Deck 13: Public Policy: People

Question 1

​Poverty programs are funded by the _____ government and administered by the _____ government.

A)​federal; federal
B)​state; state
C)​state; local
D)​federal; state
E)​state; federal

Answer 1

D

Question 2

​Which of these is not associated with the term poverty threshold?

A)the level of income below which a family is officially considered to be poor
B)established annually
C)a health care program for the elderly
D)the federal poverty line
E)the basis for determining eligibility for a variety of social programs

Answer 2

C

Question 3

​According to your text,when considering the percentage of Texas children who fall below the poverty line or are low-income,_____.

A)​Texas exceeds the national average of children in poverty
B)​Texas has a much lower rate of child poverty than most other states
C)​Texas's rate of children in poverty is similar to that of other states
D)​Texas poverty rates for children have improved a great deal over the last decade
E)​none of these

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In Texas,programs to help needy citizens are funded _____.

A)primarily with federal dollars supplemented by state funds
B)primarily with state dollars supplemented by federal funds
C)with state money only
D)with federal money only
E)very generously

Question 5

The poverty threshold for a family of three in the United States for fiscal year 2014 is approximately _____.

A)$5,000
B)$20,000
C)$30,000
D)$35,000
E)$50,000

Question 6

A(n)_____ is a policy decision through which one level or branch of government requires another level or branch of government to act in a certain way.

A)mandate
B)decree
C)directive
D)commission
E)edict

Question 7

​Which statement about mandates is not true?

A)​Mandates come only from the federal executive branch to the state governments.
B)Both federal and state governments can issue mandates.
C)​Mandates can be the result of court orders.
D)​Either the legislative or the executive branch may issue mandates.
E)​Mandates often require governments to act without supplying funding to implement the mandates.

Question 8

​Which statement aboutthe Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)program is not true?

A)​It is a jointfederal and state program.
B)​It provides cash assistance to needy families with children.
C)​Federal laws allow it to be receivedfor up to five years, but Texas caps the program atthree years.
D)​It provides health care to needy families.
E)​A family that is eligible for TANF may also be eligible for other federal programs.

Question 9

​Texas is a leader in the number of new jobs created annually,_____.

A)​but many of those jobs require high education levels
B)​but many of those jobs are low paying
C)but ​this is not likely to last due changes in the Texas economy
D)​and we have relatively low rates of poverty
E)and this is the result of the state's reputation as a high-service state

Question 10

​Historically,health,education,and welfare policies were

A)​functions of the federal government
B)​functions of the state government
C)​functions of local governments
D)​the responsibility of individual citizens
E)​all of these

Question 11

​In terms of taxation and public services,Texas is considered a _____.

A)​high-tax, high-service state
B)​low-tax, low-service state
C)​high-tax, low-service state
D)​moderate-tax, moderate-service state
E)​none of these

Question 12

​Which statement best describes the structure of the health and human services system in Texas?

A)​Each of the four departments is headed by a commissioner, who reports to the executive
Commissioner of health and human services, who in turn reports to the governor.
B)​There are multiple agencies, all of which report directly to the governor.
C)​There arefour departments, each of which is headed by a commissioner who is elected by the public.
D)​There arefour departments, each of which is headed by a commissioner who reports directly to the governor.
E)​There arefour departments, each of which is headed by a commissioner who reports directly to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Question 13

​In Texas,the making of public policies is often hampered by conflicts involving _____.

A)​a newer moralistic culture among a vocal minority in the state
B)​Texas's individualistic and traditionalistic culture
C)​Texas's independent political culture
D)the Democratic and Republican political cultures
E)a newer moralistic culture among a vocal minority in the state, as well as Texas's individualistic and traditionalistic culture

Question 14

​Over time,the responsibilities of states have increased due to _____.

A)​increased citizen expectations
B)​urbanization and the reduction of distances between governments and people
C)​greater demands for education in order to get better jobs
D)​all of these
E)urbanization and the reduction of distances between governments and people, as well as greater demands for education in order to get better jobs

Question 15

Of the twenty-five poorest counties in the United States,how many are in Texas?

A)none
B)two
C)four
D)nine
E)all counties in Texas are among the poorestexcept forHarris, Bexar, Travis, and Tarrant

Question 16

In Texas,the costs of income assistance programs like TANFare_____the costs of health care programs like Medicaid and CHIP.

A)much higher than
B)much lower than
C)about the same as
D)​cannot be compared to
E)a little higher than

Question 17

When the government attempts to improve the quality of life for the poor by taking wealth from those who have the most and redirecting it to those who have the least,it is making _____.

A)institutional public policy
B)"trickle-down" economic policy
C)incremental social policy
D)regressive tax policy
E)redistributive public policy

Question 18

What is the difference between Medicaid and CHIP?

A)Medicaid is the same as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, while CHIPis a health care program.
B)CHIP is a federal program, while Medicaid is a state program.
C)There is no difference; they are part of the same program.
D)Medicaid provides health care for poor families, whileCHIP provides medical insurance for low-income children who are above the poverty level but are still low-income.
E)none of these

Question 19

To what does the term public policy refer?

A)​the overall purpose behind individual governmental decisions and programs
B)​the result of public officials' setting of priorities by creating the budget
C)​the official decisions of government
D)​passing laws
E)​all of these

Question 20

​Which statement about problems facing the state of Texas with regard to health care costs is true?

A)Bothadvances in treating medical problemsand the costs of treating them have increased dramatically.
B)Increasing costs have meant that lower percentages of Americans have access to private health insurance, and even middle-income families often lack health coverage.
C)​Because of the costs of health care coverage and hospitalization, nearly anyone lacking health care coverage is medically indigent.
D)Texas ranks worst in the nation in terms of health insurance, with approximately 25 percent of its population lacking it.
E)all of these

Question 21

​According to studies of state use of poverty funding,which of these is not accurate?

A)​States like Texas, with the highest poverty rates, spent less than their allotted federal funds.
B)Innovative states spent remaining federal funds on finding solutions to hard-core unemployment and chronic welfare dependency.
C)​States like Texas, with the highest poverty rates, spent more than their allotted federal funds.
D)​Residents who remain on welfare are difficult to place in jobs due to a lack of training, transportation, and child care.
E)​All of these are accurate.

Question 22

What term is used to refer toa policy that allows tax deductions for families who send their students to private schools?

A)school vouchers
B)charter schools
C)home schooling
D)Texas School Choice
E)Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

Question 23

What term describes benefits to workers who are injured,become ill,or are killed on the job?

A)unemployment compensation
B)Medicare
C)workers' compensation
D)earned income tax credits
E)workers' welfare

Question 24

​Which of these isnot a problem facing the education system in Texas?

A)​The number of economically disadvantaged students, whichcontinues to grow within every ethnic group, has risen to 60 percent of all students.
B)​Texas ranks dead last among the states, with about 80 percent of its population holding high school degrees, comparedto 85 percentnationally.
C)​In Texas, the public school system continues to grow, averaging 1.9 percent growth each year, a rate nearly four times the growth of public schools nationwide.
D)​More than 800,000 Texas students have limited proficiency in the English language.
E)​Texas needs alarge numbers of teachers, and their high salaries and benefits drain the funding for education.

Question 25

​Which of these is not true of education in Texas?

A)Local Independent School Boards hire teachers, build school buildings, and make judgments about allocations of resources in their own local areas.
B)The state of Texas has a State Board of Education that makes broad decisions about what is required to gain an education in Texas and to graduate from a Texas high school.
C)The single largest area of the state budget is education.
D)​Local governments in Texas pay for the largest share of the costs of education in the state.
E)Spending large amounts of funds at the state and local levels has resulted in Texas having one of the best-funded education systems in the country.

Question 26

​In analyzing Texas laws dealing with unemployment,which statement is not accurate?

A)​Texas has a history of having laws that are not as protective of workers' rights as other states.
B)Texas has a "right-to-work" provision, prohibiting union membership as a condition for employment.
C)​Workers' compensation laws in Texas have generally had rather high costs with low worker benefits.
D)​Texas businesses and state government have pushed for more funding for the unemployed as a way to support economic growth in the state.
E)​In order to gain access to millions of national government dollars for unemployment, Texas had to provide coverage for workers not previously covered.

Question 27

Social services are likely to remain a perennial issue in Texas politics because _____.

A)the economy swings from boom to bust, and in low times the number of people requiring services increases while government revenue decreases
B)the state's immigration rate is high, and many immigrants lack essential job skills and become the working poor
C)disparities between rich and poor are growing
D)conservatism in Texas dominated politics in the early 2000s
E)all of these

Question 28

​Which statementabout academic standardized testing in Texas public schools is correct?

A)​Texas has had multiple different standardized exams over time.
B)​Critics charge that the testing has resulted in teachers who "teach to the test."
C)​Current testing requires more days of standardized testing than previous testing systems.
D)​There is general agreement that the state had begun to require far too much educational testing, and thus testing was reduced.
E)​All of these statements are correct.

Question 29

​Which of these is not true of "workfare"?

A)​It is a large program providing extensive job training, health care, and child care.
B)​It is an effort to reform welfare.
C)​Its emphasis is to push people off the welfare rolls and into the worforce.
D)​It has not successfully addressed the issues of child care.
E)​In Texas, it is limited to three years of benefits.

Question 30

​Which statement regarding education in Texas is correct?

A)​In Texas, the system is complex, with some of the responsibilities for public education residing at the state level and others at the local level.
B)In Texas, the largest single expenditure of government is for public education.
C)The federal government expanded its involvement in education through the No Child Left Behind Act, which established requirements for annual testing of students in core subject areas, mandated the hiring of qualified teachers, and allowed students in low-quality schools to transfer to more successful ones.
D)No Child Left Behind changed public education dramatically, but it has not been accompanied by funding necessary to accomplish its goals.
E)All of these statements are correct.
​

Question 31

​Which of these is an argument against enacting school vouchers?

A)​School vouchers would make public education better by creating competition between public and private schools.
B)​Since few poor children could afford private schools, even with vouchers, school vouchers would mainly help wealthy families.
C)​School vouchers would create incentives for public schools to improve.
D)​​School vouchers would save the state government money, since more students would go to private schools.
E)All of these are arguments against school vouchers.

Question 32

​Which of these statements is true regarding the funding of education?

A)​It is the largest single expenditure of state government.
B)​Ninety percent of education funding comes from state and local governments.
C)​Local school districts in Texas provide the largest portion of education funds.
D)​The No Child Left Behind Act, passed by the federal government, has changed public education dramatically,but it has not been accompanied by enough funding to accomplish its goals.
E)​All of these statements are true.

Question 33

What did No Child Left Behind,passed in 2001,do?

A)created a common high school curriculum for all states, and allowed students to transfer from unsuccessful schools to successful schools
B)allowed students to transfer from unsuccessful schools to successful schools, and required annual testing of students in core subjects
C)required annual testing of students in core subjects, and mandated that teachers earn master's degrees in their chosen subject areas as a condition for gaining teacher certification
D)created a common high school curriculum for all states, and required annual testing of students in core subjects
E)allowed students to transfer from unsuccessful schools to successful schools, and mandated that teachers earn master's degrees in their chosen subject areas as a condition for gaining teacher certification

Question 34

Modern education reform in Texas began in the mid-1980s with passage of an act that included higher attendance standards,a longer school year,and incentives for excellent teachers.This act,which is best known for itscontroversial recommendation that athletes and other students who were not passing their classes not be allowed to participate in extracurricular programs,is called the _____ Act.​

A)Robin Hood
B)Elementary and Secondary Education
C)No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
D)No Pass, No Play
E)State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR)

Question 35

​Which statement is not an accurate assessment of Texas's efforts to deal with welfare?

A)​The state is mainly interested in money; it tries to find ways not to spend state dollars on the poor and to get a bigger piece of the federal welfare pie.
B)Texas's political culture pushes the state to provide generous benefits that the state cannot afford.
C)Texas has a welfare problem that is tied to social divisionsresting on ethnic conflicts and struggles between the haves and the have-nots.
D)​Texas uses stringent qualifications for recipients in order to reduce the number of welfare recipients.
E)​Texas benefited from a booming economy, which resulted in a drop in the number of aid recipients.

Question 36

​As "workfare" is implemented under current Texas and federal laws,_____.

A)​Texas recipients qualify for onlythree years of assistance.
B)Many single mothers must leave their children alone or in poor-quality day care in order to work.
C)​Job training, education, and parenting classes do not count as "work" for the purposes of receiving benefits.
D)​Less parental care is likely to increase juvenile crime, poor school performance, and more welfare dependency.
E)​all of these

Question 37

​Most states supplement federal antipoverty programs with state funds.What is Texas's approach?

A)​Texas supplements federal antipoverty programs with state funds at roughly the same level as other states.
B)​Texas supplements federal antipoverty programs with state funds at more generous levels than other states.
C)​Texas takes a "bare bones" approach, providing very little additional state funding to federal antipoverty programs.
D)​Texas uses state funds to supplement health care for the poor, but not for other antipoverty programs.
E)​none of these

Question 38

Which of these is true of unemployment compensation?

A)It is a program that affects businesses and the poor.
B)​Unemployment compensationis a joint federal-state effort.
C)​Unemployment compensation involves payments to unemployed workers.
D)It isbased on funding through a tax on wages paid by employers.
E)​all of these

Question 39

All of these factors make it likely that welfare will be a perennial issue in Texas politics except _____.

A)the national tax policy has resulted in the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer
B)the economy haslittle impact on the poverty rate
C)the state's immigration rate is among the highest in the country
D)the poorest of the poor have lost income and have had trouble finding jobs since the 1996 welfare reforms
E)many of the Republican officials who now dominate Texas politics have an inherent dislike of social programs

Question 40

​When extra funding for Medicaid was made available to Texas through the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare),the state of Texas declined to accept the funds.Which statementexpresses the argument made as towhy Texas decided not to accept the federal funds?

A)​Federal funding would eventually end and the state would later have to bear the costs.
B)​Money from Texans' federal taxes would go to other states that accepted the increased Medicaid funding, instead of coming back to Texas.
C)​Texas hospitals would still have to pay to provide emergency care for the poor, but without any federal help to cover the costs.
D)​More than a million Texans not currently covered by Medicaid or other health insurance would gain insurance coverage.
E)​all of these

Question 41

Texas,after struggling to encourage diversity in higher education,developed the "top 8 percent rule."What do you think about this idea?Is this preferable to directly considering race in university admissions?If you were in charge of making public policy for Texas in this area,what would you do?

Question 42

​Which of these is a consequence of the state of Texas's trend of reducing financial support of colleges and universities?

A)​Tuition costs will continue to rise.
B)​Many students will find themselves attending "virtual universities," which offer discounted tuition for online learning.
C)Funding cuts from the state raise questions about the need for the state to support academic research.
D)​​Funding cuts from the state will challenge Texas universities' research productivity.
E)​All of these are consequences.

Question 43

​"An admissions program that takes race,gender,and ethnicity into account to attempt to make up for past patterns of discrimination"is the definition of_____.

A)​Brown v. Board of Education
B)​quotas
C)​diversity
D)​affirmative action
E)an ​unfair admissions process

Question 44

​Should Texas find ways to increase funding for social services?What are the arguments for and against doing so?

Question 45

​Which of the following is not true of charter schools?

A)​Charter schools are public schools set up to have a unique academic interest.
B)​Proponents argue that charter schools provide competition that will encourage standard public schools to improve their performance.
C)​Charter schools are another type of private, tuition-based school.
D)​Approximately one-third of charter schools have failed during their fifteen-year history.
E)​Charter schools have met with mixed success.

Question 46

Discuss how Texas compares with other states in terms of its response to the problem of poverty.Explain how the state welfare policy reflects the dominance of the traditionalistic-individualistic political culture of the state.

Question 47

​The "top 8 percent rule" _____.

A)​was designed to give university access to students who graduated from urban minority schools
B)​was designed to ensure that diversity would remain at state universities
C)requires the University of Texas and Texas A&M to admit anyone who finished in the top 8 percent of his or her high school class
D)​was response to a Texas attorney general ruling that affirmative action could not be used for admission to institutions of higher learning
E)​all of these

Question 48

​Which of these is not true of home schooling in Texas?

A)Home schools are a type of charter school.
B)​Home schooling in Texas operates "underground" without state approval.
C)​The Texas Supreme Court ruled that home schooling was protected just as private schooling was.
D)​Recent estimates are that as many as 300,000 Texas students are being educated at home.
E)​Home schools are a type of charter school, and home schooling in Texas operates "underground" without state approval.

Question 49

​Why is textbook selection in Texas a cause of concern for other states?

Question 50

​According to your text,what is the current status of using race in the admissions process?

A)​The use of race in admissions decisions must be "narrowly tailored."
B)​It is likely that affirmative action policies will be increasingly less relevant to admissions in the future.
C)​The "top 8 percent rule" remains in effect.
D)​All of these are correct.
E)​None of these is correct.

Question 51

​Which statementabout tuition at state colleges and universities in Texas is true?

A)​Texas was once known nationally for its low tuition.
B)​Tuition went up by more than an average of 80 percent from 2003 through the balance of the decade.
C)​The state has sought ways to lower its financial responsibilities for higher education.
D)Tuition was once the same at all state universities, but this is no longer the case.
E)​All of these statements are true.

Question 52

Which case outlawed the use of race as a factor in admission to law school?

A)Grutter v. Bollinger
B)Brown v. Board of Education
C)Smith v. Allwright
D)Texas v. Johnson
E)Hopwood v. Texas

Question 53

​For many years,Texas was well known for its low college tuition.Today,state financial support for higher education is declining and tuition costs are increasing.How does this affect your future educational and career plans?

Question 54

In 2010,the Texas State Board of Education made headlines for pushing changes to the social science curriculum,including _____.

A)downplaying the role of Thomas Jefferson among the founding fathers
B)mandating emphasis on the separation of church and state
C)downplaying the threat of communism during the Cold War
D)imposing a liberal bias on the curriculum
E)removing Sam Houston from Texas history texts

Question 55

​Textbook selection for public schools in Texas is important to the rest of the country because _____.

A)​Texas adopts much higher standards for textbooks than other states do
B)​the size of the Texas adoption means that textbooks written for the Texas public school market are pushed toother states around the country
C)​Texas's conservative curriculum standards, demonstrated in Texas textbooks, are pushed to other states around the country
D)the size of the Texas adoption means that textbooks written for the Texas public school market are pushed toother states around the country; and Texas's conservative curriculum standards, demonstrated in Texas textbooks, are pushed to other states around the country
E)​all of these

Question 56

Your text argues that several factors make it likely that social services spending will be a long-term issue in Texas.Why is this the case?

Question 57

Apolitical cartoon in your text poses a "pro-life" dilemma:Although Texans favor a pro-life position on abortion,the state poorly funds social and educational services for children.Why do you think Texans take these seemingly incompatible positions?

Question 58

​Assess the results of "workfare" reforms in Texas.How is Texas's approach different from that of other states?

Question 59

Explain the arguments of supporters and nonsupporters of school vouchers,charter schools,and home schooling.What impact do these alternatives have on the quality of public education in the state?

Question 60

Discuss the relative importance of income security programs and health care programs.Begin by defining the purposes of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families,Food Stamps,Medicaid,and theChildren's Health Insurance Program.Explain which of these programs will pose the largest challenge in public policy over the next few years.Why?

Question 61

Cross-Chapter Essay Question (Chapters 1,4,5,12,and 13): Over time,the state of Texas has shifted the burden of a college education onto individual students.At the same time,the state has shifted the financial responsibility of K‒12 education from the state government to local school districts.Why do you believe that the state has made these changes?Consider the role of political culture,political party control,voter turnout,and taxing/spending policies.​

Question 62

Cross-Chapter Essay Question (Chapters 12 and 13): Texas's K‒12 and higher education systems are chronically underfunded.To what extent are Texas's problems in funding education tied to the state's system of taxing?Explain.