This bilineal system is the usual model in the United States.

• A. Matrilineal
• B. Bilateral
• C. Bilineal
• D. Patrilineal

Answer: (C)

Descent and kinship in the United States is traced through both the mother’s and the father’s families. This two-sided recognition means people consider relatives on both sides when thinking about family ties, marriage networks, and inheritance. That pattern is described as bilineal descent. Because the question points to a system that includes both parental lines, bilineal is the best fit.

A matrilineal system would focus on the mother’s line alone, and a patrilineal system would focus on the father’s line alone. While some texts also use bilateral to describe two-sided kinship, the option here uses bilineal, which conveys the same idea of dual-lineage consideration.