Deck 15: Politics, Policies, and Programs

Question 1

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)

A) was founded by a high school principal who was forced to retire.
B) has a budget three times that of the National Rifle Association.
C) is affiliated with the most liberal wing of the Democratic party.
D) represents wealthy and middle-class elderly, not poor elders.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following events in the last few decades has contributed to a general political environment that ignores the special needs of elders?

A) fiscally conservative policies in the 1980s
B) upward economic turns in the 1990s
C) the need in 2001 to reevaluate the balance between social programs and national security
D) the economic recession of 2008

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Services offered by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) include all of the following EXCEPT

A) a pension plan
B) an auto club
C) education
D) income tax counseling

Answer 3

A

Question 4

After the Great Depression, senior movements became more visible with cries for "gray power and demonstrations, including sit­ins, sleep­ins, and "Senior Power" buttons in the early

A) 1950s.
B) 1960s.
C) 1970s.
D) 1980s.

Question 5

Age is a major variable affecting the political decisions of old

A) presidential candidates.
B) Congressmen.
C) Supreme Court justices.
D) None of these choices.

Question 6

The premier lobbyist for elder causes in the United States is the

A) American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
B) Gray Panthers
C) National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Welfare
D) National Council on the Aging

Question 7

Approximately percent of Americans over age 50 are registered to vote, compared with an overall national figure of near 75 percent.

A) 60
B) 70
C) 80
D) 90

Question 8

The nation's first elderly uprising took political form as the

A) McClain movement.
B) Ham and Eggs movement.
C) Townsend Plan.
D) Gray Panthers.

Question 9

Analysis of elder voting behavior reveals

A) older women vote more than older men.
B) elders tend not to vote as a bloc on any issue.
C) elders vote more conservatively than younger people.
D) older people are less likely to vote than younger people.

Question 10

The progress of the elderly population in our society depends primarily on the

A) increases in numbers of elderly.
B) condition of the economic system.
C) political environment.
D) proportion of the elderly population to young adults.

Question 11

The youngest national office holders in the U.S. have generally been

A) Presidents.
B) members of Congress.
C) Supreme Court justices.
D) cabinet members and ambassadors.

Question 12

The Great Depression left in the most desperate poverty of any age group.

A) children
B) young adults
C) middle-aged adults
D) the elderly

Question 13

The Townsend Plan was significant because it

A) was a means-tested system to provided the poor with monetary assistance.
B) was the forerunner of Food Stamps.
C) established the Job Corps, which provided training and employment for unemployed adults.
D) provided the model for a later program of old-age assistance.

Question 14

The Social Security Act, which was part of the New Deal legislation,

A) gave pensions to the retired, as advocated by the Townsend Plan.
B) was instituted as a means-tested program to provide welfare benefits for children in poverty.
C) initially was introduced as a means-tested program to provide welfare benefits to poor elderly.
D) paid pensions to elderly out of sums collected from workers.

Question 15

Political activities of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) have involved all of the following EXCEPT

A) influencing Congressional support for the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act.
B) promoting mandatory retirement.
C) improving Social Security benefits.
D) improving pensions.

Question 16

The proposed Townsend Plan was to assist

A) the disabled.
B) individuals 60 and older.
C) individuals with children.
D) individuals 45 and older.

Question 17

Which of the following factors is LEAST important when older voter turnout is low?

A) gender
B) age
C) ethnic minority
D) education

Question 18

The term "gerontocracy" means

A) death to the old.
B) rule by the old.
C) retirement by the old.
D) wealth of the old.

Question 19

The early political movements of EPIC and the Ham and Eggs movement, which advocated ways to help elders, originated in

A) California.
B) New York.
C) Florida.
D) Arizona.

Question 20

Which of the following are subject to mandatory retirement laws?

A) members of Congress
B) Supreme Court justices
C) cabinet members and ambassadors
D) None of these choices

Question 21

The National Council on the Aging

A) specializes in lobbying for Social Security and Medicare benefits.
B) has branches in every state in the United States.
C) is comprised of mostly retired federal employees.
D) is a confederation of social welfare agencies and professionals in the field of aging.

Question 22

Meals on Wheels, which delivers meals to homebound elderly, is funded by the

A) American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
B) National Council of Senior Citizens.
C) Gray Panthers.
D) Older Americans Act (OAA).

Question 23

In the Friendly Visitor Program,

A) elderly volunteers provide companionship and tutoring to disabled children.
B) paid of volunteer workers check on older persons daily by phone.
C) volunteer visitors of all ages are matched with elderly persons on the basis of common interests or location.
D) volunteers of all ages do housekeeping chores and provide simple health care to homebound elderly.

Question 24

The Gray Lobby group forced which presidential administration to abandon the idea of reducing Social Security benefits?

A) Reagan
B) Nixon
C) Clinton
D) George H.W. Bush

Question 25

Which of the following BEST reflects the concern of the "contract between generations" and the consequences of actions made?

A) legal ramifications relating to written agreements between young and old family members
B) whether the younger generation of a family will be willing to provide for their parents when they become elderly
C) whether older generations should be held accountable for the effect of current policies on future generations
D) whether the older generation of a family will provide the resources to enable the younger generation to become established in society

Question 26

Advocates for generational equity argue

A) elders should have the guarantee of a sufficient pension regardless of their earnings during their lifetime.
B) elders should be guaranteed cost-free health care and long-term nursing care.
C) elders have the right to die in dignity by whatever means they choose.
D) due to the unprecedented size of the elderly population, programs that benefit elders will do so at the expense of children's programs.

Question 27

Funding for the Older Americans Act comes up for renewal every years.

A) two
B) four
C) ten
D) fifteen

Question 28

The major portion of funds from the Older Americans Act (OAA) is devoted to all of the following EXCEPT

A) group meals.
B) senior centers.
C) research and education on the aging.
D) transportation programs.

Question 29

Which of the following organizations funds eight special-interest groups, including the National Center on Rural Aging, the National Institute on Adult Day Care, and the National Institute of Senior Housing?

A) American Association for Retired Persons
B) National Council of Senior Citizens
C) National Council on the Aging
D) National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Welfare

Question 30

The Older Americans Act sponsors all of the following EXCEPT

A) the Foster Grandparent program which pairs low-income citizens age 60 or over with disadvantaged children.
B) multipurpose day centers for elders that provide health care, social activities, physical exercise, and rehabilitation.
C) community service work opportunities for unemployed low-income persons age 55 and over.
D) housing counseling on housing options, home equity conversion information, and assistance in locating affordable housing.

Question 31

The Foster Grandparent Program

A) is a volunteer program that recruits highly educated elderly to work with children who are at risk of failing a grade.
B) is an all-volunteer program that recruits highly educated elderly to provide guidance to children living in low income areas.
C) hires low-income elderly to assist children in physical or speech therapy or with their homework.
D) recruits children to read to and provide companionship to homebound elderly of elderly in nursing homes.

Question 32

The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare

A) offers supplementary health insurance to elders.
B) publishes the magazine "Modern Maturity."
C) is concerned with the solvency of the Social Security Trust Funds.
D) lobbies on behalf of older adults benefits and provides monthly online newsletters on Social Security and Medicare.

Question 33

The National Center on Black Aged in Washington, D.C. is the location for all of the following activities to benefit black elderly EXCEPT

A) education.
B) employment.
C) health.
D) housing.

Question 34

The Older Americans Act was created to

A) to form a national network for planning and delivery of services for elders.
B) increase Social Security benefits and fund the nation's Medicare program.
C) send elders to Washington as political watchdog groups.
D) fund board and care homes for elders in poverty

Question 35

Elderhostel, now known as Road Scholar,

A) hires rural people age 55 and over to work in public projects involving landscaping, horticulture, and highway maintenance.
B) focuses on life long learning opportunities for older adults.
C) is an organization of low-cost dormitory-type hotels for elderly people that offer communal cooking and laundry facilities.
D) is a national park program that hires the elderly as guides, educators, and actors in living history dramas.

Question 36

The Gray Panthers

A) oppose the national budget deficit.
B) advocate a national health insurance.
C) defend the rights of gays and lesbians.
D) All of these choices.

Question 37

Which of the following can elders do as activists or advocates for causes of the aged?

A) serve on boards of trustees of community activities
B) join voluntary organizations
C) enter locals politics
D) All of these choices

Question 38

The Gray Panthers

A) is a radical nonviolent movement.
B) limits membership to people age 55 or above.
C) is supported by government grants and membership dues.
D) is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Question 39

Which of the following is LEAST likely to be a reason for the poverty of children in the U.S.?

A) increased costs of medical care for the elderly
B) parents' unemployment
C) parents' underemployment
D) the increasing number of female-headed families

Question 40

The organization whose leadership and membership has come primarily from labor unions is the

A) National Council of Senior Citizens.
B) American Association for Retired Persons.
C) National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Welfare.
D) National Council on the Aging.

Question 41

Explain both sides of the generational equity debate. Where do you stand?

Question 42

Explain how voting patterns of the elderly and the age of elected political officials affect government policies regarding the aged.

Question 43

The "gray lobby" has been effective in thwarting reductions in Social Security benefits by the Clinton administration.

Question 44

The congregate dining program of the OAA requires participates to pay according to their income.

Question 45

Adult Day Centers are a lot like senior centers offering activities for active individuals.

Question 46

The new generation of elderly

A) will lack experience with extended longevity.
B) are unlikely to have made plans to cope with their extended life span.
C) will not have lived in the affluence that characterized their parents.
D) will have different attitudes toward marriage, community, and personal growth.

Question 47

What are the ways in which the elderly can become activists and advocates?

Question 48

Citizens in their 80s are more likely to vote than those in their early 20s.

Question 49

Recent trends in representation of elders in elected and appointed positions suggest the U.S. is moving toward a gerontocracy.

Question 50

The Gray Panthers are against individuals with HIV/AIDS.

Question 51

The Gray Panthers is a politically conservative organization that advocates privatization of Social Security.

Question 52

As life expectancy has increased, U.S. presidents have entered office at increasingly older ages.

Question 53

In the United States, people of similar age groups are more likely to vote alike than people of similar social classes.

Question 54

Social Security is an intergenerational safety net to reduce poverty.

Question 55

The National Caucus and Center on Black Aging primarily focuses on helping local communities serve the needs of African American elderly.

Question 56

Social Security is a bigger tax burden on most households than personal income tax.

Question 57

What was the Townsend movement? Describe the social climate that gave rise to this movement, the policies it promoted, and its significance for the elderly today.

Question 58

Cost sharing of services to the elderly

A) would exempt low-income individuals from having to pay.
B) would reduce the popularity of current programs.
C) is a bigger tax burden on most households than personal income tax.
D) would involve a flat-rate that varies by type of service.

Question 59

The Health Promotion Institute (HPI) is funded by the National Council on Aging.

Question 60

The National Institute of Senior Centers is sponsored by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).

Question 61

Look thirty years ahead and describe what kind of a future you can see for elders in America.

Question 62

Describe the Foster Grandparents Program and who funds it.