American Government 100Part IV
Patterson, pgs. 510-527, A:AG27-15
Welfare & Educational Policy
True or False Questions
1. Fortunately, welfare policy in the United States has never been a partisan issue since both conservatives and liberals believe that people who cannot care for themselves need to be protected, especially children. True or False
2. Most social welfare expenditures are targeted toward the nation’s neediest citizens.True or False
3. Compared with whites, African Americans and Hispanics are more than twice as likely to live below the poverty line.True or False
4. The great thing about living in the United States is the fact that among the advanced countries in the world, it has the lowest poverty rates. True or False
5.According to Patterson, most of the poor in the U.S. are in this situation as result of circumstance rather than choice. True or False
6. Although Republicans in Congress were opposed to the Social Security Act, the majority favored the passage of Medicare and Medicaid programs. True or False
7. Nearly every major U.S. social insurance and public assistance program was put into place by Democratic presidents and Congresses.True or False
8. Polls indicate that a large majority of Americans oppose current or higher levels of social security benefits for the elderly.True or False
9. There is broad agreement among policymakers that adjustments in the social security program will be necessary in the future because people are living longer with fewer workers to support them. True or False
10. The unemployment program does not have the broad public support that social security enjoys. True or False
11. The federal government spends a lot more on its two major social insurance programs than it does on all public assistance programs for the poor combined. True or False
12. At no time in its history has the Head Start program been funded at a level that would allow all eligible children to participate.True or False
13. The EITC program is now the federal government’s largest means-tested cash assistance program.True or False
14. The federal government spends more on subsidized housing for the poor than it provides to middle-and upper-income Americans that receive a mortgage tax deduction. True or False
15. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the payment mechanisms adopted under the Health Care Reform Act will come close to covering the program’s cost.True or False
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In a 2012 Supreme Court ruling, the decision involving the Health Care Reform Act stipulated that the Medicaid program: a) must be extended to accommodate those living in poverty, b) could be voluntary, states could choose not to accept the federal program for the poor, c) will require individuals to pay a tax to receive the benefit, d) would be limited to only newly arrived immigrants.
2. Refers to government programs that help individuals meet basic needs, including food, clothing, and shelter: a) financial aid, b) social welfare policy, c) public security, d) gradual safety net.
3. In 2014, the government defines poverty for a family of four earning an annual income of less than: a) $15,000, b) $18,000, c) $24,000, d) $27,000
4. About how many children live in poverty in the United States? a) 1 in 3, b) 1 in 5, c) 1 in 7, d) there are so few children in the U.S. living in poverty that it is not worth providing a statistic.
5. Which states have the highest poverty rates in the United States above 18 percent? a) Alabama, California, and Texas, b) Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Mexico, c) Florida, Ohio, and New Jersey, d) Arizona, Georgia, and Oklahoma.
6. Charles Murray in "Losing Ground," argued that members of the underclass: a) are simply victims of the free enterprise system, b) the result of the market that has both positive and negative circumstances that results in fixed unemployment, c) are permanent and prefer to live on welfare, d) need government assistance to alleviate the hardships of poverty.
7. Prior to the federal government assuming some role in social welfare policy, the states were given this responsibility based on the following: a) Ninth Amendment, b) Tenth Amendment, c) Twelfth Amendment, d) Fourteenth Amendment.
8. When the Social Security Act of 1935 was passed, 85 percent of Democrats supported it while: a) 57 percent of Republicans supported it, b) 49 percent of Republicans supported it, c) 59 percent of Republicans opposed it, d) 99 percent of Republicans opposed it.
9. Which of the following receive much broader public support? a) public assistance programs, b) Medicaid, c) social insurance programs, d) food stamps.
10. The annual costs of two programs, social security and Medicare costs the federal government: a) over $350 billion, b) over $800 billion, c) over $1 trillion, d) over $1.7 trillion.
11. Only those individuals who paid special payroll taxes when they were employed are eligible for benefits: a) social insurance programs, b) public assistance programs, c) social welfare programs, d) government subsidized assistance.
12. On average social security recipients receive ______each month: a) $600, b) $1,300, c) $1,700, d) $2,100.
13. What is the current payroll tax on employee and employers? a) 3.5%, b) 4.6%, c) 6.2%, d) 8.9% .
14. What is the reason why most Americans do not provide unemployment benefits broad public support? a) Because they feel that the economy is the primary problem, b) Because of their religious faith, c) Because they feel that the government is the true culprit, d) Because they believe it is a personal failing on the part of the unemployed individual.
15. A ‘means test” refers to: a) the ability to accomplish a goal stipulated by government, b) an evaluation that may cause the participant damage, c) a program that is restricted to financially poor beneficiaries, d) the focus is on education whereby exams are given to competing students.
16. Within five years after the enactment of TANF, how many Americans were dropped from the welfare program? a) 10%, b) 17%, c) 37%, d) 50%.
17. According to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that roughly how many full-time workers, the so-called “working poor,” do not earn enough to lift their family above the poverty line? a) 8%, b) 10%, c) 15%, d) 19%
18. An in-kind benefit is: a) a program that provides cash to purchase a necessity, b) an incentive for behaving properly, c) came from the private sector and not the government, d) a program that does not provide cash but qualified items, mainly foodstuffs.
19. How many poor people in the United States are provided health care benefits under the Medicaid program? a) 12 million, b) 17 million, c) 23 million, d) 40 million.
Fill-in Questions
1. Poverty is a large and persistent problem in America,
a) affecting about one in _____ Americans, including
b) many of the country’s most vulnerable—______,
c) ______-headed families, and
d) and ______-group members.
2. Why are there significant differences in the level poverty that exists from one state to another?
a) States differ considerably in their natural ______,
b) level and type of ______activity,
c) level of ______,
d) number of newer ______, and
e) percentage of ______-group members.
3. Signe-Mary McKernan and Caroline Ratcliffe concluded that most of the poor are:
a) poor only for a ______and
b) then for reasons largely beyond individual ______,
c) such as a ______or desertion by the ______.
4. The 1996 Welfare Reform Act titled Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), stipulated that:
a) Each state is given an annual federal ______grant that it uses to help poor families meet their ______needs
b) and to develop programs that will help the parents find ______.
c) The biggest challenge facing the states has been the creation of ______-___-______programs that are effective enough to qualify people for secure jobs. Revised Completely.
Answers
True or False Questions
1. False
3. True
5. True
7. True
9. True
11. True
13. True
15. True
Multiple Choice Questions
1. b
3. c
5. b
7. b
9. c
11. a
13. c
15. c
17. b
19. d
Fill-in Questions
1. a) eight, b) children, c) female, d) minority
3. a) while, b) control, c) job layoff, father
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