Deck 16: Social Policy and the Welfare State

Question 1

The major downturn in the American economy that began in 1929 and lasted through the 1930s is called the

A) Fair Deal.
B) Great Depression.
C) Great Society.
D) New Deal.
E) Social Security system.

Answer 1

Great Depression.

Question 2

Franklin Roosevelt's proposal to redefine the relationship between citizens and government made the national government

A) abandon hope for aiding the people in the midst of their economic difficulties.
B) debt-free.
C) directly responsible for ensuring the well-being of the people.
D) lose power internationally.
E) the object of great mistrust among the people.

Answer 2

directly responsible for ensuring the well-being of the people.

Question 3

The term welfare state describes a government that

A) has a communist government.
B) has more than thirty percent of its citizens on welfare programs.
C) uses taxpayers' money to fund lawmakers' salaries.
D) provides equal wealth to all of its citizens.
E) works to ensure the material and economic well-being of its citizens.

Answer 3

works to ensure the material and economic well-being of its citizens.

Question 4

How did the New Deal affect federal spending?

A) Domestic spending decreased.
B) Federal spending held steady for the first decade, but slowly began to creep up during the latter half of the century.
C) Foreign spending increased, while domestic spending remained about the same.
D) Spending initially increased but has steadily decreased over time.
E) There was a dramatic increase in spending.

Question 5

Social Security is the system of

A) health insurance for the elderly and disabled.
B) government assistance for the poor and underprivileged.
C) old-age insurance that provides monthly benefits to retired workers and their spouses.
D) federal insurance for private savings in federally chartered banks.
E) comprehensive health care for its participants based on a fixed contribution.

Question 6

How did the Social Gospel movement have a lasting influence on American civic culture?

A) Movement leaders pushed for the growth of social sciences to strengthen reform.
B) The movement lasted almost a century and led to an increase in churches.
C) A new political party was created to encompass the new movement.
D) It prompted the creation of the Department of Health and Human Services.
E) Leaders of the Social Gospel movement became a dominant presence in Congress for many decades.

Question 7

Prior to the twentieth century, most aid for the poor and needy came from

A) a handful of wealthy philanthropists.
B) churches and charities.
C) foreign nations.
D) state and local governments.
E) the federal government.

Question 8

The National Recovery Administration sought to

A) fund a variety of building projects.
B) insure private savings in federally chartered banks.
C) oversee the stock market.
D) provide direct aid to needy families.
E) stabilize prices and wages.

Question 9

Several million Americans were employed on a variety of public building projects, arts and literacy programs, and the distribution of food and clothing through the

A) National Recovery Administration.
B) Public Works Administration.
C) Securities and Exchange Commission.
D) Social Security Administration.
E) Works Progress Administration.

Question 10

Which of the following is not one of the New Deal programs that became a permanent fixture of the federal government?

A) Minimum wage laws
B) Social Security
C) The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
D) The Public Works Administration
E) The Securities and Exchange Commission

Question 11

The organization established to regulate the stock market is the

A) Public Works Administration.
B) Social Security Administration.
C) Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
D) Department of the Treasury.
E) Securities and Exchange Commission.

Question 12

The federal assistance entitlement program based on the Social Security Act of 1935 that provided income to poor families was called

A) a health maintenance organization.
B) Aid to Families with Dependent Children.
C) Medicare.
D) the Fair Deal.
E) the non-contributory program.

Question 13

Which of the following was one of the rights Roosevelt listed in his second Bill of Rights?

A) A fair trial
B) A good education
C) An attorney
D) Liberty
E) Pursuit of happiness

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of a negative right?

A) A job
B) An education
C) Decent housing
D) Free speech
E) Medical care

Question 15

Positive rights are social or economic rights that oblige government to provide

A) jury trials for criminal defendants.
B) for the well-being of the citizens.
C) college educations for all of its citizens.
D) a full-time job for anyone over the age of 18.
E) health care for everyone under the age of 18.

Question 16

One result of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act was that

A) Aid to Families with Dependent Children was replaced by Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.
B) payroll taxes increased to pay for Social Security benefits.
C) the military no longer required men to sign up for the draft.
D) Medicare costs tripled within five years.
E) many schools increased in size and new schools were established.

Question 17

The name for President Harry S. Truman's social programs, especially his proposal for national health insurance, is the

A) Fair Deal.
B) Great Awakening.
C) Great Society.
D) New Deal.
E) Redistribution Program.

Question 18

The federal government funded slum clearance and urban redevelopment as a part of the

A) GI Bill.
B) Greenspan Commission.
C) Housing Act of 1949.
D) Medicare program.
E) Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program.

Question 19

Compared to Roosevelt and his New Deal, Truman's social programs were

A) less concerned with social and economic needs of the people.
B) less successful in Congress.
C) more conservative in their view of the government's moral obligations.
D) more focused on wealthy Americans and big business.
E) more successful in Congress.

Question 20

President Dwight D. Eisenhower's term for Republican Party acceptance of social security, unemployment insurance, labor laws, farm programs, and other features of the welfare state was

A) communism.
B) Democratic-Republicanism.
C) moderate Republicanism.
D) liberal conservatism.
E) modern Republicanism.

Question 21

Eisenhower acknowledged and emphasized the federal government's new social welfare responsibilities by

A) instituting Aid to Families with Dependent Children.
B) establishing the Cabinet-level Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
C) expanding Social Security.
D) proposing the Fair Deal.
E) declaring a war on poverty.

Question 22

The National Defense Education Act was

A) repealed by President Truman.
B) one of several large-scale expansions of the welfare state to occur during Eisenhower's presidency.
C) the only large-scale expansion of the welfare state to occur during Eisenhower's presidency.
D) defeated by the Democratic majority in Congress.
E) replaced by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families during Clinton's presidency.

Question 23

The president who outlined the most far-reaching domestic agenda was

A) Harry Truman.
B) Lyndon Johnson.
C) Dwight Eisenhower.
D) John F. Kennedy.
E) Jimmy Carter.

Question 24

President Lyndon Johnson's name for a wide range of federal policies to combat poverty in America was

A) The Fair Deal.
B) The Great Society.
C) The Modern Society.
D) property redistribution.
E) the war on poverty.

Question 25

The Great Society was

A) a precursor to Truman's Fair Deal.
B) President Lyndon Johnson's term for his social programs to reduce poverty, address the problems of the cities, promote natural beauty, and enhance a sense of community.
C) another name for the New Deal.
D) the nickname for America during Kennedy's presidency.
E) a term that originated from Karl Marx's writings, adapted for use in post-Depression years as a rallying cry.

Question 26

The ______ Act was not a part of Johnson's expansion of the welfare state.

A) Economic Opportunity
B) Elementary and Secondary Education
C) Food Stamp
D) Medicare
E) National Defense of Education

Question 27

The federal program established in 1965 to assist senior citizens with hospital and doctor's expenses is called

A) Medicaid.
B) Medicare.
C) Social Security.
D) the Health Maintenance Organization.
E) welfare.

Question 28

After the Great Society, how did the welfare state expand in the latter half of the twentieth century?

A) Congress added a new social welfare program at the rate of about one per year.
B) Congress added only two major social welfare programs.
C) Congress passed the universal health care plan originally proposed by Truman.
D) The states began to expand their roles in social welfare, taking over the administration of Medicare.
E) Although programs remained the same, federal expenditures on social welfare decreased.

Question 29

Social welfare programs that disburse benefits to those who have low income or few tangible assets are called

A) health maintenance organizations.
B) means-tested programs.
C) non-contributory programs.
D) Social Security.
E) vouchers.

Question 30

Why is entitlement spending difficult to control?

A) Entitlement spending is at the discretion of the President who does not need Congressional approval to disburse funds to means-tested programs.
B) The amount spent is determined by the amount employers contribute to their employees' retirement accounts.
C) The amount spent is disbursed by each government department individually.
D) The amount spent is determined simply by the number eligible for benefits, unless the underlying law is rewritten.
E) The amount spent is subject to voter approval.

Question 31

What category of spending makes up the bulk of the federal budget?

A) Agriculture and environmental projects
B) Community and regional development, transportation, and justice
C) National defense
D) Sscience, space, technology, and education
E) Entitlement spending

Question 32

Redistribution programs are

A) contributory programs that redistributes an employee's wages across several years.
B) mandates that redistribute wages within a company to ensure equal pay for all employees.
C) noncontributory programs that distribute wealth from taxpayers to the poor.
D) funded through Social Security payments.
E) paid for with vouchers from the government, thereby redistributing the cost over many years.

Question 33

Since the 1960s, the number of welfare recipients has

A) remained stable.
B) seen periods of increases, but has generally decreased over time.
C) steadily decreased.
D) steadily increased.
E) varied widely depending on the discretionary funds available each year.

Question 34

Welfare reform was a major theme of which president's campaign?

A) Johnson
B) Reagan
C) Clinton
D) Kennedy
E) Nixon

Question 35

Of the five major antipoverty programs funded by the federal government, which has shown an overall decline between 1977 and 2003?

A) Food stamps
B) Medicaid
C) Supplemental Security Income
D) Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
E) Earned Income Tax Credit

Question 36

Which of the five major antipoverty programs showed the most dramatic increase in recipients between 1994 and 2011?

A) Food stamps
B) Medicaid
C) Supplemental Security Income
D) Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
E) Earned Income Tax Credit

Question 37

While welfare caseloads have dropped dramatically since the mid-1990s, what has happened to the poverty rate in the first decade of the twenty-first century?

A) It has declined only slightly.
B) It dropped at the same pace.
C) It has remained steady.
D) It has risen dramatically.
E) It has risen to as high a level as in 1993.

Question 38

One factor that correlates highly with the poverty rate is

A) corporate wealth.
B) the number of single-parent households.
C) the size of government.
D) religious activity.
E) insurance premiums.

Question 39

How have politicians recently been forced to place Social Security on the public agenda?

A) More retirees are opting for private retirement accounts than relying on federal funds.
B) Several major corporations have recently begun refusing to contribute to their employees' retirement funds.
C) The costs of Social Security have threatened to overwhelm its revenues.
D) The Social Security program has a large surplus, while all other federal programs are operating with significant deficits.
E) There are too few Social Security recipients to justify the expense of maintaining the cost of its administration.

Question 40

The Social Security trust fund is the fund

A) from which states draw to subsidize public works projects.
B) that is used to pay off the national debt.
C) that finances global humanitarian efforts.
D) used to buy stocks to raise additional revenue for the federal government.
E) into which Social Security taxes are deposited.

Question 41

The Greenspan Commission recommended

A) that Congress abolish the Social Security program.
B) the use of Social Security surpluses to pay off the national debt.
C) lowering Social Security taxes.
D) measures to put Social Security on a sounder financial footing.
E) lowering the retirement age.

Question 42

What happens to the excess revenues during the years when the Social Security trust fund runs a surplus?

A) The funds are divided among the states to subsidize public works projects.
B) The funds are used to buy securities from the federal government and are then used to contribute to the operating costs of federal agencies.
C) These funds are diverted to finance global humanitarian efforts.
D) They are used to buy stocks to raise additional revenue for the federal government.
E) They are used to pay off the national debt.

Question 43

One survey showed that support for George W. Bush's Social Security reform plan was strongest among voters

A) in affluent areas.
B) in low income areas.
C) in their 50s.
D) over 70.
E) who would be eligible to participate in the plan.

Question 44

The expansion of Medicare in 2003 made it the

A) largest addition to social welfare since Lyndon Johnson's Great Society.
B) least expensive domestic federal program.
C) most comprehensive health care plan offered by any national government.
D) most expensive portion of the federal budget.
E) most profitable federal program.

Question 45

Under the new (post-2003) Medicare plan, seniors enroll with

A) local senior centers.
B) private insurance companies.
C) state-run hospitals.
D) the federal government.
E) their employers.

Question 46

Republicans who supported the 2003 Medicare bill emphasized the

A) additional funding to assist the faltering Social Security system.
B) eventual dissolution of Medicare.
C) increased profit margin for the government.
D) greater choice for seniors.
E) reduced cost to the government.

Question 47

House Democrats largely denounced the 2003 Medicare bill because it

A) funded the Social Security program.
B) increased the cost for the government.
C) increased the size of the government.
D) introduced private companies into the Medicare system.
E) required too large a share of the federal budget.

Question 48

Medicare Part A covers hospitalization costs and is funded entirely through

A) co-payments.
B) employer contributions.
C) general revenues.
D) payroll taxes.
E) Social Security surpluses.

Question 49

The Affordable Care Act represented a major expansion of

A) the Social Security program.
B) medical conditions covered by private insurance companies.
C) federal involvement in health care.
D) Medicare.
E) health benefits for seniors.

Question 50

In the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the state provided scholarships for low-income parents to

A) design an individual course of study for their children.
B) determine the subject matter in many courses.
C) enroll their children at any public school of their choosing.
D) enroll their children at private, nonsectarian schools of their choice.
E) take advantage of extra-curricular programs of their choosing.

Question 51

Since its enactment in 1990, enrollment in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program has

A) become so large that over half of students participate in the program.
B) dropped off so dramatically as to be affecting a negligible number of students.
C) held steady at 1,000 students.
D) increased dramatically.
E) varied with its support in the state legislature.

Question 52

The school choice movement seeks to

A) give parents and students a choice about whether or not to attend school.
B) provide open enrollment options within a single school district.
C) give schools greater flexibility to choose their own curricula.
D) give parents more freedom to decide where to send their children to school.
E) increase students' choices for four-year colleges.

Question 53

Specialized public schools, often emphasizing science, technology, or performance arts, and drawing students from a wide area are called

A) charter schools.
B) magnet schools.
C) non-sectarian schools.
D) parochial schools.
E) technical schools.

Question 54

How did Franklin Roosevelt redefine the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness during a campaign speech in 1932?

Question 55

What connection exists between American civic culture and social policy?

Question 56

What have been the major developments in American social policy from the New Deal through the present?

Question 57

In what ways did Social Security serve as the cornerstone for the new welfare state?

Question 58

What were some of the implications of Franklin Roosevelt's Second Bill of Rights?

Question 59

How did welfare change over the twentieth century? What impact did the Johnson administration have on the character of the American welfare state? What reform was made in the 1990s, and what were its effects?

Question 60

What are the key arguments in the debate over the effects of welfare?

Question 61

How is Social Security funded? What problems have arisen from this system? What are the issues in the debate over private accounts?

Question 62

How did the Affordable Care Act seek to improve the state of health care in the United States? What is the controversy surrounding this legislation?

Question 63

What controversy surrounds the school choice movement? What impact might school choice programs have on education in the United States?