Deck 7: Poverty

Question 1

Mary lives on the streets. She begs for money and food and often goes hungry. She is __________.

A) living below the poverty line
B) a member of the old poor
C) experiencing institutional discrimination
D) taking part in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act

Answer 1

A

Question 2

People who work but are still below the poverty line are the __________ poor.

A) working
B) near
C) new
D) old

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The census generally __________.

A) overestimates the number of poor
B) underestimates the number of poor
C) overcounts illegal immigrants
D) overcounts the homeless

Answer 3

B

Question 4

People may be missed by the census because they __________.

A) are homeless
B) have been at the same address for too long
C) live in poor areas
D) live in a gated community

Question 5

Compared to other industrialized nations, the United States has one of the ________ rates of childhood poverty.

A) lowest rates
B) slowest growing rates
C) highest rates
D) highest growing rates

Question 6

The poor who are living at or below half the poverty line are called __________.

A) working poor
B) old poor
C) new poor
D) severely poor

Question 7

Bill lives in a(n) __________ where over 40 percent of his neighbors is in poverty.

A) project
B) extreme-poverty neighborhood
C) inner-city
D) suburb

Question 8

In 2014, __________ percent of the population was severely poor.

A) 11.2 percent
B) 6.6 percent
C) 3.1 percent
D) 21.3 percent

Question 9

Immigrants in the country illegally __________ and are less likely to be counted among the poor.

A) have higher rates of poverty than other minority groups
B) avoid being counted in the census
C) have the same rates of poverty as
D) no poverty at all

Question 10

Which of the following are critiques of the government poverty measure?

A) It varies from region to region.
B) It does not keep up with inflation.
C) Housing costs take up less of the family budget than food.
D) It has never changed.

Question 11

The __________, those whose incomes are at half the poverty line or less, make up over 6 percent of the U.S. population.

A) working poor
B) old poor
C) new poor
D) severely poor

Question 12

__________ is a reason for the high poverty rate among women.

A) The lower intelligence of women
B) The high frequency of divorce
C) A small number of never-married women with children
D) Good job and earnings opportunities for women

Question 13

In 2014, the nation's poverty rate for children under 18 was __________ .

A) 21.1 percent
B) 11 percent
C) 39.2 percent
D) 25.1 percent

Question 14

Today, a full-time minimum wage worker earns roughly _________ of the poverty level for a family of three.

A) 57 percent
B) 74 percent
C) 48.9 percent
D) 100 percent

Question 15

Poverty is greatest among those who do not have ____________.

A) a car
B) access to health care
C) affordable mortgages
D) an established residence

Question 16

The U.S. Census data show that approximately __________ people work full time and yet still find themselves below the poverty line.

A) 100,000
B) 500,000
C) 1.5 million
D) 3 million

Question 17

It is estimated that ___________ of all migrant farm workers live below the official poverty line.

A) 23 percent
B) more than half
C) more than two thirds
D) more than three fourths

Question 18

The __________ is an arbitrary line computed by multiplying the cost of a basic nutritionally adequate diet by three.

A) official poverty line
B) feminization of poverty
C) working poor
D) regressive tax

Question 19

A standard of living below the minimum needed for the maintenance of adequate diet, health, and shelter, known as __________, is a significant social problem even in wealthy countries.

A) old poor
B) new poor
C) working poor
D) poverty

Question 20

Though this is not a new phenomenon, the trend for contemporary women to be more _________than men is known as __________.

A) a part of the working poor
B) insulated from the severely poor
C) economically vulnerable
D) subjected to wealthfare

Question 21

Sometime, the poor receive government funds and subsidies, known as __________, in order to help them get by at a minimum level.

A) welfare
B) wealthfare
C) regressive taxes
D) the official poverty line

Question 22

The "hidden welfare system" refers to government aid that goes to the nonpoor in the form of __________.

A) tax increases on wealthy individuals
B) direct subsidies to corporations
C) low-cost credit to people below the poverty line
D) increased scrutiny and oversight for corporate lending

Question 23

The poor __________.

A) use a small amount of their income for housing
B) pay less for day-to-day products like milk and bread
C) are exploited by payday loans
D) receive the greatest amount of government aid

Question 24

Most government subsidies go to the nonpoor. These are known as __________.

A) welfare
B) warfare
C) wealthfare
D) regressive taxes

Question 25

A tax rate that remains the same for all people rich or poor is an example of a __________.

A) tax expenditure
B) progressive tax
C) regressive tax
D) medical tax

Question 26

The number of those who are severely poor __________.

A) is on the rise
B) is on the decline
C) has stayed the same since 1979
D) is lower in the United States than any other country

Question 27

Those who believe in the __________ believe that the poor are qualitatively different in values and lifestyles from the rest of society.

A) blaming the victim approach
B) self-fulfilling prophecy
C) culture-of-poverty
D) feminization of poverty

Question 28

When a prophecy is fulfilled because people's behavior conforms to the prediction, this is known as __________.

A) a self-fulfilling prophecy
B) blaming the victim
C) institutional discrimination
D) social Darwinism

Question 29

Jeff is a part of a hidden system of tax breaks and advantages given to his corporation directly in the form of subsidies and indirectly in the form of tax loopholes. Jeff benefits from __________.

A) welfare
B) wealthfare
C) institutional discrimination
D) the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act

Question 30

According to the text, __________.

A) the poor can lift themselves out of poverty
B) volunteers can lift the poor out of poverty
C) the private sector can lift the poor out of poverty
D) institutional discrimination keeps the poor in poverty

Question 31

Institutional discrimination is __________.

A) found in tracking in education and the system of school funding based on property taxes
B) an example of a deficiency theory
C) the same as the culture-of-poverty hypothesis
D) what occurs when the poor have brought poverty on themselves

Question 32

"Social Darwinism" refers to the theory that the poor are poor because __________.
A) societal structures limit their opportunities

A) they are unfit
B) they are subject to institutional discrimination
C) they are discriminated against

Question 33

The 1996 welfare reform legislation was officially called the __________.

A) Personal Welfare Reform and Reconciliation to Work Opportunities Act
B) Personal Welfare Ongoing Reform and Responsibility Act
C) Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act
D) End of Government Welfare Act

Question 34

When the social arrangements and accepted ways of doing things in society disadvantage minority groups, it is known as __________.

A) individual discrimination
B) blaming the victim
C) institutional discrimination
D) the feminization of discrimination

Question 35

Which of the following is a characteristic of the capitalist system that contributes to the persistence of poverty?

A) Employers keeping wages so low that many full-time workers live below the poverty line
B) The practice of ensuring high wages, which requires that there be a surplus of unemployed laborers
C) Employers making investment decisions while consulting their employees
D) Corporate profits being diverted into employee retirement programs, so they do no good immediately.

Question 36

The culture-of-poverty hypothesis __________.

A) is based on the belief that the poor have a deviant cultural pattern that is transmitted from generation to generation
B) argues that those who are poor are unfit
C) is an example of institutional theory
D) is the commonly accepted explanation of poverty within sociology

Question 37

Welfare reform in 1996 __________.

A) required those on welfare to get a job immediately
B) capped welfare assistance at fifteen years
C) made large cuts in funding to the poor
D) created new education programs for poor children

Question 38

__________ is the belief that where people end up in terms of wealth and class is a function of their natural ability.

A) Self-fulfilling prophecy
B) Culture-of-poverty
C) Blaming the victim
D) A regressive mindset

Question 39

Which of the following is a claim made by modern-day Social Darwinists Jensen, Herrnstein, and Murray?

A) African Americans are more well endowed mentally than Whites.
B) Mental ability is inherited, and success depends on mental ability.
C) The poor are poor because they lack the same values as their better-off peers.
D) Differences in success are due solely work ethic.

Question 40

__________ are legal tax loopholes that allow the affluent to escape paying certain taxes and receive a subsidy.

A) Regressive taxes
B) Tax expenditures
C) Welfare taxes
D) Poverty thresholds

Question 41

Women are __________ likely than men to be among the working poor.

Question 42

The poor pay __________ than the nonpoor for many goods and services.

Question 43

After looking at all of the evidence of underachievement, Karen comes to the conclusion that the poor must be lacking in some innate ability and are thus destined to remain poor. Her views are in line with __________ theories.

A) deficiency
B) structural
C) institutional
D) conflict

Question 44

__________ refers to the theory that the poor are poor because societal structures limit their opportunities.

Question 45

Bill does not believe the poor individually have less motivation, but does see that there are certain traits, beliefs, and habits they engage in which keep them poor and unable to move forward. Bill is a proponent of __________.

A) structural theory
B) institutional discrimination theory
C) a culture-of-poverty hypothesis
D) a political economy approach to poverty

Question 46

Mark takes the position that poverty is caused not by individuals, but rather by institutions that are arranged to ensure that some groups of people remain poor while others thrive. Mark expresses a point of view in line with __________ theory.

A) deficiency
B) structural
C) institutional
D) conflict

Question 47

The severely poor are __________ off than those slightly below the poverty line.

Question 48

The __________ are people living at or below half the poverty line.

Question 49

Which of the following is a critique of the culture-of-poverty hypothesis?

A) That it fails to consider that the behaviors described are a result of adaptation to poverty
B) That it blames poverty on mental capacity
C) That it blames the victims of poverty for their situations
D) That it fails to acknowledge that the poor are poor by choice

Question 50

__________ refers to a standard of living below the minimum needed for the maintenance of adequate diet, health, and shelter.

Question 51

A cultural inferiority argument is a type of __________ theory.

Question 52

Karl believes that poverty is inherent in capitalism. The drive for profit works to ensure that some people will always be poor, he says. This is known as __________.

A) structural theory
B) institutional discrimination theory
C) a culture-of-poverty hypothesis
D) a political economy approach to poverty

Question 53

Kyle believes that success in the world is a result of one's own ability and social class and is the result of hard work and sacrifice. Kyle believes the world is characterized by __________.

A) a meritocracy
B) a bell curve
C) a culture of poverty
D) institutional discrimination

Question 54

One of the primary ways that people without insurance access health care is by using __________ medical services that are less efficient and more costly.

Question 55

In order to eliminate poverty, some assumptions have to change, including assuming that __________.

A) poverty is a structural issue that cannot be fixed with a better economy or more personal responsibility
B) poverty is an isolated problem
C) poverty can be fixed with a concentrated charity effort
D) the government can do very little to alleviate poverty

Question 56

__________ occurs when the customary ways of doing things, the prevailing attitudes and expectations, and the accepted structural arrangements in society disadvantage the poor.

Question 57

The infant mortality rate in some poor urban neighborhoods __________.

A) exceeds the rates in developing countries
B) is equal to the rates in developing countries
C) is less than the rates in developing countries
D) is the same as in the suburbs

Question 58

The concentration of poverty __________.

A) typically does not affect the rest of society
B) is very rare in the United States
C) is linked to health and education problems
D) is rarely considered a social problem

Question 59

The census generally __________ the number of poor.

Question 60

Which of the following is a form of institutional discrimination that adversely affects the poor?

A) Most good jobs require a college degree, and the poor receive financial aid.
B) Most college scholarships go to the best-performing schools, and poor children most often do not perform well in school.
C) Government grants for college, which provide sufficient money to allow anyone to go to college if they want, are often rejected by the poor because of their distrust of the government.
D) Low-end jobs, for which the wealthy are most qualified because they lack education, pay low wages so that the poor have no way to improve their conditions.

Question 61

How might using the Supplemental Poverty Measure change the way people view the United States?

Question 62

Women from all socioeconomic, racial, and cultural groups are equally at risk for poverty.

Question 63

Assess institutional discrimination and its consequences. Who benefits? Who suffers? How is such a system maintained?
Ideal

Question 64

What can the federal government do to get all people permanently above the poverty line? What assumptions have to be in place?
Ideal

Question 65

Identify and discuss the myths about poverty that abound in American society. Why do these myths prevail?

Question 66

Check-cashing centers are barred from poor neighborhoods.

Question 67

What are the causes and social implications for a disproportionate number of women in poverty?

Question 68

According to the text, the poor can lift themselves out of poverty.

Question 69

The culture-of-poverty hypothesis is based on the belief that the poor have a deviant cultural pattern that is transmitted from generation to generation.

Question 70

The number of those who are severely poor is on the rise.

Question 71

What is the Jensen-Herrnstein-Murray thesis for explaining poverty? Identify the critiques of this perspective.
Ideal

Question 72

The hidden welfare system refers to government aid that goes to the nonpoor in the form of tax loopholes, lower taxes, and tax avoidance by individuals; and direct subsidies and low-cost credit to corporations.

Question 73

Summary statistics about poverty rates among various racial groups mask the differences within groups.

Question 74

What is the difference between the poor and the severely poor?

Question 75

Almost 10 percent of Non-Hispanic Whites are in poverty.

Question 76

Analyze how the basic tenets of capitalism explain the persistence of poverty. Is poverty an inherent part of capitalism?
Ideal

Question 77

The average recipient of government money is a poor person.

Question 78

Why is it difficult to determine the exact number of people in poverty?

Question 79

Can poverty be eliminated in the United States? Justify your answer.

Question 80

The costs associated with childhood poverty equal about $500 billion per year.