Definition match — “Reentry”: Reentry occurs when a person leaves his or her social system for a period of time and then returns. Which situation best illustrates reentry?
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AWhen he is offered a better paying position, Jacob leaves the restaurant he manages to manage a new restaurant on the other side of town.
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BCatherine is spending her junior year of college studying abroad in France.
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CMalcolm is readjusting to civilian life after two years of overseas military service.
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DAfter several miserable months, Sharon decides that she can no longer share an apartment with her roommate Hilary.
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ENone of these
Answer
Correct Answer: Malcolm is readjusting to civilian life after two years of overseas military service.
Explanation
Introduction / Context:“Reentry” in social and organizational contexts refers to a person’s transition back into a former social system after having been away for a meaningful period. The emphasis is on the return and the readjustment to norms, roles, and expectations of the original system.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- Reentry requires: (1) leaving a social system; (2) being away for some time; (3) returning and readapting to the original system.
- We judge each choice by whether it captures all three elements, not merely a change or departure.
Concept / Approach:Identify the original system (e.g., civilian society, college at home), the period away (e.g., military service, study abroad), and the actual return that triggers readjustment. The best example will explicitly involve coming back and reintegrating into prior norms.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Option (a): Job change to another restaurant is a lateral move within the same broad system (employment in the same field), not necessarily exit and reentry to a different social system.Option (b): Studying abroad indicates departure, but the sentence does not place her in the phase of returning and readjusting; it describes the “away” phase, not the reentry.Option (c): Military → civilian is a classic reentry scenario; Malcolm left civilian life for military service and is now readjusting to civilian norms upon returning.Option (d): Ending a roommate arrangement is a change inside the same overall system; there is no “return after absence” dynamic.Verification / Alternative check:Textbook examples of reentry often include soldiers returning to civilian life, expatriates coming back home, or employees rejoining a previous organization. Option (c) matches this pattern cleanly.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
- (a): No return to a prior system; it is a role change within a system.
- (b): Depicts departure but not the return phase.
- (d): Simply a domestic change; no exit-and-return cycle.
Common Pitfalls:
- Confusing any transition with reentry; reentry needs the return to the original system.
Final Answer:
Malcolm is readjusting to civilian life after two years of overseas military service.