This statement implies that industrial work led to marriages becoming:

• A. Marriages became stronger
• B. Marriages remained stable
• C. Marriages ended quickly
• D. Marriages became more fragile

Answer: (D)

Industrial work reshaped family life by moving labor out of the home and into factories, often with long, irregular hours and less time together. The income from factory work could be unstable, exposing families to financial stress and uncertainty. When spouses spend less time with each other, fatigue rises, communication can suffer, and conflicts become more common. Taken together, these pressures make marriages more vulnerable to strain and breakdown, i.e., more fragile. The other options imply stronger bonds, stability, or rapid dissolution, which don’t fit the way industrial work tends to destabilize daily family life through time apart and economic stress.