Deck 4: Why Are There so Many Poor People Poverty and Inequality

Question 1

Historian James Truslow Adams once described America as a land in which life should be better for everyone, with opportunities for people according to their ability, and where people can prosper regardless of where they start out or what obstacles they face. A problem with this belief is

A) too many people achieve this American Dream and therefore our goals are watered down.
B) most Americans would like to see everyone succeed regardless of ability or hard work.
C) it reinforces the idea that everyone has the same chance to get ahead and that success depends on the person.
D) it makes life seem harder in America than reality.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

These are the opportunities one has for education, networks, and career based on where and to whom one is born.

A) Life chances
B) Social stratifications
C) Classes
D) Social mobilities

Answer 2

A

Question 3

How often do rags-to-riches events occur?

A) 8% of the time
B) 15% of the time
C) 1 per 150
D) 24 per 150

Answer 3

A

Question 4

What are Horatio Alger stories?

A) Memoirs of Horatio Alger and his travels through the U.S., observing how people define the American Dream.
B) Horatio Alger was a 20^th-century writer of fiction about NYC youth. Typically the main character, a young man who was destitute and orphaned, was nevertheless resourceful and of good character. Ultimately the boy is rewarded for his efforts and uses that opportunity as a springboard to a better life.
C) Fables by Horatio Alger about poor people with bad values which served to stigmatize the poor in 20^th-century American cities.
D) Journalist Horatio Alger investigated and reported on rags-to-riches stories among NYC immigrants who came to the U.S. to pursue the American Dream.

Question 5

While the idea of a person doing better economically than their parents is expected, in reality, these trends have not occurred. It is becoming _____ for people to surpass their parents in terms of wealth and achieving some version of the American Dream.

A) a little bit easier
B) much easier
C) slightly more difficult
D) increasingly more difficult

Question 6

This term refers to the ranking of people into different groups based on criteria such as occupation, income, or social class.

A) Social networks
B) Social stratification
C) Segregation
D) Economic determinism

Question 7

Marx argued that the distinction between people in a social hierarchy was based on _____. This was part of Marx's concept of _____

A) ownership of the means of production ; economic determinism.
B) class ; social capital.
C) income level ; economic determinism.
D) ownership of the means of production ; social capital.

Question 8

Weber felt that while Marx was correct in that economic wealth plays an important role in a person's place in the stratification system, it is not the only factor. In addition to wealth, _____ are critical components of stratification as well.

A) living standards and class position at birth
B) talent and popularity
C) power and prestige
D) gender and race

Question 9

Income is one indicator of class. The measure of socioeconomic status also includes

A) education level and occupational prestige.
B) gender and race.
C) wealth and expected inheritance.
D) merit and skill.

Question 10

Social mobility involves

A) the segmenting of people into different groups based on some set of criteria.
B) an individual's ability to adapt and transition to different occupations.
C) level of immigration to and from a country.
D) the movement of people from one social class to another.

Question 11

Despite the promise that anyone can become rich and successful in the U.S., the realities are that they typically do not. As reported in a 2017 United Nations report, in 1982 the top 1% of adults earned about _____ times more than the bottom 50% of adults. Today, the top 1% earns _____ times more than the bottom 50%.

A) 5 ; 24
B) 12 ; 45
C) 18 ; 56
D) 27 ; 81

Question 12

Structural factors contributing to poverty include

A) low talent and low social prestige.
B) low wages, costs of healthcare and childcare, outsourcing of jobs.
C) lack of discipline, initiative, or willingness to sacrifice to get ahead.
D) criminal background and parents' education level.

Question 13

Poverty in its most extreme form, where people do not have enough food to eat, clothes to wear, or access to the most basic health and education services, is called

A) 3^rd world country poverty.
B) developing world poverty.
C) relative poverty.
D) absolute poverty.

Question 14

Relative poverty is defined by

A) the lowest standard of living compared on a global scale.
B) access to basic necessities as compared to or in reference to a common standard of living.
C) the amount of money spent on food in a monthly budget.
D) the inability to pay off monthly bills.

Question 15

In terms of implementation, what differentiates US social programs from a universal basic income (UBI) approach?

A) UBI is more holistic and simpler to implement. Unlike specific programs in the U.S. for different needs such as health care, nutrition, or housing), the notion of a basic income for everyone resolves many of those issues in one step.
B) UBI programs are socialist and the U.S. has a democracy.
C) Nothing is privatized in a universal basic income context, whereas even social programs in the U.S. can have for-profit components.
D) US social programs are more streamlined, less complex, and efficient than a UBI system would be.

Question 16

In terms of cultural values, what differentiates US social programs from a universal basic income (UBI) approach?

A) Places that value UBI do not have capitalism.
B) The U.S. does not allow for or value any "entitlements" to any resources in any of its programs.
C) One value of UBI is that everyone is given money; however, in the U.S., having a job is not only an identity marker, it is a requirement for full participation in society.
D) UBI societies do not value hard work or innovation.

Question 17

In what ways does the US federal poverty level adjust?

A) It fluctuates with people's employment status.
B) It considers the number of people in the household and for changes in the cost of food.
C) It changes every year depending on inflation.
D) It factors in average rent and health care costs.

Question 18

What do critics of the US poverty measure say?

A) It fails to account for regional differences in cost of living.
B) Health care and housing costs have increased substantially since the measure of was adopted.
C) The poverty line is actually much lower than what is actually considered to be poor in America.
D) All of the above

Question 19

In 2019, the poverty threshold was $25,750 for a

A) retired person, not counting Social Security income.
B) single adult and 1 child.
C) family of 4.
D) single adult.

Question 20

In the United States, approximately _____ of children live in poverty.

A) 21%
B) one-quarter
C) 12%
D) half

Question 21

Typically in the U.S, if an individual trying to support a family works full-time at a minimum wage job, those earnings

A) would disqualify that person from eligibility for public benefits.
B) still result in an income threshold below the poverty line.
C) would not be taxed, and therefore would remain above the poverty line.
D) amount to about double the poverty line.

Question 22

During the past forty years, the percentage of people living in poverty has never

A) been consistent-some years there are spikes and other years huge dips.
B) increased above 10%.
C) changed.
D) dropped below 10%.

Question 23

What expenses are NOT included in a basic budget for a household with one full-time minimum wage worker (which shows that all basic expenses are not affordable at the minimum wage)?

A) Housing, utilities, transportation, food
B) Health insurance, time off work, any recreational activities, or gifts
C) Number of children in a household, childcare
D) All of the above

Question 24

Unlike other industrial nations, the U.S.

A) has not experienced as many negative consequences of childhood poverty.
B) has a low percentage of children experiencing poverty.
C) provides low-income mothers far less assistance such as quality childcare.
D) provides low-income mothers far more assistance such as quality childcare.

Question 25

What life event is most commonly associated with US homelessness?

A) Mental illness
B) Substance abuse
C) Domestic violence
D) Loss of a job

Question 26

This group comprises the majority of the US homeless population.

A) Veterans
B) Elderly
C) Single adults
D) Families with children

Question 27

What factor related to homelessness disproportionately impacts single women with children?

A) Domestic violence
B) Substance abuse
C) Unemployment
D) Death of a loved one

Question 28

In addition to PTSD, one explanation for veterans' homelessness could be

A) lack of employable skills gained in the military.
B) military service prevented homelessness during one's service, but past experiences with chronic poverty returned after leaving the military.
C) lack of respect for US veterans in American society.
D) higher rates of substance abuse and criminality in the veteran population.

Question 29

In 2016, about 500,000 people in families made use of shelters and transitional housing programs; of that number

A) almost 2/3 were children.
B) most adults were married couples.
C) less than 5% were employed.
D) 2/3 had been in these programs for 11 months or more.

Question 30

What is generally distinct about the chronically homeless?

A) They have experienced homelessness over their entire lifetime.
B) These people prefer to remain "off the grid."
C) They have serious emotional and/or physical disabilities.
D) These people refuse help repeatedly.

Question 31

In addition to being more likely to experience emotional issues and school problems, homeless children are also at greater risk of

A) serious health problems.
B) being separated from their families.
C) both A and B.
D) None of the above

Question 32

Structural functionalism focuses on

A) maximizing public good through prevention of mistreatment and inequalities.
B) unequal distribution of power and access to resources in a society.
C) the social order where, as a result of consensus, the elements of society work synergistically to contribute to its overall growth and survival.
D) micro-level interactions between people and ways that social location influences perception.

Question 33

One limitation of the functionalist approach to poverty and inequality is

A) it does not consider the different kinds of work needed in a society and how to adequately motivate and compensate that necessary work.
B) it does not help to explain the system of stratification as it relates to the overall functioning of society.
C) it focuses entirely on micro-level interaction and misses larger structures and systems.
D) it fails to explain structural inequalities and disparities in the system that are not merit-based.

Question 34

Which theory asserts that poverty stems from the fact that workers are underpaid, undervalued, and do not share equally in the profits that come from selling commodities on the market?

A) Conflict theory
B) Postmodernism
C) Symbolic interactionism
D) Functionalism

Question 35

Karl Marx critiqued capitalism because

A) he thought that capitalism brought out too much competition among groups in society and people would get along better if they equally shared resources.
B) those who own the means of production will reap the profit from the selling of commodities on the marketplace, while at the same time trying to reduce the costs of production by paying workers as little as possible. Such a situation means that there will inevitably be a large divide between the haves and the have-nots.
C) in his view, the US government would never be legitimate enough to adequately regulate the economy enough to protect blue-collar workers.
D) over-consumption and materialism drive people into debt.

Question 36

Some people argue that what keeps people poor is not public policy or some other systemic failure, but a set of attitudes, values, and beliefs that do not promote mainstream societal values about self-sufficiency and independence. This largely disputed perspective is known as

A) a structural attribution.
B) fatalism.
C) a culture of poverty attribution.
D) postmodernism.

Question 37

In dispute of the culture of poverty perspective, what is the primary force driving poverty, according to sociologist William J. Wilson?

A) Poverty is the result of racial inequality.
B) Poverty results from present orientation whereby poor people only live for the moment and do not plan for the future.
C) The education system is largely to blame for US poverty.
D) Poverty (as well as racial inequality) is a product of social class and how the structure of the economy and labor market perpetuates a chronic underclass of people.

Question 38

What is cultural capital?

A) The process and consequences of passing social class from one generation to the next
B) Curriculum designed for public K-12 schools.
C) It is a set of knowledge and connections that provide guidance on how institutions function and how best to navigate the world to one's advantage.
D) A bartering system whereby people exchange goods and services in place of money

Question 39

People who lack cultural capital are

A) at a distinct advantage in many social contexts.
B) at a distinct disadvantage in many social contexts.
C) more aware of their social location than those with a lot of cultural capital.
D) less aware of their social location than those with a lot of cultural capital.

Question 40

People disagree about society's obligation to the poor. One school of thought suggests that government assistance creates a sense of dependency and ruins the incentive to become self-sufficient. An opposing school of thought contends that welfare and government assistance _____

A) are abused by most recipients, making their true potential unrecognized.
B) are so corrupt and mismanaged that they are not helpful.
C) actually give people the chance to become self-sufficient and productive.
D) should be offered only to children, the elderly, or the disabled.

Question 41

What historical event prompted the creation of the US modern welfare state?

A) The Great Depression
B) The Great Recession
C) Welfare Reform
D) The Civil Rights Movement

Question 42

The welfare programs created under Roosevelt's New Deal were intended as

A) ways to generate more tax revenue back to the government.
B) reimbursement and reparations for structural inequalities faced by certain groups in society.
C) a safety net for those who found themselves facing adversity so that they could get back on their feet.
D) poverty prevention programs to keep people in their jobs and thriving.

Question 43

As a result from the 1960s war on poverty, the poverty rate

A) increased from 12% to 22% between 1960 and 1970.
B) dropped from 22% to 12% between 1960 and 1970.
C) dropped to less than 2% and has remained extremely low ever since.
D) became an issue no one wanted to take on, due to ineffective efforts by the government to effect any significant change.

Question 44

Which theory argues that rather than provide students with equal opportunities, education actually perpetuates inequalities?

A) Functionalism
B) Conflict theory
C) Symbolic interactionism
D) None of the above

Question 45

Safety net programs generally consist of only about _____ of the federal budget.

A) 9%
B) 15%
C) 22%
D) 31%

Question 46

Why isn't the fact that the number of people enrolled in welfare programs decreased substantially after 1996 welfare reform an indisputable sign of the reform's success?

A) There were not enough jobs for people to move into.
B) Poverty levels have not changed even though people are no longer receiving welfare benefits.
C) There are disputes over how the data were measured.
D) There was still widespread corruption in the programs.

Question 47

_____ refers to those whose income is half of the poverty line while _____ refers to living on less than $2 per day per person and without access to basic necessities.

A) Extreme poverty ; deep poverty
B) Chronic poverty ; standard poverty
C) Deep poverty ; extreme poverty
D) Standard poverty ; chronic poverty

Question 48

In a symbolic change representing some of the goals of increasing self-sufficiency under Welfare Reform, the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program became

A) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
B) Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).
C) Social Security.
D) Child Tax Credit program.

Question 49

Some programs have been proven effective at keeping people out of poverty. The challenge is found in

A) generating new programs with all the additional tax revenue the government collects.
B) making data clearer and more transparent about the programs.
C) reaching more families to enroll in available programs for which they qualify.
D) convincing policymakers and the general public that such programs should be continued, expanded, or just revised.

Question 50

What is the biggest myth about people living in poverty in the U.S.?

A) Most adults living in poverty are unemployed.
B) Child poverty rates are high in the U.S.
C) Welfare programs have strict requirements and are time-limited.
D) Minimum wage jobs do not provide enough income to stay out of poverty.