Would You Marry a Stranger?

Question

An Overview of Arranged Marriage
By Jessica McBirney

Available on CommonLit. Licensed under CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0.

[1] While they are unpopular in the United States, arranged marriages still exist in some places around the world today. An arranged marriage, as it’s most commonly known, is one in which the parents select the spouse for their children. There are two different types of arranged marriages. The first type is a forced arranged marriage, when the parents or guardians select a spouse for their child, and the individual child has no say in the decision. In the second type, the child is allowed to meet the selected spouse in advance, and perhaps go on a few family outings together before they have the power to approve or reject their parents’ selection. The latter type of arranged marriage tends to be more common, especially in the 21st century.
[2] In either case, the marriage does not depend on any feelings of love between the couple beforehand; instead, their love for each other is expected to grow throughout the marriage.
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[3] From a Western1 perspective, we might think that marriages not based on love are doomed to failure or unhappiness, but this is usually not the case. [...]

Inferred Thesis: While arranged marriages are not common in the United States, they do exist around the world and do not necessarily depend on feelings of love beforehand, but are still successful.

According to the text, how is love between the couple expected to develop in an arranged marriage?

In paragraph_____, the author …. This indicates that ______rather than ______. As a result, love in arranged marriages is believed to ______.

Answer 1

According to the text, love between the couple is expected to develop throughout the marriage, rather than being a prerequisite for marriage.

In paragraph 1, the author states that "the marriage does not depend on any feelings of love between the couple beforehand; instead, their love for each other is expected to grow throughout the marriage." This indicates that love is not a precondition for entering into the marriage, rather than being an initial requirement. As a result, love in arranged marriages is believed to evolve over time, fostering a bond that can develop with shared experiences and commitment.