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1 | |
Poverty in America was initially defined in terms of the assumption that food costs amount to about ____________ of a family's income. |
| | A) | one-fourth |
| | B) | one-third |
| | C) | one-fifth |
| | D) | one-sixth |
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2 | |
Regarding poverty in America, which of the following statements is the least accurate? |
| | A) | The number of poor at a given time gives us an estimate of how many will be poor over their lifetime. |
| | B) | There is continuous movement in or out of poverty. |
| | C) | Official poverty figures minimize the actual numbers of the poor. |
| | D) | One-third or more of Americans will suffer poverty at some point in their lives. |
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3 | |
The rate of poverty among whites in America is _____________ that for African Americans or Hispanics. |
| | A) | slightly higher than |
| | B) | about the same as |
| | C) | slightly lower than |
| | D) | substantially lower than |
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4 | |
In contrast to the urban poor, the rural poor in America are more likely to be: |
| | A) | white, single, and young. |
| | B) | white, elderly, disabled, and married. |
| | C) | black, elderly, and married. |
| | D) | black, single, and young. |
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5 | |
According to Kaus, as cited in your text, which of the following would NOT characterize the underclass poor? |
| | A) | a strong, but frustrated work ethic |
| | B) | a very high percentage of children born to fatherless families |
| | C) | more than half being on public assistance |
| | D) | entrepreneurial drive expressed in gang activity |
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6 | |
While the homeless are a very diverse group, your text reports that over the last decade ____________ have made up an increasing proportion of those without shelter. |
| | A) | single men |
| | B) | the mentally ill |
| | C) | women and children |
| | D) | disabled veterans |
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7 | |
As of 1997, which of the following statements is true regarding the distribution of income in America? |
| | A) | The bottom 40 percent has been gaining ground in the last decade. |
| | B) | The wealthiest one percent of Americans have 10 percent of the total wealth. |
| | C) | The top 5 percent have a smaller proportion of aggregate income than they did prior to World War II. |
| | D) | The proportionate income of the top 20 percent has declined slightly in the last decade. |
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8 | |
Which of the following statements about the chronically homeless does NOT tend to be true? |
| | A) | They are male. |
| | B) | They are single mothers. |
| | C) | They are drug abusers. |
| | D) | They have never been married. |
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9 | |
Rainwater, as cited in your text, argues that the poor employ survival strategies, one of which, the ___________ strategy, involves manipulating others while making oneself appealing. |
| | A) | depressive |
| | B) | regressive |
| | C) | violent |
| | D) | expressive |
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10 | |
A 1995 study of single mothers on welfare in four different cities revealed that the low level of assistance required them to do any or all of the following except: |
| | A) | resort to shoplifting. |
| | B) | get money from boyfriends. |
| | C) | get help from friends and relatives. |
| | D) | get money from unreported work. |
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11 | |
Among the poor, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, which of the following groups is most likely to suffer from not having enough to eat? |
| | A) | single mothers |
| | B) | unemployed men |
| | C) | married couples with children |
| | D) | elderly couples |
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12 | |
Concerning the consequences of inadequate diet, your text points out that ___________ in the first year of life is associated with an inability to concentrate in school. |
| | A) | pellagra |
| | B) | scurvy |
| | C) | rickets |
| | D) | protein deficiency |
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13 | |
A key dilemma for a person who is poor is being forced to choose between __________ and change. |
| | A) | poverty |
| | B) | powerlessness |
| | C) | hopelessness |
| | D) | security |
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14 | |
To illustrate the frustration of powerlessness, your text tells the story of a young woman who reported that on the opening night of a school play she was in, her father got drunk and failed to make it to the school. She later realized that the reason he had gotten drunk was because he: |
| | A) | was ashamed of his clothing. |
| | B) | was ashamed of his daughter. |
| | C) | typically got drunk at night. |
| | D) | used drinking to justify being unemployed. |
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15 | |
The authors of your text used the example of the 1967 Medicaid program to illustrate: |
| | A) | the indifference of the poor to public policy decisions. |
| | B) | the drawbacks of multiple decision-making centers. |
| | C) | the middle-class control of bureaucracies. |
| | D) | the complexities of getting government aid. |
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16 | |
Consumer advocate Ralph Nader identified four areas of abuse attributed to our "corporate welfare state." Which of the following was NOT one of the areas identified? |
| | A) | the tax structure |
| | B) | bailouts |
| | C) | tax-payer-funded research and development |
| | D) | subsidies to profit-making businesses |
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17 | |
Relative to those who are not poor, when all impacts of federal, state, and local taxes are considered, it turns out that the poor have paid __________ proportion of their income in taxes. |
| | A) | a very low |
| | B) | a low |
| | C) | about as high a |
| | D) | a significantly higher |
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18 | |
Regarding poverty and the economy, which of the following statements is NOT true? |
| | A) | The concentration of income at the top of the economy has increased. |
| | B) | Many of the poor are trapped in a circle of poverty. |
| | C) | Our economic system maintains a fixed rate of unemployment. |
| | D) | A certain percentage of workers will always be paid poverty-level wages. |
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19 | |
Studies have shown that people in upper, middle, and lower social strata use language differently with respect to all of the following except: |
| | A) | recognizing personal names. |
| | B) | pronunciation. |
| | C) | styles of choosing words. |
| | D) | intonation or stress. |
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20 | |
The American ideology of wealth and poverty holds that there are opportunities for advancement available to all. Survey studies reveal that _____________ endorse(s) this ideology. |
| | A) | few who are well-off |
| | B) | more poor than well-off |
| | C) | virtually no one who is poor |
| | D) | some of the poor |
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21 | |
Poverty was not defined as a problem until quite recently. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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22 | |
The high rate of poverty among American children is not a new phenomenon in our history. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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23 | |
The income disparity between rich and poor in America is the greatest of any industrial nation. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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24 | |
There has been a fairly large percentage of long-term dependency among welfare recipients. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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25 | |
The Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, which replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program in 1996, assures a combined value of food stamps and TANF benefits at about the poverty level. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education