Deck 3: US Poverty and the Implications for Social Work

Question 1

What is the amount defined by the federal government as the minimal income level at which a family or individual can meet their basic needs?

A) $667 per month
B) poverty line
C) thrifty level of poverty
D) $22,810 per year

Answer 1

B

Question 2

When an individual's income is less than the amount needed to obtain the minimal necessities for living, this is known as:

A) absolute poverty
B) relative poverty
C) poverty level
D) income poverty

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The term "working poor" refers to:

A) those families that are in poverty for multiple generations
B) individuals that sell illegal goods on the street
C) unpaid volunteers
D) those who are typically employed, but poverty occurs when the job is only part-time, or does not compensate the employee enough to move above the poverty line, resulting in the individual being marginally poor

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following may result in an individual, previously at low risk, experiencing poverty during their lifetime?

A) Federal economic recession
B) Corporate downsizing
C) Short-term disability
D) All of the above

Question 5

The Gini Index is intended to measure

A) Income distribution and inequality at the national level
B) A salary below which an individual would be living in poverty
C) The percentage of the country experiencing poverty
D) None of the above

Question 6

Structural vulnerability is best described as

A) Temporary homelessness
B) A state in which the safety net does not fill the gap between earnings and need
C) Public economic insecurity
D) A mechanism for keeping a disenfranchised segment of the population from accessing employment

Question 7

Which is the BEST definition of "social welfare"?

A) the collective well-being of a community or a society
B) physical health, emotional comfort, and economic security
C) our country's system of programs, benefits, and services that support those in need of financial, social, and health care support
D) a subset of social policies that determine the distribution of resources

Question 8

Which is the BEST definition of "social policy"?

A) the collective well-being of a community or a society
B) good health, prosperity, and social respect
C) a subset of social policies that determine the distribution of resources
D) principles, procedures, and courses of action established in statute, administrative code, and agency regulation that affect people's well being

Question 9

The American social welfare system is based on:

A) an English model
B) utilitarianism
C) universalism
D) a Canadian model

Question 10

The Social Security Act offers income to which of the following groups?

A) Older adults
B) Children of deceased workers
C) Workers with disabilities
D) All of the above

Question 11

Provide a simple definition of poverty.

Question 12

Identify and explain in detail one cause of poverty as argued by the Berg-Weger text.