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ch16 1-29
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Questions in this quiz (30)
1The U.S. social welfare system differs markedly from those of Western European democracies, a situation that is attributable in large part to America's
- Acultural emphasis on individualism, and federal system of government.
- Bgreater wealth, and cultural emphasis on charitable acts.
- Cweak party system, and separation of executive and legislative power.
- Degalitarian ethos, and pluralist group system.
- Edependence on foreign oil.
2The poverty line is defined as
- Athe income level below which 10 percent of the American people live.
- Bthree times the annual cost of a thrifty food budget for an urban family of four.
- Cthe annual cost of all goods and services that a person can reasonably be expected to want.
- Dthe percentage of homeless people.
- Ethe income level below which 20 percent of the American people live.
3According to survey data,
- AAmericans prefer money as the primary form of welfare assistance.
- Bmost Americans believe that welfare recipients could get along without assistance if they tried.
- CAmericans prefer government jobs through government programs as the primary form of welfare assistance.
- Dthe vast majority of Americans believe there should be absolutely no government services for the poor of any kind.
- ENone of these answers is correct.
4________ has the highest child poverty rate among the major industrialized nations.
- ASweden
- BNorway
- CFrance
- DGermany
- EThe United States
5The bureaucratic costs of welfare are substantially lower in Europe because most European countries
- Afarm out their welfare programs to the local level, where administration is more efficient.
- Brequire that each individual prove his or her own eligibility.
- Cdo not allow universal eligibility.
- Dhave unitary rather than federal systems.
- Eoffer far fewer welfare benefits than the United States.
6Poverty is a condition that today affects roughly one in ________ Americans.
- Atwo
- Bthree
- Ceight
- Dtwenty
- Efifty
7In his book, Losing Ground, Charles Murray argues that
- Awelfare reform can only be enacted through a new war on poverty.
- Bwelfare programs should be modeled after European models and not kept in their current form.
- Cwelfare programs create a foundation for a permanent underclass of unproductive people.
- Dwelfare programs should be based on the principle of efficiency, not the principle of equity.
- Ewelfare programs should be terminated completely.
8________ was terminated in 1996.
- AThe Food Stamps program
- BMedicaid
- CMedicare
- DSSI
- EAFDC
9The term entitlement refers to a program
- Athat provides indirect payments to individuals, such as funding for public schools.
- Bbenefiting individuals, designed specifically to alleviate the hardships of old age.
- Cthat requires the payment of benefits to any individual who meets the eligibility criteria.
- Dof social welfare for which citizenship is the only criterion of eligibility.
- ENone of these answers is correct.
10The EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) represents a reallocation of income to
- Awealthy individuals.
- Blower-income working individuals.
- Cmiddle-class taxpayers.
- Dcorporations.
- Eall working families.
11Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal represented the concept of ________ government.
- Apositive
- Bnegative
- Claissez-faire
- Dsubnational
- ENone of these answers is correct.
12The defining characteristic of a social insurance program is that
- Aeligibility is restricted to individuals who paid special payroll taxes during their working years.
- Bit is administered jointly by the national government and the states.
- Cit is targeted at those who are most in need of welfare assistance.
- Dit is administered through private insurance companies.
- ENone of these answers is correct.
13The defining characteristic of a social insurance program is that
- Aeligibility is restricted to individuals who paid special payroll taxes during their working years.
- Bit is administered jointly by the national government and the states.
- Cit is targeted at those who are most in need of welfare assistance.
- Dit is administered through private insurance companies.
- ENone of these answers is correct.
14Social insurance programs have high levels of public support because
- Aof their self-financing feature.
- Bthey are based on an equality principle—all citizens are eligible for the benefits and all recipients receive the same level of benefits.
- Ctheir cost is consistently below the spending level for public assistance programs.
- Dof the necessity of increased taxes to fund them.
- ENone of these answers is correct.
15The Social Security benefits that today's retirees receive are funded primarily by
- Atax contributions they made in the past, which were put in a trust fund from which current payments are made.
- Bpayroll taxes on people who are currently working.
- Cequal contributions from the national and state governments.
- Dborrowed funds, which contribute to the national debt.
- ENone of these answers is correct.
16The term means test refers to
- Athe tax on a portion of the Social Security benefits of upper-income retirees.
- Bwhether an applicant's income is low enough to qualify for public assistance.
- Cthe mandatory physical examination that Medicare and Medicaid applicants must undergo before they can receive benefits.
- Dthe mandatory psychological examination that Medicare and Medicaid applicants must undergo before they can receive benefits.
- ENone of these answers is correct.
17The child poverty rate in the United States is about
- A12 percent.
- B20 percent.
- C38 percent.
- D6 percent.
- E40 percent.
18The Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program was unpopular in part because of
- Aits public perception of welfare dependency and irresponsibility
- Black of public concern for child welfare.
- Cpublic opposition to locally administered welfare programs.
- Dpublic opposition to welfare programs for the needy.
- ENone of these answers is correct.
19The Food Stamps program is
- Acriticized because some believe it allows undeserving people to get aid.
- Bcriticized because some think it stigmatizes its users by identifying them publicly as welfare cases.
- Can in-kind benefit.
- Dcriticized because some think it is too costly.
- EAll these answers are correct.
20Which of the following statements is NOT true about Medicaid?
- AIt is a public assistance program.
- BIt is funded by general tax revenues.
- CIt serves all Americans who cannot afford health insurance.
- DIt is controversial due to its cost.
- EIt is funded by both the federal government and the states.
21Which of the following is true of social security and Medicare?
- AEligibility requirements make sure that all social security beneficiaries have an absolute economic need for the benefit.
- BSpending on Medicare and social security exceeds the total of all spending of public assistance programs.
- CMost retirees receive less in social security benefits than they contributed in payroll taxes while working.
- DSocial security income is decided as follows: the lower your income while working, the larger your social security benefit upon retirement.
- EFamilies in the top fifth of the income population receive more in social security and Medicare benefits than the government spends in total on TANF, SSI, food stamps, and housing subsidies for the poor.
22The best predictor of how well schools perform on standardized tests is the
- Asalary levels of the teachers.
- Bpopulation density of the community.
- Clevel of local school board control over policy.
- Dcommunity's wealth.
- Epercentage of private to public schools in the community.
23More than 90 percent of the funding for K-12 public education comes from
- Athe federal government.
- Bthe state governments.
- Clocal governments.
- Dstate and local governments.
- Eprivate sources.
24Which of the following statements is true concerning American public opinion on school vouchers?
- AAmericans are divided in their opinions on school vouchers.
- BAmericans strongly support school vouchers.
- CAmericans strongly oppose school vouchers.
- DMost Americans have never heard of school vouchers.
- EAmericans favor higher taxes to pay for vouchers.
25In ________, Congress added a prescription drug benefit to Medicare.
- A1967
- B1978
- C1986
- D1994
- E2006
26Which of the following is true of the federal government's role in education?
- AThe federal government provides roughly 25% of total school funding throughout the country.
- BThe federal government provides roughly 70% of total school funding throughout the country.
- CThe federal government's role in education was relatively small before the 1960s.
- DThe 1964 Higher Education Act devolved a lot of education policy back to the states.
- EPell grants remain the states' largest source of financial control over school policies.
27________ was called "the great leveler" when it began in the early nineteenth century.
- ASocial welfare
- BPublic education
- CThe federal government
- DThe Internal Revenue Service
- ESocial security
28A U.S. Bureau of Labor study revealed that about six out of seven workers who lost their job did so because
- Athey were fired.
- Bof either a temporary layoff or the permanent elimination of a job position.
- Cthey are undereducated for the work they are doing.
- Dthey wanted to be out of work in order to collect unemployment benefits.
- EAll these answers are correct.
29Welfare policy in the United States
- Ais often an issue that divides the two political parties.
- Bis based entirely on the principle of need.
- Cis entirely a federal issue.
- Dis entirely a state issue.
- Ehas changed very little during the nation's history.
30Which of the following is NOT a guideline within which the TANF program must operate?
- AStates have no discretion in their handling of welfare cases.
- BEligibility for cash assistance is limited to no more than five years in a lifetime.
- CWithin two years, the heads of most families on welfare have to find work or risk the loss of benefits.
- DUnmarried teenage mothers qualify for welfare benefits only if they remain in school and live with a parent or legal guardian.
- ESingle mothers will lose a portion of their benefits if they refuse to cooperate in identifying the father of their children.
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- Quiz on ch16 1-29, created by c2c0b5e2 on 23/07/2014.
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