Deck 6: Poverty

Question 1

Which of the following trends has caused an increase in the percentage of homeless families in the United States?

A)an increase in the number of industrial jobs that pay a living wage
B)the flight of jobs from the cities where poor people live
C)an increase in the number of children being born to unmarried mothers
D)the need for specialization in the job market

Answer 1

B

Question 2

________ has linked homelessness with the trends in health-care institutions of the United States.

A)The decline in chronicity of mental illness
B)The process of deinstitutionalizing the mentally ill
C)The process of cyclically reimbursing the mentally ill
D)The decline in demand for mental hospital beds

Answer 2

B

Question 3

________ refers to the increase in the rates of unemployment caused by economic changes that are brought about by technological innovation.

A)Absolute deprivation
B)Relative deprivation
C)Structural unemployment
D)Cyclical unemployment

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In relation to social mobility,the stratification system in the United States is characterized by ________.

A)a high degree of occupational inheritance
B)vast differences in the socioeconomic statuses of parents and children
C)a smaller gap between the educational success of the rich and the poor
D)high levels of instability

Question 5

Susan believes that janitors should receive lesser pay than doctors because janitors perform tasks that are less useful.Susan has a________ perspective on poverty.

A)functionalist
B)fundamentalist
C)conflict
D)behavioral

Question 6

Martha,a single parent,finds it difficult to pay for her three children's school tuition with the salary she gets from waitressing.Based on this information,Martha would be considered poor under the ________ definition of poverty.

A)relative
B)absolute
C)cultural
D)comparative

Question 7

Which of the following is true of the relative definition of poverty?

A)It states that poverty can be eliminated only if the government ensures inequitable distribution of resources.
B)It states that poverty in the United States has become less chronic.
C)It identifies the poor as those who are permanently and unwillingly poor.
D)It states that poverty will always exist irrespective of how affluent the society becomes.

Question 8

The functionalist perspective on poverty states that ________.

A)poor people interpret reality in a way that makes it more difficult for them to improve their circumstances
B)some groups are deprived of the opportunity to accumulate the resources they require
C)people who do not perform useful tasks receive fewer rewards
D)some groups choose to be poor,and this results in a permanent lack of resources

Question 9

________ is a situation in which everyone or nearly everyone who wants to work can find a job.

A)Full employment
B)Strategic employment
C)Relative deprivation
D)Social mobility

Question 10

Which of the following is considered a major reason for persistently high poverty among children in the United States?

A)There are more children being born to unmarried mothers.
B)There is an increase in the male death rate.
C)There are more children being born to uneducated parents.
D)There is an increase in the unemployment rate among males.

Question 11

A difference between the functionalist perspective on poverty and the conflict perspective on poverty is that ________.

A)the conflict perspective views poverty as a personal problem rather than a societal one,whereas the functionalist perspective views poverty as a societal problem rather than a personal one
B)the conflict perspective says that inflation can only be reduced by increasing the unemployment rate,whereas the functionalist perspective says that inflation can never be reduced by increasing unemployment rate
C)the conflict perspective says that society is made up of many interrelated and interdependent parts,whereas the functionalist perspective says that society is made up of only a few interrelated and independent parts
D)the conflict perspective says that inequitable distribution of resources has little to do with rewarding talent,whereas the functionalist perspective says that inequitable distribution of resources exists to reward talent

Question 12

Which of the following is a true statement about the cultural definition of poverty?

A)It excludes people who are defined as poor based solely on economic criteria..
B)It identifies the poor as those who are permanently and unwillingly poor.
C)It applies strict economic definitions to explain the ethnic influence of poverty.
D)It states that poverty has become less chronic.

Question 13

Which of the following is a caution about full employment programs?

A)They only create jobs for a specific stratum of society.
B)They create jobs for people who are unable to work.
C)They only create skilled jobs that are unlikely to pull people out of poverty.
D)They create high-paying jobs that will lead to an increase in competition for work.

Question 14

The ________ definition of poverty views poverty not only in terms of how many resources people have but also in terms of why they have failed to achieve a higher economic level.

A)imperial
B)cultural
C)relative
D)absolute

Question 15

Which of the following is true of the absolute definition of poverty?

A)It is based on how much it costs to buy a nutritionally adequate diet.
B)It identifies the poor as those who are permanently and unwillingly poor.
C)It avoids the rigidities of strict economic definitions.
D)It reflects the belief of many that the government should ensure an equitable distribution of resources.

Question 16

The relative definition of poverty states that ________.

A)the poor in the United States are worse off today than they were 55 years ago
B)the poor in the United States are identified as those who are permanently and unwillingly poor
C)poverty has become less chronic
D)poverty has become less dysfunctional

Question 17

Which of the following is a fact that invalidates the culture of poverty thesis?

A)It applies only to a limited number of poor people.
B)It only takes into account the flaws of the societal systems.
C)It applies only to the deserving poor.
D)It does not take into account the character flaws of the poor.

Question 18

Mark believes that his friend Timothy,an African American,is poor because of the cultural orientation of his people.Which of the following sociological perspectives on poverty is shown in the given scenario?

A)functionalist perspective
B)behavioral perspective
C)conflict perspective
D)interactionist perspective

Question 19

Poverty among the elderly in the United States is much higher in figures for ________.

A)Hispanic American elders
B)Asian elders
C)African American men
D)American Indian men

Question 20

According to the functionalist perspective,inflation may be reduced by ________.

A)an increase in employment opportunities
B)increasing the demand for goods
C)increasing the cash flow within the country
D)an increase in unemployment

Question 21

Shane was an assembly line worker at an automobile factory.An accident at the factory left him disabled.Which of the following programs is can help Shane?

A)Job Corps
B)Social Security
C)Supplemental Security Income
D)Head Start

Question 22

Describe a key factor responsible for the poverty of racial and ethnic minorities.

Question 23

A person who feels that poverty programs are ineffective is most likely to agree with the fact that ________.

A)poverty programs are designed by people who are not poor
B)poverty programs target the undeserving poor as well as the deserving poor
C)a majority of the poor are unambitious and irresponsible
D)policy makers and the poor have interests that are very similar

Question 24

Which of the following is a characteristic of job programs such as Work Incentive Program (WIN)and Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA)?

A)They provide every unemployed poor person with a permanent job.
B)They help in the elimination of poverty.
C)They provide on-the-job training and temporary public service jobs.
D)They fail to take unemployed females into consideration.

Question 25

What are income-maintenance programs? Mention the two general categories of income-maintenance programs.

Question 26

The Head Start program is based on the belief that ________.

A)poor people are unambitious and lack initiative
B)people who live in poverty develop a cultural orientation that helps them adapt to their life circumstances
C)the intergenerational cycle of poverty is a myth
D)people fail in life because their access to conventional channels to success is blocked

Question 27

Which of the following is a true statement about social insurance programs?

A)They are exclusively meant to assist the uninsured poor.
B)There is no minimum income to be eligible for these programs.
C)People cannot obtain outside insurance if they are part of a social insurance program.
D)They are specifically started for college students who are temporarily and willingly poor.

Question 28

Why is income from earned work essential for many poor families to support themselves?

Question 29

Describe Herbert J.Gans's suggestions on how poverty can be functional.

Question 30

Which of the following is a difference between the Head Start program and WIN (Work Incentive Program)?

A)Head Start is an indirect long-term approach,whereas WIN provides temporary public service jobs.
B)Head Start provides jobs for the homeless,whereas WIN aims to improve the durability of poor workers.
C)Head Start is a direct short-term approach,whereas WIN is an indirect short-term approach.
D)Head Start provides jobs to retired veterans,whereas WIN increases employee motivation.

Question 31

Describe the reasons for high poverty among children in the United States.

Question 32

Supplemental Security Income is a program that provides ________.

A)supplementary medical insurance in return for a monthly premium
B)unemployment compensation and benefits to workers for on-the-job injuries
C)money to certain categories of poor people with little income and few assets
D)income to retired or disabled workers and their survivors

Question 33

Which of the following is a true statement about Job Corps?

A)It focuses on single or unmarried mothers from poor neighborhoods.
B)It provides jobs to old homeless men and women.
C)It focuses on high school dropouts from poor neighborhoods.
D)It provides retired veterans with on-the-job training.

Question 34

Give a possible devastating consequence of temporary unemployment.

Question 35

Mention the facts that contradict the popular image that many people have of the poor as able-bodied people who are unwilling to work.

Question 36

Ronald,a sociologist,claims that public assistance programs have lost support from the majority of the United States population.Which of the following is the reason behind Ronald's claim?

A)Many individuals have been dropped from public-assistance rolls in the past two decades.
B)Public assistance programs only support people who are defined as the deserving poor.
C)There is frustration over the continuing growth in welfare costs.
D)They are perceived as disproportionately supporting the majority white population.

Question 37

Describe the use of the absolute definition of poverty.

Question 38

How can the relative nature of poverty be taken into account?

Question 39

Explain why social mobility in the United States is mostly short range.

Question 40

Mason believes that a coalition of poor groups and civil rights organizations could be an effective weapon for alleviating poverty.However,Steve,his friend,disagrees with him.Which of the following is the reason for Steve's disagreement?

A)Many of the programs intended to alleviate poverty have been designed by politicians,economists,sociologists,and other experts who are not themselves poor.
B)According to research,majority of the poor people are unthinking,unambitious,irresponsible,and possibly even dangerous social misfits.
C)Such a coalition could create a backlash against the poor and create substantial reductions in public assistance.
D)This coalition could fail since civil rights organizations and poor groups do not have any common goals.