Deck 17: Politics and Social Welfare

Question 1

What are direct payments by governments to individuals as part of a social welfare program (not as a result of any service or contribution rendered by the individual)?

A)means-tested spending
B)poverty line avoidance
C)transfer payments
D)entitlement spending

Answer 1

C

Question 2

How many people in the United States are estimated to have incomes below the official poverty line?

A)5-10 million
B)25-30 million
C)45-50 million
D)75-80 million

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Food stamps generally fall within which policy area?

A)education
B)criminal justice
C)welfare
D)health care

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In the Social Security system,what is the name for the number of recipients as a percentage of the number of contributing workers?

A)dependency ratio
B)COLAs
C)welfare reform
D)generational compact

Question 5

The Social Security program was adopted during what event or period?

A)the Vietnam War
B)Watergate
C)the Reagan administration
D)the Great Depression

Question 6

The Earned Income Tax Credit does which of the following?

A)assists the working poor by providing a larger refund than taxpayers paid in during the previous year
B)provides additional deductions for investment income
C)increases the tax rate for investment income
D)exempts income from home sales

Question 7

Individuals that remain on welfare for more than five years are known as being what?

A)in persistent poverty
B)in temporary poverty
C)street people
D)truly disadvantaged

Question 8

Which of the following is a means-tested program?

A)Social Security
B)No Child Left Behind
C)Medicare
D)Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

Question 9

Which of the following pieces of legislation is most likely to ensure that poor people have health insurance?

A)the Affordable Care Act,colloquially known as Obamacare
B)the Social Security Act
C)Medicare
D)Medicaid

Question 10

What governmental program is composed of the Old Age and Survivors Insurance program and the Disability Insurance program?

A)Social Security
B)unemployment compensation
C)Supplemental Security Income
D)Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

Question 11

The largest percentage of entitlement spending is directed where?

A)Medicare
B)federal retirement
C)Social Security
D)Medicaid

Question 12

What has happened to the poverty rate in the United States since the 1970s?

A)It has steeply declined.
B)It has trended downward.
C)It has steeply increased.
D)It has trended upward.

Question 13

The Affordable Care Act,colloquially known as Obamacare,deals primarily with what policy area?

A)education
B)health care
C)welfare
D)economics

Question 14

What is the public assistance program that provides health care to the poor?

A)Medicare
B)Medicaid
C)Food Stamp program
D)Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

Question 15

Social Security is aimed at what group of people?

A)children
B)business owners
C)seniors
D)the poor

Question 16

Which of the following is true of the Affordable Care Act,colloquially known as Obamacare?

A)It involves a national takeover of health care.
B)It provides universal coverage to all Americans.
C)It provides universal coverage to all U.S.residents.
D)It requires Americans who are not covered to buy health insurance or pay a penalty.

Question 17

The Great Society is associated with which president?

A)John F.Kennedy
B)Lyndon B.Johnson
C)Ronald Reagan
D)George W.Bush

Question 18

The text uses the term dependency ratio to evaluate which of the following?

A)the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
B)the New Deal
C)Social Security
D)the Earned Income Tax Credit

Question 19

Which of the following best reflects the Republican view regarding national involvement in ensuring health care coverage?

A)Republicans have called for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act,colloquially known as Obamacare.
B)Republicans have called for improvements to the Affordable Care Act,colloquially known as Obamacare.
C)Republicans intend to replace the Affordable Care Act,colloquially known as Obamacare,with a single-payer system.
D)Republicans have avoided taking a position on health care.

Question 20

What is the name for benefits of social welfare programs for which individuals are eligible by law?

A)social insurance
B)public assistance
C)entitlements
D)social assistance

Question 21

According to the text,where does the United States rank in infant mortality rates when compared to other advanced democracies?

A)most infant deaths per births
B)second highest,behind Greece
C)fourth highest,behind Italy
D)tenth highest,behind Spain

Question 22

According to the text,what percentage of the U.S.population was not covered by insurance prior to the Affordable Care Act?

A)15
B)18
C)25
D)34

Question 23

Which of the following is true in the United States of how government handles ensuring health care to the poor and the elderly?

A)Medicare provides health care to the poor and Medicaid provides health care to the elderly.
B)Medicare provides health care to the elderly and Medicaid provides health care to the poor.
C)Medicare and Medicaid provide health care to all Americans regardless of wealth or age.
D)Medicare replaced Medicaid in order to provide health care to poor people as well as the elderly.

Question 24

According to the "Who's Getting What? Who Are the Poor?" feature box,which group has the highest percentage living below the poverty line?

A)Whites
B)African Americans
C)female heads of households
D)those under age 18

Question 25

According to the text,what do most U.S.citizens believe contributes to the causes of poverty?

A)moral values
B)increase in single parents
C)drug abuse
D)poor public schools

Question 26

Which program is primarily designed to keep the elderly out of poverty?

A)Food Stamps
B)Social Security
C)Medicaid
D)Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

Question 27

According to the text,what percentage of the U.S.population does the government's Medicare,Medicaid,and other government programs cover,combined?

A)13
B)14
C)15
D)27

Question 28

Which of the following is true of Social Security over time?

A)Both the number of recipients of Social Security and the number of contributing workers per recipient have increased.
B)Recipients of Social Security have increased and the number of contributing workers per recipient has declined.
C)Recipients of Social Security have decreased and the number of contributing workers per recipient has increased.
D)Both the number of recipients of Social Security and the number of contributing workers per recipient have decreased.

Question 29

Which of the following best explains why senior citizens are politically powerful in the United States?

A)People over age 65 are more likely have postgraduate degrees than any other group.
B)People over age 65 are rarely below the poverty line.
C)People over age 65 are frequently former politicians
D)People over age 65 have a high turnout rate in elections.

Question 30

Obamacare has no provisions concerning tort reform.Tort reform refers to managing the litigation of what?

A)insurance co-payments
B)medical malpractice
C)birth control
D)retirement benefits

Question 31

Under Obamacare,the requirement that every American purchase health insurance or face a tax penalty is known as what?

A)Medicare
B)Medicaid
C)SCHIP
D)individual mandate

Question 32

In 1970,only 11 percent of births were to unmarried women; by 2011,this figure had increased to what percentage of all births?

A)18
B)23
C)34
D)41

Question 33

On which of these are Social Security's COLA increases based?

A)inflation
B)deflation
C)Consumer Price Index
D)GDP

Question 34

If an individual receives government benefits due to his or her level of income,they are considered to be what?

A)transfer payments
B)a pension
C)means-tested spending
D)redistributed income

Question 35

According to the text and the feature box "Who's Getting What? Who Are the Poor?" which of the following household characteristics has a higher frequency of poverty and welfare dependency?

A)male-headed households with no wife present
B)female-headed households with no husband present
C)households headed by both a husband and a wife
D)same-sex households

Question 36

Which of the following is most accurate regarding the future of Social Security?

A)Social Security will likely need adjustments to meet future demands.
B)Social Security is expected to run out of money by 2014.
C)Social Security is expected to be financially stable for the next 50 years.
D)Social Security is expected to be financially stable for the next 100 years.

Question 37

Out of the 13 advanced democracies examined in the text,where does the United States rank in terms of life expectancy? Use the figures included in the "Compared to What?" feature box to answer this question.

A)1st
B)2nd
C)9th
D)12th

Question 38

According to the text,which advanced democracy spends the highest percentage of GDP on health care?

A)France
B)Canada
C)United States
D)Japan

Question 39

Under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare),employers with 50 or more workers are obliged to provide health insurance to their employees,and companies that fail to do so will face substantial fines.What is the name for this aspect of the law?

A)individual mandate
B)employer mandate
C)public option
D)Medicaid expansion

Question 40

Which of these is the most politically powerful age group in the population-a group that,because of high voter turnout,constitutes more than one-third of the voters on Election Day?

A)18-21
B)teens
C)22-28
D)senior citizens

Question 41

Which of the following statements helps to explain why politicians and other governmental officials routinely attempt to address the future of Social Security?

A)Outlays have increased dramatically since the program began.
B)Outlays have decreased dramatically since the program began.
C)Fewer people now receive Social Security benefits than at any time in history.
D)The number of people receiving Social Security has remained constant.

Question 42

Which of the following provides evidence for why universal health care has not been adopted in the United States?

A)Liberals want insurance provided by private companies only.
B)Conservatives oppose what they consider socialized medicine.
C)Nearly all Americans currently have health insurance.
D)Many Americans currently lack health insurance.

Question 43

Which of the following statements plausibly explains why Social Security is a prominent issue in many elections?

A)Young people are likely to follow politics and are likely to vote.
B)Young people are likely to follow politics,but they are unlikely to vote.
C)Seniors are likely to follow politics and are likely to vote.
D)Seniors are likely to follow politics,but they are unlikely to vote.

Question 44

Under which of the following conditions would increasing the age at which people become eligible for Medicare make sense?

A)if life expectancy decreases
B)if life expectancy increases
C)if Medicaid expands to include a greater number of people
D)if the Affordable Care Act,colloquially known as Obamacare,is repealed

Question 45

Which of the following could be seen as evidence in support of the passage of the Affordable Care Act,colloquially known as Obamacare?

A)Private insurance companies are adequate to provide health care coverage to nearly all Americans.
B)Uninsured Americans have access to health care because hospitals are required to treat patients with life-threatening conditions.
C)Health care costs rose substantially over the past few decades,and now appear to have stabilized.
D)Health care costs have remained stable over the past few decades.

Question 46

Based on Figure 17.2,which non-means-tested social welfare program in the United States takes up the largest share of the federal budget?

A)Food Stamps
B)Social Security
C)Medicare
D)Medicaid

Question 47

Which of the following is necessary information to determine eligibility for a means-tested program?

A)the number of years a person has worked before retirement
B)the number of years a person has been on Social Security
C)the number of years a person has been in the military
D)the income level of the person in question

Question 48

A comparison of health care costs in the United States with those of other industrialized nations would reveal what?

A)that the United States has lower health care costs because its people are healthier
B)that other industrialized nations have lower health care costs
C)that other industrialized nations have higher health care costs because their people are less healthy
D)that health care costs are less influenced by private insurance in the United States than in other industrialized nations

Question 49

Which of the following explains why some people have suggested raising the eligibility age for Social Security?

A)Social Security has had a surplus for the past decade.
B)Social Security benefits have been cut in recent years.
C)Social Security may not be sustainable without cutting benefits.
D)Social Security may not be sustainable given the current number of children in the program.

Question 50

Which of the following,if true,limits the argument that government is the cause of poverty?

A)Programs such as Medicaid and food stamps discourage people from working.
B)Cash payments limit people from wanting to accept low-paying jobs.
C)Government job-training programs have helped some people get off of welfare and into jobs.
D)Many people prefer to stay on welfare because they do not want to work.

Question 51

A senior citizen who is deemed to have a disability due to alcohol or drug addiction would qualify for monetary benefits through which federal program?

A)SSI
B)TANF
C)SNAP
D)EITC

Question 52

Which of the following best explains the reason for continued public support for Social Security?

A)Social Security provides funds to only those people whose income falls below a certain level when they retire.
B)Social Security provides funds to retirees who paid in to the system,and it serves as a safety net to reduce poverty among seniors.
C)Social Security provides options for seniors to invest in private markets to supplement retirement income.
D)Social Security provides health care coverage to all seniors when they retire.

Question 53

When considering laying employees off,what aspect of the recent health care reform law would smaller-sized companies and employers be considering when large companies would not be?

A)individual mandate
B)employer mandate
C)Medicaid expansion
D)health insurance exchanges

Question 54

In the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,every American is required to purchase health insurance or face a tax penalty of up to 2.5 percent of his or her household income.What is the name for this provision?

A)individual mandate
B)employer mandate
C)public option
D)Medicaid expansion

Question 55

Entitlement programs are designed to do which of the following?

A)get the poor out of poverty
B)help ensure equality in public school funding
C)help provide income to low-earning households
D)provide benefits to all qualifying individuals

Question 56

If all citizens who are 65 years and older are eligible for Medicare,but only some citizens are eligible for Medicaid because they lack certain resources,which of the following is also true?

A)Both Medicare and Medicaid are principally retirement programs.
B)Both Medicare and Medicaid are means-tested programs.
C)Medicare is an entitlement program,but Medicaid is a means-tested program.
D)Medicare is a means-tested program,but Medicaid is an entitlement program.

Question 57

Means-tested social welfare entitlement programs make up approximately what percentage of the federal budget?

A)less than 10 percent
B)less than one-third
C)more than half
D)more than 65 percent

Question 58

Which of the following explains the welfare state in America?

A)The American political culture favors an extensive welfare state.
B)The American political culture opposes an extensive welfare state.
C)Few Americans are in poverty,so welfare would not benefit many people.
D)Most politicians favor welfare expansion,but their constituents do not.

Question 59

Which of the following statements limits the argument that welfare recipients are indefinitely dependent on welfare?

A)Aid to Families with Dependent Children has been strengthened in some states but weakened in other states.
B)Social Security is a means-tested program.
C)Supplemental Security Income is now entirely run by the states.
D)Temporary Assistance to Needy Families has a two-year limit on benefits with a lifetime limit of five years.

Question 60

What do Medicare,Medicaid,and Social Security have in common?

A)They are all health care programs.
B)They are all designed to help keep or get people out of poverty.
C)They all provide financial assistance only to senior citizens.
D)They all provide food stamps to people in poverty.

Question 61

President Obama's idea of a public option,which was removed from the legislation,was __________.

A)"socialized" medicine
B)a corporate-run,for-profit health insurance marketplace
C)a single,national health insurance system
D)a government-run,nonprofit health insurance agency that would compete with private insurers

Question 62

The Affordable Care Act requires that Americans purchase health insurance.

Question 63

People __________ has put a strain on the Social Security system.

A)tending to be underweight
B)working later in life
C)tending to be obese
D)living longer

Question 64

One reason for the shift in the dependency ratio is the aging population in America.

Question 65

What are those social welfare programs for which no contributions are required and only those defined as low-income are eligible? These programs include food stamps,Medicaid,and Family Assistance.

A)public assistance
B)non-means-tested
C)arbitrary
D)social insurance

Question 66

According to the "Compared to What?" feature box,people in which advanced democracy have the longest life expectancy?

A)Belgium
B)Italy
C)Japan
D)the United States

Question 67

Contributors to health care costs in the United States are an aging population and __________.

A)individual mandates
B)employer mandates
C)chronic disease
D)the number of births

Question 68

Social Security is a(an)__________ program because it provides benefits to all qualifying individuals.

A)arbitrary
B)discretionary
C)entitlement
D)in-kind

Question 69

The _________ are the major beneficiaries of the nation's social welfare system.

A)poor
B)middle class
C)upper class
D)elderly

Question 70

___________ programs are welfare programs like Temporary Assistance to Needy Families that provide assistance to those who lack financial resources.

A)Arbitrary
B)Non-means-tested
C)Entitlement
D)Means-tested

Question 71

President Lyndon Johnson avoided addressing problems of poverty.

Question 72

According to Figure 17.2,of the entire federal government's budgetary spending,the largest portion of non-means-tested entitlements goes to __________.

A)interest
B)Social Security
C)Medicare
D)Medicaid

Question 73

The Affordable Care Act authorizes __________ to determine who is not in compliance and to levy fines.

A)the Social Security Administration
B)the IRS
C)the Treasury Department
D)an employer

Question 74

Critics of the Affordable Care Act fear that __________.

A)physicians' fees will be exorbitant
B)the influx of more patients will lead to the "rationing" of care
C)fewer people will be served by the nation's health care system
D)physicians will only accept government-subsidized patients

Question 75

Which program/legislation is designed to ensure that the poor have access to health care?

A)Medicare
B)Affordable Care Act
C)Medicaid
D)TANF

Question 76

Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)was replaced with __________.

A)Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
B)Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
C)Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
D)Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Question 77

The poverty line is based on what is perceived to be a decent standard of living.

Question 78

The United States has the lowest infant death rate of any advanced democracy.

Question 79

Two solutions for dealing with Social Security sustainability are raising the retirement age and __________.

A)limiting who gets benefits
B)increasing benefit levels
C)requiring seniors to petition for benefits
D)reducing benefit levels

Question 80

The Republican-sponsored Welfare Reform Act that was passed by Congress in 1996 was initially ___________ by President Clinton.

A)sponsored
B)written
C)vetoed
D)fought for