, so it doesn’t fit as well as the broader idea of the system of descent.