Question 1

If the government takes a bigger bite from the income of a rich family than from the income of a poor family,then the tax system is

Accepted Answer

A) progressive. 
B) proportional. 
C) regressive. 
D) redistributive. 
E) retrogressive. 
A) progressive. 
B) proportional. 
C) regressive. 
D) redistributive. 
E) retrogressive.

Question 2

A tax in which the tax rate increases with increases in income is a(n)

Accepted Answer

A) progressive tax. 
B) regressive tax. 
C) proportional tax. 
D) example of relative deprivation. 
E) earned-income tax credit. 
A) progressive tax. 
B) regressive tax. 
C) proportional tax. 
D) example of relative deprivation. 
E) earned-income tax credit.

Question 3

If you work,you contribute ____ percent of your wages up to $102,000 to Social Security and your employer matches it.

Accepted Answer

A) 3 
B) 6.2 
C) 10 
D) 15 
E) 20 
A) 3 
B) 6.2 
C) 10 
D) 15 
E) 20

Question 4

Compare the extent of social policies in the United States with those of other Western democracies.

Accepted Answer

Social policies in the United States dif

Question 5

Describe the principal social welfare programs sponsored by the American government.What is the difference between entitlements and means-tested programs,and which are better funded? Is the government spending too much,too little,or about the right amount on social welfare programs? Explain.

Accepted Answer

The principal social welfare programs sp

Question 6

Which of the following statements about wealth in the United States is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A) The top 1 percent of the wealth-holders currently possess about 30 percent of all American wealth. 
B) The wealth of the richest 1 percent exceeds the wealth of the bottom 90 percent. 
C) There are now over two million millionaires in the world,most in the United States. 
D) Between 1979 and 1995,the poorest one-fifth of the population saw their real incomes increase,while the richest one-fifth of the population saw their real incomes decrease. 
E) Since the 1980s,the rich have gotten richer and the poor have gotten poorer. 
A) The top 1 percent of the wealth-holders currently possess about 30 percent of all American wealth. 
B) The wealth of the richest 1 percent exceeds the wealth of the bottom 90 percent. 
C) There are now over two million millionaires in the world,most in the United States. 
D) Between 1979 and 1995,the poorest one-fifth of the population saw their real incomes increase,while the richest one-fifth of the population saw their real incomes decrease. 
E) Since the 1980s,the rich have gotten richer and the poor have gotten poorer.

Question 7

Poor families pay a higher percentage of their incomes in state sales taxes than well-to-do families.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

________ is the value of assets owned,including stocks,bonds,bank accounts,cars,houses,and so forth.

Accepted Answer

A) Income 
B) Wealth 
C) Taxable income 
D) Net earnings 
E) Net profit 
A) Income 
B) Wealth 
C) Taxable income 
D) Net earnings 
E) Net profit

Question 9

The U.S.poverty line,that is,the income threshold below which people are considered poor,is based on a formula that multiplies the cost of the U.S.Department of Agriculture's subsistence diet by three.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Most industrial nations are more generous with social welfare programs than is the United States.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

The courts have ruled that Proposition 187,the 1994 California initiative that prohibited illegal immigrants from receiving social welfare benefits,violated the civil rights of illegal immigrants.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

What was the median American household income in 2009,according to the U.S.Census Bureau?

Accepted Answer

A) $39,777 
B) $49,777 
C) $59,777 
D) $69,777 
E) $79,777 
A) $39,777 
B) $49,777 
C) $59,777 
D) $69,777 
E) $79,777

Question 13

What explains why politicians are reluctant to attempt to significantly reform Social Security?

Accepted Answer

A) Politicians are self-interested and want to protect their own retirement. 
B) Older Americans vote at higher rates than do younger Americans; politicians fear a backlash from older Americans. 
C) Politicians seek to avoid blame for the failures of Social Security. 
D) Social Security has been so successful; few see a need for meaningful reform. 
E) Both a and c are true. 
A) Politicians are self-interested and want to protect their own retirement. 
B) Older Americans vote at higher rates than do younger Americans; politicians fear a backlash from older Americans. 
C) Politicians seek to avoid blame for the failures of Social Security. 
D) Social Security has been so successful; few see a need for meaningful reform. 
E) Both a and c are true.

Question 14

The sales tax is an example of a(n)________ tax.

Accepted Answer

A) earned-income 
B) progressive 
C) regressive 
D) proportional 
E) unitary 
A) earned-income 
B) progressive 
C) regressive 
D) proportional 
E) unitary

Question 15

According to the U.S.Census Bureau,the median household income in the U.S.in 2009 was $49,777.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Policies that provide benefits,cash or in-kind,to individuals based on either entitlement or means testing are called social welfare policies.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Benefits given by the government directly to individuals are called transfer payments.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

The official poverty count is most likely an overestimate because there is a lag in the poverty count compared to the number of people who "work their way out of poverty."

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

According to Timothy Smeeding,

Accepted Answer

A) the U.S. has seen large increases in income inequality over the last four decades. 
B) income inequality is greater in the U.S. than most developed countries. 
C) the U.S. has the widest extremes of income compared to other developed countries. 
D) All of these are true. 
E) None of these is true. 
A) the U.S. has seen large increases in income inequality over the last four decades. 
B) income inequality is greater in the U.S. than most developed countries. 
C) the U.S. has the widest extremes of income compared to other developed countries. 
D) All of these are true. 
E) None of these is true.

Question 20

All social welfare policies are means tested.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

If the government takes a bigger bite from the income of a rich family than from the income of a poor family,then the tax system is

A tax in which the tax rate increases with increases in income is a(n)

If you work,you contribute ____ percent of your wages up to $102,000 to Social Security and your employer matches it.

Compare the extent of social policies in the United States with those of other Western democracies.

Describe the principal social welfare programs sponsored by the American government.What is the difference between entitlements and means-tested programs,and which are better funded? Is the government spending too much,too little,or about the right amount on social welfare programs? Explain.

Which of the following statements about wealth in the United States is FALSE?

Poor families pay a higher percentage of their incomes in state sales taxes than well-to-do families.

________ is the value of assets owned,including stocks,bonds,bank accounts,cars,houses,and so forth.

The U.S.poverty line,that is,the income threshold below which people are considered poor,is based on a formula that multiplies the cost of the U.S.Department of Agriculture's subsistence diet by three.

Most industrial nations are more generous with social welfare programs than is the United States.

The courts have ruled that Proposition 187,the 1994 California initiative that prohibited illegal immigrants from receiving social welfare benefits,violated the civil rights of illegal immigrants.

What was the median American household income in 2009,according to the U.S.Census Bureau?

What explains why politicians are reluctant to attempt to significantly reform Social Security?

The sales tax is an example of a(n)________ tax.

According to the U.S.Census Bureau,the median household income in the U.S.in 2009 was $49,777.

Policies that provide benefits,cash or in-kind,to individuals based on either entitlement or means testing are called social welfare policies.

Benefits given by the government directly to individuals are called transfer payments.

The official poverty count is most likely an overestimate because there is a lag in the poverty count compared to the number of people who "work their way out of poverty."

According to Timothy Smeeding,

All social welfare policies are means tested.

Introducing Government in America

The Constitution

Federalism

Civil Liberties and Public Policy

Civil Rights and Public Policy

Public Opinion and Political Action

The Mass Media and the Political Agenda

Political Parties

Campaigns and Voting Behavior

Interest Groups

Congress

The Presidency

The Federal Bureaucracy

The Federal Courts

Congress,the President,and the Budget: the Politics of Taxing and Spending

National Security Policymaking

Filters

Exam 16: Social Welfare Policymaking

If the government takes a bigger bite from the income of a rich family than from the income of a poor family,then the tax system is

A tax in which the tax rate increases with increases in income is a(n)

If you work,you contribute ____ percent of your wages up to $102,000 to Social Security and your employer matches it.

Compare the extent of social policies in the United States with those of other Western democracies.

Describe the principal social welfare programs sponsored by the American government.What is the difference between entitlements and means-tested programs,and which are better funded? Is the government spending too much,too little,or about the right amount on social welfare programs? Explain.

Which of the following statements about wealth in the United States is FALSE?

Poor families pay a higher percentage of their incomes in state sales taxes than well-to-do families.

________ is the value of assets owned,including stocks,bonds,bank accounts,cars,houses,and so forth.

The U.S.poverty line,that is,the income threshold below which people are considered poor,is based on a formula that multiplies the cost of the U.S.Department of Agriculture's subsistence diet by three.

Most industrial nations are more generous with social welfare programs than is the United States.

The courts have ruled that Proposition 187,the 1994 California initiative that prohibited illegal immigrants from receiving social welfare benefits,violated the civil rights of illegal immigrants.

What was the median American household income in 2009,according to the U.S.Census Bureau?

What explains why politicians are reluctant to attempt to significantly reform Social Security?

The sales tax is an example of a(n)________ tax.

According to the U.S.Census Bureau,the median household income in the U.S.in 2009 was $49,777.

Policies that provide benefits,cash or in-kind,to individuals based on either entitlement or means testing are called social welfare policies.

Benefits given by the government directly to individuals are called transfer payments.

The official poverty count is most likely an overestimate because there is a lag in the poverty count compared to the number of people who "work their way out of poverty."

According to Timothy Smeeding,

All social welfare policies are means tested.

Introducing Government in America

The Constitution

Federalism

Civil Liberties and Public Policy

Civil Rights and Public Policy

Public Opinion and Political Action

The Mass Media and the Political Agenda

Political Parties

Campaigns and Voting Behavior

Interest Groups

Congress

The Presidency

The Federal Bureaucracy

The Federal Courts

Congress,the President,and the Budget: the Politics of Taxing and Spending

National Security Policymaking

Filters