The Cycles & Phases of Domestic Violence Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. There are ____ Phases In the Cycle of Violence.

Answer: 6

There are six (6) phases of the Cycle of Violence; Buildup, Standover, Explosive, Remorse, Pursuit, and Honeymoon Phases.

2. Tension builds within the abuser for various reasons (such as pressures with the family, stresses at work or his own thought patterns) and his behavior becomes more aggressive and intense regardless of how hard the victim tries to calm him. What phase is this?

Answer: Buildup Phase

Buildup Phase. The abuser starts getting increasingly irritable about anything. He starts yelling, becomes verbally abusive and critical. The tension starts to build up between the victim and the abuser.

3. Because his physical strength and realistic and frightening threats hurt her, the woman feels that she must stay under her husband's control. His verbal attacks will weaken her resolve and self-esteem even further. What phase is this?

Answer: Stand-over Phase

Stand-over Phase. The abuser can 'literally' stand over his victim, screaming and criticizing in order to 'keep her under his thumb'.

4. The ____________ _________ is a violent outburst that occurs while the abuser usually experiences an intense fit of self righteous rage. These outbursts are likely to intensify over time.

Answer: Explosion Phase

Explosion Phase. This is where the physical violence occurs. It can occur for any number of reasons; dinner isn't on the table on time, victim speaks to the abuser in a way he doesn't approve of, abuser had a bad day at work, the house isn't clean enough, etc. Physical violence can be inclusively, but not exclusively; hitting, shoving, kicking, biting, slapping, etc. and can be brutal.

The victim can be beaten so badly that she winds up in the ER, ICU or morgue.

5. The _________ Phase is the phase where the abuser may feel ashamed or guilty and afraid of the consequences. Nonetheless, he will usually deny or understate the violence and refuse to take responsibility for his actions. He may claim that she is responsible for the violence because she provoked him, because she deserved it or because he was out of control and did not realize what he was doing. He may claim his drinking or drug usage made him do it. It is most unfortunate that the victim often believes his 'reasoning' because if she were to admit otherwise, she would have to acknowledge the potentially dangerous situation that she (and perhaps the children) are living in.

Answer: Remorse

Remorse. The abuser's rage is spent and then he sees what he has done and feels sorry, but he will NOT take responsibility for the injuries he caused. He will blame anything or anyone but himself. He'll accuse the victim and say her behavior MADE him beat her, etc.

6. Even though the Cycle of Violence occurs in most violent relationships, the time between each violent episode may vary from:

Answer: all of these

All of these. The Cycle of Violence will repeat itself over and over again in most violent relationships. It will continue itself for as long as the couple remains together.

7. Not all women experience the Cycle of Violence. One phase that many women do not experience is:

Answer: The Honeymoon Phase

The Honeymoon Phase. Some abusers never feel remorse or try to make up for the injuries they caused.

8. The movie, "What's Love Got To Do With It" is the story of the abusive marriage of _____ _______, a famous rock singer.

Answer: Tina Turner

Tina Turner. Tina, born Anna Mae Bullock of Nutbush, TN, was the product of a domestically violent and broken home. In her youth, she was raised by a relative, but as a teenager, she moved up North to be with her mother and older sister. This is where she met Ike Turner and became the lead singer for his band, mother to one of his sons, and then his wife. Ike was a cruel taskmaster, according to this movie, and beat and raped Tina at will.

His insecurities were very evident in this movie. Tina finally left him and divorced him asking only for her stage name.

She got her wish. This movie, though very graphic and not for the faint of heart, is an excellent demonstration of the Cycle of Violence and shows Tina in the light of a success story for victims everywhere. I highly endorse this movie.

9. "Sleeping With The Enemy" is a movie about the escape of a battered woman. The star of this movie is ___________ __________.

Answer: Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts. This movie was about how a battered woman overcame her fears, left her abuser, the mistakes she made which assisted him in finding her again and her relationship with a good man. This movie shows how an escape plan must be planned out down to every detail lest mistakes are made that could lead to the death of the victim.

10. __________ _____________ sued the City of Torrington, CT and its police department for not protecting her from her abuser for $2.3M USD.

Answer: Tracey Thurman

Tracey Thurman. Tracey Thurman sued the City of Torrington CT and its police department for the wounds and brain damage she sustained in the presence of a police officer from her ex-husband. He constantly harassed her and she made police reports, but the police were slow to respond at best.

While she was being stabbed repeatedly and her abuser literally jumped on her head and repeatedly kicked her, a lone Torrington police officer offered no assistance to her. She nearly died as a result, but didn't.

She sued and won her landmark case against the City of Torrington and its police department. This is another movie not for the faint of heart, but demonstrates what is possible in abusive relationships and the courage of this survivor. Nancy McKeon plays the role of Tracey Thurman.

Source: Author frostwoman

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The Cycles & Phases of Domestic Violence Quiz

Domestic Violence strikes both men and women. For this quiz and others, I will be referring to abusers as male and victims as female just for illustration. Good luck!

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