Deck 12: Urban Problems in the Global Era

Question 1

The text points out that the future of disadvantaged workers in our society is determined by three factors. Which of the following it NOT one of these factors?

A) the replaceability of these workers
B) the value these workers add to a product or service
C) the political climate of America
D) the value of these workers' services to the global economy

Answer 1

C

Question 2

__________ refers to the upward and downward movement of individuals and groups within our social stratification system.

A) Social mobility
B) Social stratification
C) Socioeconomic status
D) Occupational change

Answer 2

A

Question 3

From 1967 to 2001, the buying power of the average American household

A) rose 31.6 percent.
B) rose 13.6 percent.
C) did not change.
D) declined 31.6 percent.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

During the 1980s, so-called "trickle-down economics" was supposed to fuel economic growth. George Bush (senior…..not W.) referred to this concept as __________ economics.

A) alternative
B) voodoo
C) absurd
D) comical

Question 5

In the 1980s, cities in the South and West prospered because of their lower labor costs, available land, huge federal subsidies, benign climate, and access to cheap oil, gas, and other resources. This region became known as the

A) Rustbelt.
B) Metropolitan Corridor.
C) Sunbelt.
D) Global Zone.

Question 6

During the 1980s, conditions were so bad in Northern and Midwestern cities like Chicago, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, and Buffalo, this area became known as the

A) Falling Midwest.
B) Disadvantaged Zone.
C) Sunbelt.
D) Rustbelt.

Question 7

According to the text, during the 1990s,

A) increases in median income were twice as large in the suburbs as in the cities.
B) the poverty rate was twice as high in the cities in comparison with the suburbs.
C) unemployment was nearly 40 percent higher in the cities than in the suburbs.
D) all of the above

Question 8

In 2001, the poverty threshold for a family of four with two dependent children was

A) $4,269.
B) $14,269
C) $16,269.
D) $18,269.

Question 9

At the time of Census 2000, the unemployment rate was __________ percent.

A) 3.9
B) 5.9
C) 7.9
D) 8.9

Question 10

In his test of William Julius Wilson's major hypotheses on the reason for the plight of the underclass, Paul Jargowsky found

A) support for the hypothesis on deindustrialization.
B) support for the hypothesis that racial segregation is a key determinant of black poverty.
C) support for the hypothesis on industrial deconcentration.
D) all of the above

Question 11

By the 1940s, a two-tiered welfare system had emerged in the United States, consisting of __________ and __________ programs.

A) basic/advanced
B) fundamental/complex
C) primary/secondary
D) entitlement/needs-based

Question 12

In the professional literature, a variety of criteria were used in attempting to define homelessness. Which of the following is NOT one of those criteria?

A) transience
B) psychological marginality
C) ecology
D) frequency

Question 13

The 2003 HUD report shows that __________ percent of homeless service users in the United States are members of homeless families.

A) 4
B) 14
C) 24
D) 34

Question 14

According to a recent Urban Institute report, which of the following is/are (a) structural factor(s) responsible for the growth of the homeless?

A) Changing housing markets for extremely low-income families and single adults are pricing more and more people with below-poverty incomes out of the market.
B) Dwindling employment opportunities for people with a high school education or less are contributing to the widening gap between rich and poor.
C) Racial, ethnic, and class discrimination in housing, along with local zoning restrictions that exclude affordable housing alternatives, persists in many areas.
D) all of the above

Question 15

In the final analysis, homelessness results from

A) psychological inadequacy.
B) powerlessness.
C) apathy.
D) both a and c above

Question 16

The 1990s was a decade of unprecedented economic growth for the U.S. economy, but inequality widened during this period of time.

Question 17

The definition of poverty is arbitrary.

Question 18

Homelessness is a new phenomenon.

Question 19

The decline in the crime rate has been accompanied by a decline in fear among the public.

Question 20

Sociologists have known for decades that crime is not evenly distributed across the urban landscape.

Question 21

Explain the relationship between social inequality and the internal structure of cities.

Question 22

In testing William Julius Wilson's hypotheses on the reason for the plight of the underclass, what did Paul Jargowsky's research reveal?

Question 23

Based on the text's discussion, trace the history of the homeless in American society.