Deck 4: Poverty and Public Welfare

Question 1

​Which of the following statements is true of poverty?

A) ​The rate of poverty in the United States is lower now than it was in 1980.
B) ​The poor are less likely to receive probation, parole, or suspended sentences.
C) ​Children raised in poor families are more likely to succeed in life and move to a higher social class.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

All of the following are functions provided by the poor to affluent groups except that they:

A) ​are available to do the unpleasant jobs no one else wants to do.
B) ​create cultural forms, such as jazz and the blues, that are often adopted by the affluent.
C) help create jobs, such as jobs for social workers who provide services to the poor.
D) contribute to the society by serving as politicians.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

​In 2014, about _____ percent of the U.S. population was living below the poverty line.

A) ​5
B) ​15
C) ​25
D) ​35

Answer 3

B

Question 4

​The _____ to define poverty states that a person is poor when his or her income is substantially less than the average income of the population.

A) ​absolute approach
B) ​situational approach
C) ​relative approach
D) ​generational approach

Question 5

Under which of the following public assistance programs does the federal government pay monthly checks to people in financial need who are 65 years of age and older or who are blind or disabled at any age?

A) ​Medicare
B) ​Unemployment Insurance
C) ​Supplemental Security Income
D) ​General Assistance

Question 6

​_____ is a joint federal/state program that provides hospital and medical care to poverty-stricken people.

A) ​Medicare
B) ​Medicaid
C) ​Unemployment Insurance
D) ​General Assistance

Question 7

​Which of the following statements is true of a culture of poverty?

A) Its existence ceases once the economic factors that created it no longer exist.
B) The real culprit is the social system that allows poverty to exist.
C) ​It arises after extended periods of economic deprivation in highly stratified capitalistic societies.
D) ​The distinctive culture of the poor is not the cause but the result of their continuing poverty.

Question 8

​Social insurance programs in America include:

A) ​food stamps.
B) ​Medicaid.
C) ​housing assistance.
D) ​Medicare.

Question 9

All of the following are sources of frustration in social work except:

A) ​having extensive paperwork.
B) ​trying to meet the needs of clients when those needs are not served by existing programs.
C) ​dealing with discouraged clients who lack the necessary motivation to work toward improving their circumstances.
D) ​working with youngsters having behavioral problems.

Question 10

​In 1986, Charles Murray in his book "Losing Ground," made all of the following statements except that:

A) ​the government should eliminate welfare benefits for all working-age adults.
B) ​the antipoverty programs in our society has made the poor worse off by creating dependency.
C) the increase in crime and many other social problems stem largely from the increase in single-parent families.
D) the Aid to Families of Dependent Children (AFDC) program discourages single women to want to have children.

Question 11

​In the context of defining poverty, which of the following is true of the absolute approach?

A) This approach puts more emphasis on the inequality of incomes.
B) ​This approach considers the fact that people are poor not only in terms of their own needs but also in relation to others who are not poor.
C) ​It states that a certain amount of goods and services is essential to an individual's or family's welfare, and those who do not have this minimum amount are viewed as poor.
D) ​It states that a person is poor when his or her income is substantially less than the average income of the population.

Question 12

Supporters of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program cite all of the following statements except that:
​

A) ​the teenage birthrates have fallen since 1996.
B) ​the welfare overhaul has depressed the median wage of all women workers.
C) the ​employment rate of never-married mothers has decreased.
D) ​the group that has benefited most by welfare reform is employers.

Question 13

​Adherents of the residual view of public assistance generally hold all of the following opinions except that:

A) relief should be extended to applicants who can qualify under eligibility requirements.
B) assistance should be made as unpleasant as possible to discourage its use.
C) ​assistance should be discouraged by making payments too low for anyone to really want it.
D) ​people should be forced to remain at their jobs or to return to employment.

Question 14

​Which of the following programs is a public assistance program?

A) ​Supplemental Security Income
B) ​Workers' Compensation Insurance
C) ​Unemployment Insurance
D) ​Medicare

Question 15

​_____ refers to a person's total assets, such as real estate holdings, cash, stocks, bonds, and so forth.

A) ​Income
B) ​Status
C) ​Wealth
D) ​Power

Question 16

​Which of the following programs provides both income and assistance in meeting medical expenses for injuries sustained on a job?

A) ​Old Age, Survivors, Disability, and Health Insurance
B) ​Medicare
C) ​Workers' Compensation Insurance
D) ​Medicaid

Question 17

​The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act abolished the Aid to Families of Dependent Children program and replaced it with the _____ program.

A) ​Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
B) ​Supplemental Security Income
C) ​Food Stamp
D) ​General Assistance

Question 18

A society characterized by _____ has social classes, with the upper classes having by far the greatest access to the pleasures that money can buy.

A) ​social stratification
B) ​social construction
C) ​social security
D) ​social concept

Question 19

Which of the following programs provides financial help to those in need who are ineligible for any other income-maintenance program?

A) ​Old Age, Survivors, Disability, and Health Insurance
B) ​Unemployment Insurance
C) ​Supplemental Security Income
D) ​General Assistance

Question 20

​One in _____ people on this planet survive on an income of less than $1 per day.

A) ​5
B) ​50
C) ​15
D) ​40

Question 21

​One criticism of the culture-of-poverty theory is that it appears to be a classic example of "blaming the victim."

Question 22

The federal government has chosen the relative approach in defining poverty.

Question 23

​Charles Murray, in his book "Losing Ground," asserts that the way to reduce illegitimate births among poor people is to eliminate every kind of government support for single parents.

Question 24

​Under a family allowance program, the government pays each family a set amount based on the number of children in the household.

Question 25

​The relative approach to defining poverty states that poverty will persist as long as income inequality exists.

Question 26

​Movement to a higher social status is an unusual happening in practically all societies, including the United States.

Question 27

The ​General Assistance program is largely financed by the federal government.
​

Question 28

According to Lewis Losoncy, an encouraging person has a nonblaming attitude so that a discouraged client no longer feels a need to lie, pretend, or wear a mask.

Question 29

​In 1935, when the Aid to Families of Dependent Children (AFDC) program was enacted as a component of the Social Security Act, it was thought that single mothers should stay at home to raise their children.

Question 30

​The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act provides a lifetime guarantee of cash assistance to poor families with children.

Question 31

Under the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, states are responsible for job training programs that lead to employment within 2 years of receiving benefits.

Question 32

​The key variable in determining if clients will make positive changes in their lives is whether they have the motivation to make the efforts necessary to improve their circumstances.

Question 33

The Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP) is designed to combat hunger and to improve the diets of low-income households by augmenting their food-purchasing ability.

Question 34

​The Supplemental Security Income program provides a guaranteed minimum income for the aged, the blind, and the disabled.

Question 35

​The term marginalized group refers to a group of people who have been relegated to the lower echelons, outer edges, or "margins" of society based on gender, economic status, education, culture, race, religion, ethnicity, or political affiliation.

Question 36

​A college degree is an excellent predictor of avoiding poverty, as only a small proportion of those with a college degree live in poverty.

Question 37

The welfare reform has led to increased economic hardship for many low-income parents and their children.

Question 38

​Workhouses were also known as almshouses.

Question 39

Adherents of the residual view of public assistance advocate that preservation of the independence and self-respect of an applicant for assistance is a prime consideration in the administration of programs of relief.

Question 40

According to Eleanor Leacock, the poor tend to emphasize deferred gratification, which involves postponing pleasures today by saving money, which, in turn, will reap greater benefits in the future.

Question 41

​As a social worker, how would you motivate a discouraged client?

Question 42

Summarize the benefits and shortcomings of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program.

Question 43

​Discuss the economic inequality between the rich and the poor in the society.

Question 44

​Explain the culture-of-poverty theory. Discuss the criticisms related to this theory.

Question 45

​Briefly describe various social insurance programs.

Question 46

​Explain the key provisions of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act.

Question 47

What is a family allowance program? Discuss the shortcomings of this program.

Question 48

Do you believe there should be a redistribution of some of the wealth from the top one-fifth to the lowest one-fifth in the United States?

Question 49

​List the functions provided by the poor to affluent groups in the society.

Question 50

​Mention some of the causes of poverty.