Deck 28: Herbert J Gans, the Underclass Label

Question 1

Labels such as "welfare dependent" and "single-parent family" help to provide us with good illustrations of the people so labeled.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Labels are dangerous because:

A) they are inaccurate.
B) they have no single or simple definition.
C) everyone who receives government subsidies becomes labeled "welfare dependent".
D) a and b above

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The term underclass:

A) has become morally ambiguous.
B) is used as a racial and ethnic code word.
C) is used as a synonym for the poor.
D) all of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A label like "underclass" has a clearly defined meaning that is used to describe a specific group of people.

Question 5

Describe the human dangers of labeling.

Question 6

List three labels which the author considers inaccurate, and describe why they are inaccurate.

Question 7

Ricketts and Sawhill define the "underclass" as consisting of all of the following except:

A) high school dropouts.
B) welfare recipients.
C) female heads of household.
D) older, working, single males.

Question 8

10Gans shows that being in the underclass is a cause of becoming homeless or turning to street crime.

Question 9

Once a label like "underclass" becomes used to identify a group, people begin to see that group as homogenous.

Question 10

Labels are dangerous simply because they are inaccurate.

Question 11

Behavioral labels and terms related to "underclass" do all of the following except:

A) emphasize the moral and psychological failings of poor persons.
B) justify the social exclusion of poor persons.
C) deflect our attention from the broader causes of poverty.
D) provide accurate descriptions of certain groups of people and are therefore useful for public policy purposes.

Question 12

What is the umbrella effect, and how can it be dangerous to those it encompasses?

Question 13

Umbrella labels:

A) do harm by lumping diverse people under a single name.
B) are useful in helping to establish policies to help a variety of people.
C) are used to help clarify social conditions.
D) are usually created by alarmist writers.