The following questions refer to the excerpt below.
"[But] somewhere between 40,000,000 and 50,000,000 citizens of [the United States]… [are] poor… It is a blow to reform and the political hopes of the poor that the middle class no longer understands that poverty exists… What shall we tell the American poor?...Shall we say to them that they are better off than the Indian poor? That is one answer,but it is heartless…The means are at hand to fulfill the age-old dream: poverty can now be abolished."
Michael Harrington,The Other America,1962
-Conservative critics of the American government's reaction to the issues described in the passage

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The passage does not mention criticism of a "culture of conformity" or "increased measures for conservation." It does, however, suggest that there are "political hopes of the poor" that have not been fulfilled due to a lack of understanding and action from the middle class. The author also proposes that "the means are at hand to fulfill the age-old dream: poverty can now be abolished," indicating that they believe more could be done to transform economic realities. Conservative critics are mentioned as calling the government's efforts a "misuse of national authority," suggesting that they believe the government is overreaching in its attempts to address poverty. Therefore, the best choice is B.

The Following Questions Refer to the Excerpt Below