Deck 18: Policymaking and Domestic Policy

Question 1

President Reagan argued that instead of the federal government being responsible for guaranteeing the economic and social well-being of less fortunate citizens,such responsibility should be borne more by

A)the affluent.
B)American corporations.
C)international charities.
D)state and local governments.
E)None of these choices is true.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

American unemployment reached  _____ percent by 1933,in the depths of the Great Depression.

A)5
B)10
C)25
D)50
E)65

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is the correct sequential order for the policymaking process?

A)Agenda setting, policy formulation, implementation, policy evaluation
B)Policy formulation, agenda setting, policy evaluation, implementation
C)Policy formulation, agenda setting, implementation, policy evaluation
D)Implementation, policy evaluation, agenda setting, policy formulation
E)None of these choices is true.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

A(n)__________ is a general plan of action adopted by government to solve a social problem,counter a threat,or pursue an objective.

A)program evaluation
B)agenda
C)issue network
D)public policy
E)plan of action

Question 5

The Johnson administration's promise to end poverty in a decade did not come to pass,and critics who claimed President Johnson's War on Poverty failed based their assessments on the fact that

A)the states had too much control over the Great Society programs.
B)taxes were increased on the poor to pay for the Great Society programs.
C)poverty became more concentrated in rural and inner city areas.
D)poverty rates increased nationwide.
E)None of these choices is true.

Question 6

The New Deal occurred under President

A)Theodore Roosevelt.
B)Woodrow Wilson.
C)Herbert Hoover.
D)Franklin D. Roosevelt.
E)Lyndon B. Johnson.

Question 7

Say the government provides $45,000 to a folk life festival in Nevada; this would be an example of a

A)distributive policy.
B)redistributional policy.
C)public assistance policy.
D)social welfare policy.
E)None of these choices is true.

Question 8

An important part of President Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" was _____________.

A)Social Security
B)The Affordable Care Act
C)the Clean Water Act
D)The Economic Opportunity Act
E)the Works Progress Act

Question 9

Decriminalization of currently illegal drugs would more likely be favored by _________ and opposed by __________.

A)libertarians; conservatives
B)communitarians; liberals
C)liberals; libertarians
D)conservatives; liberals
E)libertarians; liberals

Question 10

The central value underlying Lyndon Johnson's Great Society was

A)freedom.
B)democracy.
C)order.
D)equality.
E)independence.

Question 11

A government policy that discourages particular behavior,such as a tax on pollution,is also known as a(n)

A)incentive.
B)disincentive.
C)compromise.
D)regulation.
E)permissive.

Question 12

The two presidential plans that most significantly extended the scope of government were​ the ___________ and the _____________.

A)​New Deal; Great Society
B)​New Deal; Affordable Care Act
C)​Great Depression; Great Recession
D)​Great Society; Affordable Care Act
E)​World War II; Vietnam War

Question 13

A citizen who donates money to a favored charity is taking advantage of a​

A)​distributive policy.
B)​regulation.
C)​tax deduction.
D)redistributional policy.
E)​​tax expenditure.

Question 14

Government programs designed to provide the basic living conditions necessary for all citizens are called

A)charitable programs.
B)social welfare programs.
C)discretionary spending.
D)disability programs.
E)subsistence aid programs

Question 15

Some provisions of the Economic Opportunity Act provided federal assistance to the states for job training through

A)college work-study programs.
B)management training for young corporate executives trying to succeed.
C)job training for seniors eligible for Social Security.
D)leaders of non-profit organizations.
E)None of these choices is true.

Question 16

Social welfare policy in the United States today has been significantly shaped by the

A)Progressive era and World War I.
B)Civil War and the Progressive era.
C)Great Depression, the New Deal, and the Great Society.
D)Jacksonian Revolution and the Civil War.
E)Era of Good Feelings.

Question 17

You are a Washington lawyer who specializes in municipal finance,and you interact regularly with members of Congress,congressional committee staff,the bureaucracy,and others who make policy in this area.You are a member of a(n)

A)trade association.
B)policy system dynamic.
C)issue network.
D)public interest group.
E)agenda team.

Question 18

Most industries prefer not to be regulated,but when regulation becomes inevitable,they usually prefer that it come

A)in the form of both state and national regulations.
B)from the states so that it will be adapted to local conditions.
C)from the federal government, so that it will be uniform nationwide.
D)from cities and counties.
E)from within affected groups.

Question 19

One major criticism of issue networks is that

A)there is no guarantee that all relevant interests are represented within them.
B)individuals move rapidly among several different policy subsystems.
C)members of the subsystem lack expertise in their fields.
D)the number of groups involved in each subsystem is declining.
E)members of one group often hinder policymaking by attempting to defeat another group's policy.

Question 20

Suppose a state decides to reduce tax credits for low-income workers in order to finance tax cuts for businesses and corporations; this would be an example of a

A)distributive policy.
B)redistributional policy.
C)public assistance policy.
D)social welfare policy.
E)None of these choices is true.

Question 21

In 2012,an income below _________ would place a family of four below the official U.S.poverty threshold.

A)$8,506
B)$11,312
C)$17,814
D)$23,492
E)$34,378

Question 22

In 1955,there were 9 workers for every Social Security beneficiary; by 2011,there were ___.

A)1.0
B)2.9
C)11.2
D)17.1
E)24.3

Question 23

President __________ passed the Medicare drug program expanding welfare benefits for seniors.

A)Franklin D. Roosevelt
B)Lyndon B. Johnson
C)Ronald Reagan
D)Bill Clinton
E)George W. Bush

Question 24

The first example of social insurance in the United States was

A)Aid to Families with Dependent Children.
B)health care for the elderly.
C)health care for the poor.
D)workers' compensation.
E)disability benefits.

Question 25

A major cause of the feminization of poverty is that

A)women do not have marketable work skills.
B)most federal welfare programs are geared toward men.
C)passage of the Equal Rights Amendment removed many welfare programs created specifically for women.
D)many women are forced to leave the full-time work force to become heads of household.
E)on average, women have less education than men.

Question 26

​A Social Security recipient's buying power is reduced as a result of inflation,so she tries to save money by buying cheaper alternatives to her normal purchases.This behavior is factored into calculation of

A)​COLA.
B)​traditional CPI.
C)​the Social Security Trust Fund.
D)​chained CPI.
E)​the poverty level.

Question 27

President __________ proposed that individual workers be allowed to invest their own Social Security payroll taxes in the stock market.

A)Franklin D. Roosevelt
B)Lyndon B. Johnson
C)Ronald Reagan
D)Bill Clinton
E)George W. Bush

Question 28

In 1972,Congress passed legislation including

A)cutting Social Security benefits for existing retirees.
B)the repeal of Social Security.
C)the repeal of Medicare.
D)combining Social Security and Medicare, to accomplish greater efficiency.
E)automatic increases in Social Security payments.

Question 29

Under the provisions of the 1996 welfare reform law known as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF),adult recipients of welfare payments have to become employed within

A)6 months.
B)1 year.
C)2 years.
D)5 years.
E)10 years.

Question 30

Social Security is referred to as a pay-as-you-go system,meaning that

A)the U.S. government borrows the proceeds to pay recipients.
B)the system must be reappropriated by Congress each year.
C)today's workers support today's program beneficiaries.
D)all workers in effect pay for their own retirement by a mandatory process of savings.
E)any surpluses from the Social Security system go back into the government's general revenue.

Question 31

A government-backed guarantee against loss by individuals without regard to need is a(n)________________ program.​

A)​social welfare
B)​entitlement
C)​redistributional
D)​public assistance
E)​social insurance

Question 32

Benefits to which every eligible person has a legal right and that the government cannot deny are called

A)means-tested benefits.
B)public assistance.
C)social security.
D)entitlements.
E)guaranteed policies.

Question 33

As of 2014,Social Security tax is assessed at a rate of 6.2 percent on the first _________ of wages workers earn.

A)$500,000
B)$250,000
C)$1 million
D)$117,000
E)None of these choices is true.

Question 34

Generally,state leaders have __________ the reforms that came with TANF.

A)objected to and rarely complied with
B)objected to and called for the repeal of
C)been pleased with
D)altered and erased
E)failed to implement

Question 35

According to SPM,a new​ measure of poverty developed in 2009,the poverty level in America in 2012 was approximately _____ percent.

A)3
B)​9
C)​16
D)​24
E)​35

Question 36

The age at which the full benefits of social security can be paid to an individual born in 1960 or later is

A)60.
B)65.
C)67.
D)77.
E)75.

Question 37

In the wake of President Johnson's Great Society programs,critics of social welfare spending argued that antipoverty policies

A)made poverty more attractive by removing incentives to work.
B)would be more successful if they were provided with better funding.
C)had been generally successful, but had not lived up to their promise and therefore should be discontinued.
D)fail because of bureaucratic cultures that oppose them.
E)would achieve most of their goals, given the proper amount of time to work.

Question 38

Social Security is designed to provide economic assistance to people faced with all of the following except

A)unemployment.
B)disability.
C)old age.
D)poverty.
E)All of these choices are included in the Social Security program.

Question 39

Which of the following comprise the largest portion of the impoverished?

A)The elderly
B)Recent retirees
C)Caucasians without high school diplomas
D)Farmers
E)Persons under eighteen years old

Question 40

Under the new provisions of TANF,families can receive no more than a total of __________ of benefits in a lifetime.

A)6 months
B)1 year
C)2 years.
D)5 years
E)10 years

Question 41

As of 2012,roughly ___________ percent of Americans had no health insurance.

A)2.2
B)9.7
C)15.4
D)23.1
E)31.2

Question 42

In the face of Congressional inaction on the DREAM Act,President Obama​

A)​called a press conference criticizing Congressional leaders for their lack of willingness to take action.
B)​asked the Supreme Court to implement the legal provisions of the Act without Congressional approval.
C)instructed immigration officials to stop deporting children who would be eligible under DREAM Act guidelines.
D)​was powerless to take unilateral action.
E)​implemented all the provisions of the Act by Executive Order.

Question 43

​With its combination of new costs and provisions to help pay for them,the Congressional Budget Office estimates that Obamacare will _________________ federal budget deficits in the long run.

A)greatly increase
B)​slightly increase 
C)​have no effect on
D)​have an impossible-to-predict effect on
E)​decrease

Question 44

Among those who are less likely to have health insurance are

A)young people.
B)African Americans.
C)Hispanics.
D)families with incomes under $50,000
E)All of these choices are true.

Question 45

Concerning the controversy over illegal immigration,several states are requiring employers to check their workers' residency status using a federal program known as

A)the Arizona Model.
B)the Commerce Model.
C)E-Verify.
D)the Real ID Model.
E)None of these choices is true.

Question 46

A young family has income falling below the federal poverty line.This family is most likely eligible for

A)​the DREAM Act.
B)means-tested benefits.
C)​Medicare
D)​non-means-tested benefits.
E)​DACA.

Question 47

Approximately ____ percent of GDP was spent on health care in 2012.

A)45.7
B)30.2
C)17.2
D)9.5
E)3.1

Question 48

Which of the following represents the largest percentage of those benefitting from Medicaid?

A)Those over sixty-five years of age
B)Those who are blind and disabled
C)Adults
D)Children under the age of twenty-one
E)Government employees

Question 49

What was the nature of the early opposition to Medicare?

A)It was not favored by a majority of citizens.
B)It was viewed as a ploy by the insurance industry to make more money for itself.
C)The American Medical Association could not convince citizens of the merits of the program.
D)The elderly did not believe government was capable of administering such a program.
E)It was attacked as socialized medicine.

Question 50

​In an attempt to move beyond the No Child Left Behind Act,the Obama administration implemented a new nation-wide education policy focused on improving achievement in math and English language arts that has become known as 

A)​Obamacation.
B)​New World Education.
C)​World-Class Schools.
D)​Common Core.
E)​Universal Standards.

Question 51

Which of the following events did not spur greater interest in federal aid to education?

A)The Soviet Union's launch of the Sputnik satellite
B)Lyndon Johnson's Great Society
C)The discovery by state governors in the 1970s about the link between schools and their states' economic fortunes
D)The publication of A Nation of Risk
E)All of these choices spurred greater interest in federal aid to education.

Question 52

Which of the following was not a part of President Obama's Affordable Care Act?

A)People aged 19 to 25 become eligible to stay on their parents' insurance plan.
B)By 2014 insurance providers can no longer deny people coverage because of preexisting conditions.
C)All individuals are required to have health insurance by 2014 or pay a fine.
D)The first prescription drug benefit was added to Medicare.
E)Eligibility for Medicaid is expanded.

Question 53

Which of the following is not a criticism ​that has been made of Obamacare?

A)​Even with government subsidies, families will not be able to pay premiums.
B)​Privacy of medical information may not be adequately protected.
C)​It is unconstitutional to require individuals to purchase insurance.
D)​The government is not competent to manage a large-scale program like Obamacare.
E)​All of these choices are criticisms that have been made of Obamacare.

Question 54

The concept of an "illegal immigrant" emerged in 1924 when the United States passed immigration legislation favoring immigration from __________ and limiting immigration from __________.

A)eastern Europe and Asia; Latin America
B)western Europe; Latin America
C)Latin America; southern and eastern Europe and Asia
D)Latin America; Africa
E)western Europe; eastern Europe and Asia

Question 55

One difficulty with the block grant funding program set up by TANF is

A)individual states lack discretion for how to spend the money.
B)the funding is set to a fixed amount and does not change in response to increased need.
C)the rate of increase in funding is indexed to the federal poverty level, not inflation.
D)it does not include safeguards against employer discrimination of former welfare recipients.
E)the federal government continues to centralize and regulate the job training of TANF recipients.

Question 56

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 provided national government aid to local school districts in order to improve the education of

A)legally segregated public schools.
B)foreign students.
C)functionally illiterate adults.
D)economically disadvantaged children.
E)None of these choices is true.

Question 57

Its strong emphasis on testing led critics of the No Child Left Behind Act to argue that

A)urban school districts would end up with more money.
B)teachers would fail to teach what students need to know to pass the test.
C)the federal government would fail to provide sufficient funds to help schools meet the law's standards.
D)students would become more adept at testing.
E)educational standards would be too high for testing to be effective.

Question 58

The United States is the only major industrialized nation without

A)a universal health-care system.
B)social insurance programs.
C)entitlement programs.
D)public assistance for needy children.
E)unemployment benefits for single mothers.

Question 59

The national DREAM Act would

A)provide federal college tuition aid to illegal immigrants who are accepted to colleges and universities.
B)allow illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children to become eligible for legalized status.
C)make illegal immigrants legally eligible for private health insurance.
D)allow the children of illegal immigrants U.S. citizenship if they were born on U. S. soil.
E)All of these choices are true.

Question 60

The disabled and the elderly account for __________ of Medicaid expenditures.

A)5 percent
B)15 percent
C)25 percent
D)over half
E)75 percent

Question 61

Outline the goals of the Common Core and discuss the criticisms that have been made of its development and implementation.

Question 62

Discuss recent efforts in Congress and by the president to deal with the issue of illegal immigration.​

Question 63

Explain how the Social Security tax works,and how Social Security's pay-as-you-go system poses problems for its future solvency.

Question 64

Identify and define the four stages in the policymaking process.

Question 65

How is the poverty level measured,and why has criticism developed concerning the current formula?

Question 66

Who,other than the poor,are recipients of public assistance,and what types of assistance do they receive?

Question 67

Describe the chief components of the Affordable Care Act,and some of the controversies surrounding it.​

Question 68

Describe the impact of the welfare reform bill of 1996 on the states.How has it been accepted by state leaders? How has it been implemented? What impact has there been on recipients?

Question 69

Describe what the New Deal was,and how it was brought about by the Great Depression.

Question 70

What is the difference between mean-tested and non-means-tested programs? Provide examples of each,and ​explain how allocation of non-means-tested benefits has been criticized.