Deck 16: Social Policy

Question 1

Because the United States does not have a government-sponsored universal health care system, the nation spends less on health care policy than most other nations in the world.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The number of elderly people living in poverty has decreased since the 1960s.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is often referred to as:

A) Medicaid.
B) Social Security.
C) welfare.
D) Medicare.
E) Obamacare.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Social Security is a social pay-as-you-go program that provides financial assistance for retired individuals.

Question 5

None of the social policies passed under the New Deal remain today.

Question 6

Members of the "baby-boom generation"-a term used to describe individuals born between 1946 and 1964-will put a great deal of stress on the Social Security system when they retire.

Question 7

All social welfare programs are based on need.

Question 8

Until 2010, Congress had not passed any laws that reformed health care in the United States.

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a social policy usually associated with the "social safety net"?

A) worker training
B) health care
C) voting
D) housing
E) education

Question 10

Part of the Social Security reforms adopted in 1983 was to raise the age requirements for Social Security benefits.

Question 11

Entitlements are government-sponsored programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, which provide benefits to qualifying individuals.

Question 12

The health care reform passed in 2010 can be considered part of the government's effort to provide a "social safety net."

Question 13

Evaluating government bureaucracies is difficult because there is no standard by which efficacy is generally measured.

Question 14

The Democratic Party has traditionally sought to change the Social Security system to partial privatization so that the trust fund does not decrease and go bankrupt.

Question 15

Because of severe economic conditions, the federal government began enacting policies to ensure the well-being of the American public starting in the:

A) 1910s.
B) 1930s.
C) 1950s.
D) 1960s.
E) 1970s.

Question 16

Social Security is a popular social policy among American citizens.

Question 17

The "Great Society" was the term used to describe a group of social policy programs developed by President Franklin Roosevelt to combat the Great Depression.

Question 18

Government assistance-usually financial assistance-to individuals in need is called:

A) block grants.
B) welfare.
C) social policy.
D) Medicare.
E) Social Security.

Question 19

One of the first social welfare programs enacted by the federal government was financial assistance to veterans of:

A) the Spanish-American War.
B) World War I.
C) the War of 1812.
D) the Civil War.
E) World War II.

Question 20

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) is a government agency that administers the Medicaid program.

Question 21

The Great Society was a social plan developed by which president?

A) Franklin Roosevelt
B) Herbert Hoover
C) Bill Clinton
D) Lyndon Johnson
E) Harry Truman

Question 22

Approximately what percentage of the nation's population is in poverty?

A) 50 percent
B) 35 percent
C) 26 percent
D) 15 percent
E) 2 percent

Question 23

Which federal government agency was created out of the Great Society and is responsible for, among other things, managing public housing?

A) Housing and Urban Development.
B) Department of the Interior.
C) Habitat for Humanity.
D) Department of Public Housing.
E) Department of Treasury.

Question 24

In the post-World War II era, how has the disparity between poor people and wealthy people changed?

A) It's gotten larger.
B) It's gotten smaller.
C) It's stayed about the same.
D) It's no longer measured due to privacy concerns.
E) It's only been measured since 1970.

Question 25

The ________ was the name given to a group of government-sponsored social and economic programs developed by Franklin Roosevelt to combat the Great Depression.

A) New Deal
B) Great Society
C) Contract with America
D) 1934 Stimulus Package
E) War on Poverty

Question 26

When Ronald Reagan became president, what did he seek to do to many of the Great Society programs?

A) expand upon them
B) cut or eliminate them
C) model his social policy programs after them
D) raise taxes on wealthier individuals to pay for them
E) raise taxes on poorer individuals to pay for them

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT a social program passed under the New Deal?

A) Medicare
B) Social Security
C) welfare for families with dependent children
D) labor rights to organize a union
E) agricultural subsidies

Question 28

"Corporate welfare" is a term used to describe:

A) wealthier individuals who receive welfare.
B) individuals who become wealthy from welfare.
C) government assistance programs for job creation and growth.
D) corporate tax cuts by state and local governments to attract business development.
E) the creation of government jobs.

Question 29

To combat income inequality, the Democratic Party generally seeks to:

A) increase funding for social and welfare programs and tax wealthier individuals.
B) print more money and privatize Social Security.
C) create jobs and lower taxes for everyone.
D) restrict free trade and raise taxes on everyone.
E) increase the capital gains tax.

Question 30

To combat income inequality, the Republican Party generally seeks to:

A) increase funding for social and welfare programs and tax wealthier individuals.
B) print more money and privatize Social Security.
C) create jobs and lower taxes for everyone.
D) restrict free trade and raise taxes on everyone.
E) increase the capital gains tax.

Question 31

Medicare was one of the most significant social policies passed during whose presidency?

A) John F. Kennedy
B) Harry Truman
C) Franklin Roosevelt
D) Bill Clinton
E) Lyndon Johnson

Question 32

Privatizing social security is an example of:

A) means testing.
B) the ownership society.
C) pay-as-you-go (PAYGO).
D) income support.
E) policy diffusion.

Question 33

A social policy vision such as George W. Bush's, in which citizens take responsibility for their own social well-being, is called:

A) the Second Great Society.
B) the New Deal society.
C) safety net society.
D) ownership society.
E) income inequality.

Question 34

Who was the first group to receive substantial financial support from the federal government?

A) unemployed workers during the Great Depression
B) Civil War veterans and their families
C) the poor during the Great Society
D) college students under the Land Grant Act
E) agricultural companies during World War I

Question 35

An individual making less than approximately what amount is considered below the poverty line as a single person?

A) $10,000
B) $20,000
C) $30,000
D) $40,000
E) $50,000

Question 36

The New Deal policy guaranteeing the right to organize a union and set regulations for collective bargaining is known as:

A) Social Security.
B) the Federal Emergency Relief Administration.
C) the Public Works Administration.
D) the National Recovery Administration.
E) the National Labor Relations Act.

Question 37

Private charities, churches, and families played a larger role than the government in providing social welfare in the:

A) 1880s.
B) 1930s.
C) 1960s.
D) 1980s.
E) 2000s.

Question 38

Funding for the Great Society was quickly threatened by:

A) income tax cuts passed by Congress.
B) World War II.
C) the Vietnam War.
D) underestimated costs of Medicare.
E) the Korean War.

Question 39

The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 were all programs to improve social well-being under the:

A) New Deal.
B) Contract with America.
C) Great Society.
D) America First Program.
E) War on Poverty.

Question 40

Which of the following was a component of President George W. Bush's plan to scale back social programs?

A) end the War on Poverty
B) add a prescription drug plan to Medicare
C) privatize portions of Social Security
D) eliminate Medicaid
E) eliminate Medicare

Question 41

Why is the retirement of the baby-boom generation considered a problem for the future of Social Security?

A) Retirees vote less often than younger voters and the baby boomers have been big supporters of Social Security.
B) More retirees mean more people on Medicare, which shares a funding pool with Social Security.
C) Retirees tend to cluster in certain states, which means that the states they are moving from will lose the benefits of their Social Security payments.
D) Social Security functions best when there are fewer workers and more retirees, thus increasing support for the program.
E) Retiring baby boomers will reduce the number of workers per retiree and strain the financial resources of the program.

Question 42

Why is Social Security called an "intergenerational transfer of wealth"?

A) It was designed by previous generations as a way of ensuring the security of future ones.
B) It takes funding from education programs and gives it to support the elderly.
C) It takes money from current workers' paychecks to support current retirees.
D) It takes money from younger areas of the country and sends it to older areas of the country.
E) It only affects those who have children and/or families.

Question 43

Which of the following is an example of a "pay-as-you-go" system?

A) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
B) Social Security
C) Common Core
D) food stamps
E) Land Grant Act

Question 44

Who participates in the payment and eventual collection of Social Security?

A) Only those individuals living at or below the poverty line participate.
B) It is voluntary participation, but everyone is eligible.
C) Nearly all working U.S. citizens must participate.
D) Only those individuals living at or above the poverty line participate.
E) Only those U.S. citizens born after 1965 participate.

Question 45

What effect did Hurricane Katrina have on social policy making?

A) It led to the realization that the federal emergency response was adequate.
B) It caused higher taxes on the people who live in the Gulf Coast region to pay for the cleanup.
C) It highlighted the need to create a new cabinet-level department to deal with natural disasters.
D) It created the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
E) It caused a reexamination of readiness for national emergencies and the social safety net.

Question 46

Research on poverty has found:

A) there is no relationship between the poverty rate and the party of the president.
B) Republican and Democratic presidencies see equal reductions in the poverty rate.
C) Republican presidencies generally see a larger reduction in the poverty rates than Democratic presidencies.
D) poverty has declined every year for the past 50 years regardless of who was president.
E) Democratic presidencies generally see a larger reduction in the poverty rates than Republican presidencies.

Question 47

What would be the result of conducting a "means test" for Social Security?

A) wealthy individuals receiving higher benefits
B) Medicare being eliminated for most Americans
C) middle-class Americans receiving more benefits
D) poor people having to prove that they need the money
E) wealthy individuals receiving lower benefits

Question 48

What does it mean when Social Security is called the "third rail" of politics?

A) It is a program spending more than it is taking in.
B) It is a program taking in more than it is spending.
C) Politicians propose frequent changes to it in order to appease their constituents.
D) Politicians do not like to propose changes because they would be unpopular with voters.
E) Major changes have regularly been made to the policy.

Question 49

What did the No Child Left Behind legislation do?

A) increased federal funding for education
B) expanded Head Start to every school district
C) placed national accountability and testing requirements in every school district
D) required every school district to offer special education classes
E) decreased federal funding for education

Question 50

The process by which policy agendas appear and disappear quickly on the national stage has been called ________ by some political scientists.

A) policy shocks
B) issue evolution
C) punctuated equilibrium
D) impatient agendas
E) agenda setting

Question 51

Which of the following describes the top policy priorities among a political party, politicians, or a coalition of politicians?

A) social policy efforts
B) legislative leviathan
C) a policy agenda
D) key issue agenda
E) partisanship

Question 52

What does the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 require?

A) that Congress address federal funding of education every two years
B) that agencies report strategic plans and performance evaluations
C) that the percentage of the U.S. population on welfare decreases every year
D) that all senior citizens be eligible for Medicare
E) that the qualifying age for Social Security benefits be raised to 75

Question 53

Who administers welfare expenditures?

A) the Department of Health and Human Services
B) the Federal Emergency Management Agency
C) the Social Security Administration
D) state and local governments
E) the Department of Labor

Question 54

It is widely believed that politicians seem to be less interested in social policies concerning the poor and disadvantaged because:

A) the Great Society plan solved most of this population's problems.
B) the poor and disadvantaged are not politically active.
C) the media does not report such political efforts.
D) it costs too much money to implement such policies.
E) most voters do not care about social policies.

Question 55

No Child Left Behind is an example of education policy:

A) becoming more controlled by state and local governments.
B) becoming more controlled by the federal government.
C) increasingly being funded by the federal government.
D) passed during the Great Society.
E) increasingly being funded by state and local governments.

Question 56

Which of the following describes the group of Americans born between 1946 and 1964 who will be retiring in large numbers over the next 20 years?

A) the baby-boom generation
B) Generation X
C) Generation Y
D) the World War II generation
E) the Social Security generation

Question 57

The Social Security Administration trust fund will not be able to keep up with demand. Projections suggest the program will only be able to pay about ________ of its obligated expenditures in 2037.

A) 95 percent
B) 75 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 20 percent
E) 5 percent

Question 58

Which of the following is NOT a recommendation made by public policy experts to keep the Social Security system working effectively?

A) eliminate Social Security benefits for those over 90 years old
B) raise the age requirement to qualify for Social Security
C) lower benefits for nonworking spouses and wealthier individuals
D) raise payroll taxes
E) lower benefits for wealthier recipients

Question 59

The ________ is an interest group that represents the interests of senior citizens, the elderly, and other older individuals.

A) National Rifle Association (NRA)
B) American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
C) National Association for the Advancement of Older People (NAAOP)
D) Senior Citizen Alliance (SCA)
E) National Organization for Women (NOW)

Question 60

What do most policy experts say about the future of the Social Security system?

A) The system's collection and allocation of funds will be the same.
B) The amount of funds coming into the system will increase, because the number of people working is increasing dramatically.
C) The amount of money coming into the system will decrease, because the number of people retiring is increasing dramatically.
D) It will cease to exist, because the Social Security Act of 1935 is scheduled to expire in 2050.
E) It will become impossible to maintain because Social Security is widely unpopular with the public.

Question 61

Overall, America spends ________ on health care compared to the rest of the world.

A) much more
B) a little more
C) the same amount
D) a little less
E) much less

Question 62

Over 70 million Americans receive health care coverage through:

A) food stamps.
B) Earned Income Tax Credit.
C) Aid to Families with Dependent Children/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
D) Medicaid.
E) Medicare.

Question 63

Which social policy program is the successor to Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)?

A) Medicaid
B) Temporary Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC)
C) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
D) No Poor Person Left Behind (NPPLB)
E) No Child Left Behind

Question 64

The Medicare Part D expansion, which partially covers prescription drugs, was passed during whose presidency?

A) Franklin Roosevelt
B) Lyndon Johnson
C) Ronald Reagan
D) George W. Bush
E) Barack Obama

Question 65

What are market-based solutions?

A) reform options, such as tax credits and free-market investments, that substitute government-sponsored social programs
B) reforms applied to societal issues by creating a reliance on government-sponsored social programs
C) reform options for economic issues that solve problems by passing social programs, such as those passed in the New Deal
D) another name for a number of social programs passed in the Great Society
E) the main focus of welfare policies proposed during the 1970s

Question 66

In 2003, the federal government passed a new component to Medicare. This component, identified as Part D, covers:

A) physical disability equipment.
B) at-home medical care.
C) prescription drugs.
D) emergency room hospital care.
E) mental health services.

Question 67

What is a major critique of partial and full privatization of Social Security?

A) Recipients will receive less money.
B) The federal government gets to decide which private investments are made.
C) State governments would tax profits made from private investments.
D) Transition to privatization would be expensive.
E) Only wealthy people would receive benefits.

Question 68

Which of the following is NOT a form of income support?

A) food stamps
B) unemployment insurance
C) Supplemental Security Income
D) Medicare
E) Earned Income Tax Credit

Question 69

Although there is some variation, Medicare is a government-sponsored health care program for:

A) people living below the poverty line.
B) citizens 65 and older.
C) minorities living below the poverty line.
D) all children under the age of 18.
E) citizens 55 and older.

Question 70

Which of the following is NOT an example of a welfare, or income support, program?

A) food stamps
B) unemployment benefits
C) Medicare
D) earned income tax credit
E) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

Question 71

The ________ helps poorer people move from welfare to a working income by providing tax credits to those who cannot afford to pay income taxes.

A) Income Tax Exception Act
B) Earned Income Tax Credit
C) Continual Economic Stimulus Package
D) Tax Relief for Low Income Families Act
E) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

Question 72

Although there is some variation, Medicaid is a government-sponsored health care program for:

A) people living below the poverty line.
B) citizens 65 and older.
C) minorities living below the poverty line.
D) all children under the age of 18.
E) citizens 75 and older.

Question 73

The health care reform signed into law by President Barack Obama includes all of the following EXCEPT:

A) incentives to computerize medical records.
B) coverage for people with preexisting conditions.
C) a single-payer plan.
D) private insurance exchanges.
E) federal subsidies for those who cannot afford insurance.

Question 74

Medicare and Medicaid are administered by state governments as well as by:

A) Congress.
B) the Department of Health and Human Services.
C) the Federal Health Commission.
D) the Treasury Department.
E) the Labor Department.

Question 75

What is the "individual mandate" as it applies to health care?

A) All businesses, regardless of size, must cover their employees.
B) If individuals are not covered by their work, they are required to purchase a personal policy.
C) Courts can require certain individuals to have more expensive policies.
D) Only those who have an individual policy are able to get subsidies.
E) Businesses with 50 or more employees must offer insurance to their workers.

Question 76

During the health care reform debate in 2009, many Democrats supported ________, while many Republicans supported ________.

A) market-based approaches; a single-payer plan
B) a single-payer plan; socialized medicine
C) a single-payer plan; health insurance networks
D) comprehensive coverage; a single-payer plan
E) new regulations on private insurance companies; market-based approaches

Question 77

Generally speaking, Medicare provides insurance for ________, while Medicaid provides insurance for ________.

A) government employees; senior citizens
B) senior citizens; the poor
C) the disabled; government employees
D) the poor; senior citizens
E) senior citizens; government employees

Question 78

What is the likely future of Obamacare?

A) It is likely to be replaced with a different alternative in the near future.
B) It is likely to survive and be strengthened.
C) It is likely to be repealed when a Republican next wins the White House.
D) It will barely survive, covering far fewer people than it does today.
E) It is uncertain and the textbook authors do not have any prediction.

Question 79

Which program provides government-issued coupons that may be used like cash to purchase groceries?

A) Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
B) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
C) Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
D) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
E) GI Bill

Question 80

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provides income support for:

A) spouses.
B) orphans.
C) people who care for elderly parents.
D) those who live at or above the poverty line.
E) the aged, blind, and disabled with limited income.