Deck 17: Social Policy

Question 1

What was the "outdoor relief" distributed by private charities?

A)a place to sleep at night
B)a temporary job
C)money
D)bread lines and soup kitchens

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The goals of social policy

A)reflect changing views about which risks should be borne by the individual or shared by society.
B)have been consistent since the early twentieth century.
C)are always determined by the political party that controls the White House.
D)are clearly laid out in the Constitution.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Social Security is a good example of

A)outdoor relief.
B)indoor relief.
C)a contributory program.
D)a noncontributory program.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of nineteenth-century "indoor relief"?

A)shelter provided at the police station
B)job placement services
C)subsidized schools and training centers
D)passes to hotels

Question 5

The goal of Social Security is to

A)provide health insurance for the elderly and the disabled.
B)ensure a basic income to all workers once they retire.
C)guarantee affordable housing for the elderly and the disabled.
D)cover the basic living expenses of Americans who are permanently or temporarily unemployed.

Question 6

Currently, the average monthly Social Security payment is approximately ________ per month.

A)$325
B)$757
C)$1,400
D)$2,175

Question 7

Which of the following played an important role in caring for the poor during the nineteenth century?

A)the military
B)the federal government
C)churches and religious organizations
D)the United Nations

Question 8

Which of the following would be a good example of a government program that provides an "indexed" social benefit?

A)a federally run program that provides small business owners who hire a military veteran with a cash payment of $2,500 for every six months of the program's operation
B)a local government program that provides low-income families with a benefits card that can be used to purchase $5,000 of groceries during every year of the program's operation
C)a federally run program that provides $750 to low-income families in the first year of implementation and that increases payments by 1.5 percent in each subsequent year of the program's operation
D)a state government program that provides $750 every year to low-income families for every month of the program's operation

Question 9

In 2018, each individual's required contribution to Social Security was ________ percent of his or her first $128,400 of income.

A)0
B)1.45
C)6.2
D)7.65

Question 10

Before the development of the welfare state, the primary problem with private charities was that they

A)would make subjective decisions on who was deserving of aid.
B)were unable to get the necessary government licenses to operate legally.
C)disrupted the constitutional separation of church and state.
D)often kept donations for their own private use.

Question 11

The contributions that a worker makes to Social Security through his or her taxes

A)accumulate in a personal account that the worker can access at any time he or she is unemployed.
B)are paid into an account operated by the worker's state government and do not accumulate in a personal account.
C)accumulate in a personal account that the worker can access once he or she reaches the age of 66.
D)are paid into the Social Security system operated by the federal government and do not accumulate in a personal account.

Question 12

The formula by which Social Security retirement benefits are calculated is designed to

A)redistribute income from well-off to less-well-off workers.
B)provide every worker with the an equal amount of income.
C)redistribute income from less-well-off workers to well-off workers.
D)proportionately reflect each individual's lifetime contribution to the system.

Question 13

Social Security plays a vital role for younger people by providing

A)survivor benefits to those whose parents die or become disabled.
B)unemployment compensation for those who lose their jobs.
C)health care benefits to those whose jobs do not provide it.
D)food stamps for those who fall under the poverty line.

Question 14

As of 2014, a provision in the Affordable Care Act ________ Medicare taxes for households earning ________.

A)eliminated; more than $250,000 a year
B)increased; more than $250,000 a year by 0.9 percent
C)lowered; more than $250,000 a year by 5.4 percent
D)increased; more than $250,000 a year by 5.4 percent

Question 15

A(n) ________ benefit is one where potential recipients must document their genuine need.

A)indexed
B)contributory
C)means-tested
D)in-kind

Question 16

In 2018, each individual's required contribution to Medicare was ________ percent of all earnings.

A)0
B)1.45
C)6.2
D)7.65

Question 17

Unemployment insurance is a ________ program that is funded by the ________.

A)noncontributory; federal and state governments
B)noncontributory; state governments only
C)contributory; federal and state governments
D)contributory; state governments only

Question 18

The periodic adjustment of benefits or wages that takes into account the increased cost of living is called

A)means testing.
B)indexing.
C)graphing.
D)economic tabulating.

Question 19

The movement for mothers' pensions began in

A)Vermont in 1917.
B)Massachusetts in 1914.
C)California in 1909.
D)Illinois in 1911.

Question 20

Social Security was established in

A)1929.
B)1930.
C)1935.
D)1965.

Question 21

The federal government's spending on AFDC fell after the mid-1970s because

A)the Supreme Court's decision in Goldberg v.Kelly prohibited more than 15 percent of the budget from being spent on welfare.
B)unlike Social Security, the program was not indexed to inflation.
C)fewer and fewer people needed the benefits provided by the program.
D)the program's cost-of-living adjustments were linked to real gross domestic product rather than to inflation.

Question 22

Which program was designed to help augment the benefits to the aged, blind, and disabled?

A)Medicaid
B)Medicare
C)food stamps
D)Supplemental Security Income

Question 23

The fact that taxpayers can deduct the amount they paid in interest on a home mortgage from the income they report on their tax returns is an example of a(n)

A)entitlement program.
B)contributory program.
C)earned income tax credit.
D)tax expenditure.

Question 24

Which of the following social policies is currently the MOST costly to the government?

A)Social Security
B)food stamps
C)public housing assistance
D)Medicare

Question 25

President ________ vowed "to end welfare as we know it."

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

Question 26

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits provided by state governments ________ the federal poverty line.

A)are the same in every state and are slightly above
B)vary widely across states but are required to be slightly above
C)vary widely across states but are always below
D)are the same in every state and are always below

Question 27

The idea of ________ was at the heart of George W.Bush's 2005 plan for Social Security reform.

A)termination
B)private accounts
C)universal access
D)benefit reduction

Question 28

One reason that the AFDC program grew significantly in the 1970s was that

A)voters passed initiatives in many states that required an increase in benefits.
B)a number of court decisions determined that benefits must be increased at a level greater than that of inflation each year.
C)Congress passed a number of laws that dramatically expanded the number of people who were eligible and the overall amount of in-kind benefits that would be provided to eligible people.
D)court decisions made it more difficult for the government to legally terminate people's benefits for lack of eligibility.

Question 29

Which of the following is the best example of the shadow welfare state?

A)soup kitchens supported by local churches
B)food stamps
C)tax breaks
D)cost-of-living adjustments

Question 30

Spending on medical programs such as Medicare and Medicaid has proven difficult to control because

A)spending on Social Security has declined so significantly.
B)state and local governments have refused to contribute to the costs of administering these programs.
C)these programs are indexed to grow at two times the rate of inflation.
D)of the growing number of people eligible, and because of rising health care costs.

Question 31

________ are programs where the government provides a tax deduction for spending on health insurance and other benefits by both employers and employees.

A)Noncompulsory benefits
B)Tax expenditures
C)Direct services
D)Earned income tax credits

Question 32

Tax expenditures

A)were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2015.
B)have no impact on the revenue coming in to the national treasury each year.
C)cost the national treasury over $1.2 trillion in foregone revenues each year.
D)contribute over $1.2 trillion in revenue to the national treasury each year.

Question 33

In most states, unemployment benefits last for a maximum of ________ weeks.

A)4
B)26
C)36
D)52

Question 34

Noncitizen legal immigrants are

A)eligible to receive Medicaid benefits as soon as they arrive in the United States.
B)required to reside in the United States for 15 years before they can receive Medicaid benefits.
C)required to reside in the United States for five years before they can receive Medicaid benefits.
D)never allowed to receive Medicaid benefits.

Question 35

Poor Americans had strong incentives to establish their eligibility for Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) benefits in the 1970s because AFDC recipients

A)were exempted from the military draft.
B)were immediately enrolled in Medicare.
C)received a waiver on sales taxes.
D)automatically received Medicaid and food stamps.

Question 36

The Great Depression changed American attitudes about welfare by

A)showing that the government could efficiently distribute public assistance.
B)demonstrating that the government could choose between the deserving and undeserving poor in a more objective manner than private charities.
C)revealing that poverty could be caused by a flawed economic system, not just by personal irresponsibility.
D)showing that government was not as capable of taking care of the poor as private charities.

Question 37

Most unemployed workers receive approximately ________ percent of their previous wages through unemployment insurance.

A)100
B)75
C)50
D)25

Question 38

Which of the following programs provides an in-kind benefit?

A)Social Security
B)Medicaid
C)veterans benefits payments
D)Supplemental Security Income

Question 39

What is the shadow welfare state?

A)the welfare that is distributed by local governments and special districts
B)tax breaks-credits, deductions, and preferential tax rates that subsidize social welfare
C)the welfare payments that the government is committed to paying in the future
D)private charities that have filled the gap left by reductions in government spending

Question 40

Part of the reason welfare programs became so unpopular was that

A)many Americans came to believe that welfare recipients did not want to work.
B)the programs were completely taken over by the federal government rather than having input from state and local governments.
C)the programs were completely taken over by state and local governments rather than having input from the federal government.
D)federal judges frequently ruled them to be unconstitutional.

Question 41

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act passed by Congress in 1996 allowed states much ________ discretion in designing their cash-assistance programs to
Needy families and ________.

A)more; restricted most legal immigrants from receiving benefits
B)less; allowed most legal immigrants to receive benefits
C)more; allowed most legal immigrants to receive benefits
D)less; restricted most legal immigrants from receiving benefits

Question 42

The idea that all people should have the freedom to use whatever talents and wealth they have to achieve their goals is called

A)in-kind benefits.
B)equality of opportunity.
C)outdoor relief.
D)the contributory system.

Question 43

The American welfare state began in the

A)1890s.
B)1920s.
C)1930s.
D)1960s.

Question 44

The Social Security Trust Fund, the special government account from which Social Security payments are made, is projected to experience a shortfall beginning in

A)2020.
B)2034.
C)2049.
D)2074.

Question 45

The 1996 welfare reforms

A)have done little to eliminate welfare dependency.
B)have reduced the number of people on welfare but have done little to reduce poverty.
C)have led to an increase in the number of welfare recipients.
D)did not change anything.

Question 46

Which federal program poses the biggest budget challenge for the federal government in the coming years?

A)the Earned Income Tax Credit
B)Medicaid
C)the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program
D)Social Security

Question 47

The main change in welfare policies since 1996 is

A)increased use of noncash assistance.
B)increased benefits.
C)decreased use of means testing.
D)decreased use of job training programs.

Question 48

A cost-of-living adjustment is based on the

A)financing approved by Congress during each session.
B)rate of inflation.
C)relationship between the level of the federal deficit compared to the nation's gross national product.
D)changing needs of each recipient.

Question 49

Medicare was established in

A)1888.
B)1933.
C)1942.
D)1965.

Question 50

In 1862, Congress established land-grant colleges with the

A)Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
B)GI Bill of Rights.
C)Northwest Ordinance.
D)Morrill Act.

Question 51

The main fear concerning the consequences of outdoor relief was that it

A)perpetuated poverty.
B)was not cost-effective.
C)involved the state too much.
D)was unconstitutional.

Question 52

Which of the following is a program of forced savings?

A)Medicaid
B)Medicare
C)Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
D)food stamps

Question 53

How does an entitlement differ from a right?

A)Unlike an entitlement, a right cannot be taken away by an act of Congress.
B)Unlike a right, an entitlement can be revoked without the due process of law.
C)Entitlements and rights are the same thing.
D)Entitlements are only for older Americans; rights apply to all citizens.

Question 54

After the 2004 election, President George W.Bush announced that ________ would be the centerpiece of his domestic policy.

A)tax reform
B)education
C)Social Security reform
D)the war on terrorism

Question 55

The Social Security Trust Fund, the special government account from which Social Security payments are made, is projected to experience a shortfall in the future because

A)there will be fewer young workers paying into the system relative to the number of retirees receiving Social Security benefits.
B)the size of the benefits given to retirees is legally required to double every 15 years.
C)Congress passed a tax reform law in 2017 that eliminated the revenue used to fund retirement benefits.
D)the federal government is replacing Social Security with a new retirement system based on private 401k accounts.

Question 56

Between 2007 and 2018, the number of Americans receiving food stamps

A)remained relatively unchanged.
B)increased by nearly 20 million.
C)decreased by nearly 20 million.
D)decreased by nearly 40 million.

Question 57

During the past three decades, the level of federal payroll tax has ________, and the level of federal corporate taxes has ________.

A)risen; risen
B)fallen; fallen
C)risen; fallen
D)stayed the same; stayed the same

Question 58

About ________ percent of the current federal budget is spent on entitlement programs.

A)20
B)35
C)65
D)80

Question 59

Medicare is a ________ program; Medicaid is a ________ program.

A)noncontributory; contributory
B)contributory; noncontributory
C)contributory; contributory
D)noncontributory; noncontributory

Question 60

Goldberg v.Kelly (1970)

A)established the right of noncitizens to receive public assistance.
B)held that public assistance benefits could not be revoked without due process of law.
C)held that unequal welfare benefits were a violation of the equal protection clause.
D)held that the government could revoke assistance benefits without cause.

Question 61

Ronald Reagan's and George H.W.Bush's administrations signaled a new focus for federal education policy by

A)launching the first federally funded charter schools.
B)eliminating the Department of Education.
C)creating the Department of Education.
D)shifting the central goal from equal opportunity to the pursuit of higher standards.

Question 62

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

A)cut federal funding for school districts that performed poorly on the Department of Education's measures of student success.
B)guaranteed that 10 percent of all federal revenue would be spent each year on elementary and secondary education.
C)required that all school districts devote at least 200 hours of instruction to students each year using federally approved curriculum.
D)offered federal aid for education by allocating funds to school districts with substantial numbers of children from unemployed or low-income families.

Question 63

In the Hobby Lobby case, the Supreme Court ruled that

A)the state-based insurance exchanges set up under the Affordable Care Act were a violation of the Constitution's Tenth Amendment.
B)state governments could opt out of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion without fear of losing their existing Medicaid funds.
C)the "individual mandate" of the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional.
D)"closely held" corporations were exempt from provisions of federal law that violated their owners' religious beliefs.

Question 64

________ spending for K-12 education comes from ________.

A)The vast majority of; state and local governments, while the federal government contributes a relatively small amount
B)The vast majority of; the federal government and local governments, while state governments contribute a relatively small amount
C)All; the federal government
D)All; state governments

Question 65

The U.S.Public Health Service was founded in

A)1798.
B)1866.
C)1936.
D)1942.

Question 66

The central thrust of federal housing policy has been to

A)promote home ownership.
B)reduce homelessness.
C)provide low-cost rental units for the poor.
D)provide uniform housing safety standards.

Question 67

Charter schools are best described as

A)schools that a district uses as the median by which to judge test scores.
B)private schools that are funded with tax vouchers.
C)public schools that are free to design special curricula.
D)private schools run by large corporations.

Question 68

The Affordable Care Act originally required that state governments

A)expand their Medicaid programs to cover more poor people or lose all of the Medicaid funds they receive from the federal government.
B)eliminate their Medicaid programs or lose all of the categorical grants they receive from the federal government.
C)expand their Medicare programs to cover citizens over the age of 50 or lose all of the Medicaid funds they receive from the federal government.
D)expand their Medicare programs to cover citizens over the age of 40 or lose all of the Medicaid funds they receive from the federal government.

Question 69

Which of the following statements about advanced industrialized nations and health care is MOST accurate?

A)Every advanced industrialized nation in the world provides universal access to health care for its citizens.
B)The United States and France are the only advanced industrial nations without universal access to health care for their citizens.
C)The United States, Canada, and Finland are the only advanced industrial nations without universal access to health care for their citizens.
D)The United States is the only advanced industrial nation without universal access to health care for its citizens.

Question 70

In a case addressing the constitutionality of the Affordable Care's Medicaid expansion, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress

A)does have the power to take existing Medicaid funds away from states if they do not comply with the expansion requirements.
B)does not have the power to take existing Medicaid funds away from states if they do not comply with the expansion requirements.
C)can only take existing Medicaid funds away from a state if the state provides universal health care to its citizens.
D)can only take existing Medicaid funds away from a state if the state is found to have high infant mortality rates.

Question 71

________ is the single-largest medical insurance program in the United States.

A)PhP
B)Anthem
C)Cigna
D)Medicaid

Question 72

Because there is no provision for long-term care in the United States, ________ has become the de facto program financing nursing home residents when they have exhausted their
Savings.

A)Social Security
B)Medicare
C)Medicaid
D)the Affordable Care Act

Question 73

The National Defense Education Act

A)eliminated affirmative action programs in university admissions.
B)increased federal funding for K-12 education programs focused on engineering.
C)awarded college scholarships to low-income students who scored highly in math and science exams.
D)offered low-interest loans to college students.

Question 74

What event brought federal attention to elementary school education?

A)the Soviet Union launching the world's first satellite
B)the Civil War
C)the return of veterans at the end of World War II
D)the Great Depression

Question 75

The "individual mandate" of the Affordable Care Act refers to

A)the requirement that Medicare cover all individuals living in the United States by 2014.
B)a tax credit that is given to all people who are unemployed and do not have health insurance coverage.
C)the requirement that uninsured individuals purchase health insurance.
D)the requirement that health insurance companies accept all applicants, regardless of preexisting conditions.

Question 76

The first federal government assistance in education came in

A)1785, when the federal government set aside land for public schools.
B)1812, when Congress established public schools in Washington, D.C.
C)1944, with the GI Bill.
D)2001, with the No Child Left Behind Act.

Question 77

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are the

A)main lobbying organizations of doctors.
B)federal agencies in charge of monitoring outbreaks of disease and implementing prevention measures.
C)federal agencies in charge of implementing the Affordable Care Act's "individual mandate."
D)federal agencies in charge of biomedical research.

Question 78

The American Medical Association (AMA) is the

A)main lobbying organization of doctors.
B)main lobbying organization of patients.
C)federal agency in charge of monitoring outbreaks of disease and implementing prevention measures.
D)federal agency in charge of biomedical research.

Question 79

Approximately half of nonelderly American receive health insurance through

A)their employers.
B)Medicare.
C)Medicaid.
D)the Affordable Care Act.

Question 80

The MOST significant education policy developed by the federal government in the nineteenth century was the

A)creation of compulsory elementary school education.
B)establishment of land-grant colleges.
C)creation of the GI Bill.
D)development of a standard national elementary school curriculum.