Question 1

What do public opinion polls reveal about welfare policies?

Accepted Answer

A)  They receive widespread support as long as they are means tested. 
B)  Americans view welfare beneficiaries as "undeserving." 
C)  Their popularity is low but has been steadily climbing since the 1970s. 
D)  The public support for welfare politics goes up when they are administered by the states. 
E)  Conservatives tend to favor them, while liberals oppose them. 
A)  They receive widespread support as long as they are means tested. 
B)  Americans view welfare beneficiaries as "undeserving." 
C)  Their popularity is low but has been steadily climbing since the 1970s. 
D)  The public support for welfare politics goes up when they are administered by the states. 
E)  Conservatives tend to favor them, while liberals oppose them.

Question 2

One reason that the AFDC program grew significantly in the 1970s was that

Accepted Answer

A)  voters passed initiatives in many states that required an increase in benefits. 
B)  a number of court decisions determined that benefits must be increased at a level greater than that of inflation each year. 
C)  Congress passed a number of laws that dramatically expanded the number of people who were eligible and the overall amount of in-kind benefits that would be provided to eligible people. 
D)  court decisions made it more difficult for the government to legally terminate people's benefits for a lack of eligibility. 
E)  state governments refused to administer the program unless the federal government spent more on benefits. 
A)  voters passed initiatives in many states that required an increase in benefits. 
B)  a number of court decisions determined that benefits must be increased at a level greater than that of inflation each year. 
C)  Congress passed a number of laws that dramatically expanded the number of people who were eligible and the overall amount of in-kind benefits that would be provided to eligible people. 
D)  court decisions made it more difficult for the government to legally terminate people's benefits for a lack of eligibility. 
E)  state governments refused to administer the program unless the federal government spent more on benefits.

Question 3

What was the primary problem with private charities before the development of the welfare state?

Accepted Answer

A)  They would make subjective decisions on who was deserving or undeserving of aid. 
B)  They were unable to get the necessary government licenses to operate legally. 
C)  They disrupted the constitutional separation of church and state. 
D)  They often kept donations for their own private use. 
E)  There were too many of them. 
A)  They would make subjective decisions on who was deserving or undeserving of aid. 
B)  They were unable to get the necessary government licenses to operate legally. 
C)  They disrupted the constitutional separation of church and state. 
D)  They often kept donations for their own private use. 
E)  There were too many of them.

Question 4

Which of the following groups receives the least benefits from government's social policies?

Accepted Answer

A)  the middle class 
B)  children 
C)  the elderly 
D)  the wealthy 
E)  minorities 
A)  the middle class 
B)  children 
C)  the elderly 
D)  the wealthy 
E)  minorities

Question 5

______ are programs where the government provides a tax deduction for spending on health insurance and other benefits by both employers and employees.

Accepted Answer

A)  Noncompulsory benefits 
B)  Tax expenditures 
C)  Direct services 
D)  Earned income tax credits 
E)  Supplemental Security Income 
A)  Noncompulsory benefits 
B)  Tax expenditures 
C)  Direct services 
D)  Earned income tax credits 
E)  Supplemental Security Income

Question 6

Which of the following statements about American's health care views is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

A)  Americans universally reject the idea that government should ensure that all people receive adequate health care. 
B)  Although a majority of Americans reject the idea that government should ensure that all people receive adequate health care, there is widespread agreement that government should adopt the "public option" system. 
C)  Although a majority of Americans believe that government should ensure that all people receive adequate health care, there is considerable disagreement about how to deliver such benefits and how to pay for them. 
D)  A majority of Americans believe that government should ensure that all people receive adequate health care and there is widespread agreement that government should take over all of the responsibilities currently given to health insurance companies. 
E)  A vast majority of Americans strongly favor government-run health care but only if state and local governments are placed in charge of administering all health care programs. 
A)  Americans universally reject the idea that government should ensure that all people receive adequate health care. 
B)  Although a majority of Americans reject the idea that government should ensure that all people receive adequate health care, there is widespread agreement that government should adopt the "public option" system. 
C)  Although a majority of Americans believe that government should ensure that all people receive adequate health care, there is considerable disagreement about how to deliver such benefits and how to pay for them. 
D)  A majority of Americans believe that government should ensure that all people receive adequate health care and there is widespread agreement that government should take over all of the responsibilities currently given to health insurance companies. 
E)  A vast majority of Americans strongly favor government-run health care but only if state and local governments are placed in charge of administering all health care programs.

Question 7

How did deregulation of the mortgage industry in 1999 help produce the housing crisis of 2007 and 2008?

Accepted Answer

A)  It drove housing prices down by preventing too many qualified people from obtaining the mortgages needed to purchase homes. 
B)  It allowed many new mortgage companies to form, offering "predatory" loans that people could not afford to repay. 
C)  It made foreclosures almost impossible under the law and allowed many people to stop paying their mortgages with no monetary penalties. 
D)  It eliminated most mortgage companies and forced potential homeowners to pay cash for their homes. 
E)  It increased property taxes to the point that many homeowners were forced to sell their homes. 
A)  It drove housing prices down by preventing too many qualified people from obtaining the mortgages needed to purchase homes. 
B)  It allowed many new mortgage companies to form, offering "predatory" loans that people could not afford to repay. 
C)  It made foreclosures almost impossible under the law and allowed many people to stop paying their mortgages with no monetary penalties. 
D)  It eliminated most mortgage companies and forced potential homeowners to pay cash for their homes. 
E)  It increased property taxes to the point that many homeowners were forced to sell their homes.

Question 8

Which of the following statements about noncontributory programs is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  Eligibility for these programs is determined through means testing. 
B)  These programs may provide public housing, food stamps, and school lunches. 
C)  The existence of these programs dates from the Civil War. 
D)  These programs underwent drastic reform in the 1990s. 
E)  These programs are relatively unpopular when compared to contributory programs. 
A)  Eligibility for these programs is determined through means testing. 
B)  These programs may provide public housing, food stamps, and school lunches. 
C)  The existence of these programs dates from the Civil War. 
D)  These programs underwent drastic reform in the 1990s. 
E)  These programs are relatively unpopular when compared to contributory programs.

Question 9

Which of the following least explains why the elderly receive a large share of social benefits?

Accepted Answer

A)  The elderly make up a large proportion of the population. 
B)  The elderly are perceived as deserving benefits. 
C)  The elderly have developed strong interest groups and lobbying techniques. 
D)  Most members of Congress are themselves elderly or soon will be. 
E)  The elderly tend to vote more than younger people. 
A)  The elderly make up a large proportion of the population. 
B)  The elderly are perceived as deserving benefits. 
C)  The elderly have developed strong interest groups and lobbying techniques. 
D)  Most members of Congress are themselves elderly or soon will be. 
E)  The elderly tend to vote more than younger people.

Question 10

The federal government's spending on AFDC fell after the mid-1970s because

Accepted Answer

A)  the Supreme Court's decision in Goldberg v. Kelly prohibited more than 15 percent of the budget from being spent on welfare. 
B)  unlike Social Security, AFDC was not indexed to inflation. 
C)  fewer and fewer people needed the benefits provided by the program. 
D)  most state governments started refusing to accept federal money for welfare programs. 
E)  the program's cost-of-living adjustments were linked to real gross domestic product rather than to inflation. 
A)  the Supreme Court's decision in Goldberg v. Kelly prohibited more than 15 percent of the budget from being spent on welfare. 
B)  unlike Social Security, AFDC was not indexed to inflation. 
C)  fewer and fewer people needed the benefits provided by the program. 
D)  most state governments started refusing to accept federal money for welfare programs. 
E)  the program's cost-of-living adjustments were linked to real gross domestic product rather than to inflation.

Question 11

Which of the following was a key part of President Obama's overhaul of No Child Left Behind?

Accepted Answer

A)  a proposal that states could apply for waivers that would exempt them from some of the requirements of No Child Left Behind 
B)  a proposal to change the criteria for allocating $14 billion in federal assistance to schools from a system of competitive grants to a per pupil formula 
C)  mandating a single nationwide standardized test to be taken by all students 
D)  providing an unprecedented amount of federal funding for school vouchers, allowing parents more freedom in choosing where their children attend school 
E)  setting national standards for textbooks at all levels of schooling below college 
A)  a proposal that states could apply for waivers that would exempt them from some of the requirements of No Child Left Behind 
B)  a proposal to change the criteria for allocating $14 billion in federal assistance to schools from a system of competitive grants to a per pupil formula 
C)  mandating a single nationwide standardized test to be taken by all students 
D)  providing an unprecedented amount of federal funding for school vouchers, allowing parents more freedom in choosing where their children attend school 
E)  setting national standards for textbooks at all levels of schooling below college

Question 12

The health care reform bill passed by Congress in 2010 prohibits insurers from denying benefits for preexisting conditions.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

The Great Depression altered American attitudes about the causes of and responsibility for poverty.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Which of the following is a program of forced savings?

Accepted Answer

A)  Medicaid 
B)  Medicare 
C)  Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) 
D)  food stamps 
E)  Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFD
C)  
A)  Medicaid 
B)  Medicare 
C)  Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) 
D)  food stamps 
E)  Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFD
C)

Question 15

Charter schools are best described as

Accepted Answer

A)  the first schools built in any local district. 
B)  schools that a district uses as the median by which to judge test scores. 
C)  private schools that are funded with tax vouchers. 
D)  public schools that are free to design special curricula. 
E)  private schools run by large corporations. 
A)  the first schools built in any local district. 
B)  schools that a district uses as the median by which to judge test scores. 
C)  private schools that are funded with tax vouchers. 
D)  public schools that are free to design special curricula. 
E)  private schools run by large corporations.

Question 16

What was the main fear concerning the consequences of outdoor relief?

Accepted Answer

A)  It perpetuated poverty. 
B)  It was not cost effective. 
C)  It involved the state too much. 
D)  It was unconstitutional. 
E)  It did not provide enough relief. 
A)  It perpetuated poverty. 
B)  It was not cost effective. 
C)  It involved the state too much. 
D)  It was unconstitutional. 
E)  It did not provide enough relief.

Question 17

Which of the following was not included in the congressional plans for health care reform?

Accepted Answer

A)  the creation of new state-based insurance exchanges 
B)  a provision requiring uninsured individuals to purchase health insurance 
C)  insurance regulation that prohibits insurers from denying benefits for a variety of reasons such as preexisting conditions 
D)  an expansion of the public programs Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) 
E)  a "public option" allowing individuals to acquire medical coverage directly from the government 
A)  the creation of new state-based insurance exchanges 
B)  a provision requiring uninsured individuals to purchase health insurance 
C)  insurance regulation that prohibits insurers from denying benefits for a variety of reasons such as preexisting conditions 
D)  an expansion of the public programs Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) 
E)  a "public option" allowing individuals to acquire medical coverage directly from the government

Question 18

The welfare reforms of 1996 did all of the following except

Accepted Answer

A)  place time limitations on how long a recipient could receive benefits. 
B)  grant block grants to the states to fund the programs. 
C)  restrict most legal immigrants from receiving benefits. 
D)  take the federal government out of welfare policy, granting all authority to the states. 
E)  give the states much more discretion in designing their cash-assistance programs to needy families. 
A)  place time limitations on how long a recipient could receive benefits. 
B)  grant block grants to the states to fund the programs. 
C)  restrict most legal immigrants from receiving benefits. 
D)  take the federal government out of welfare policy, granting all authority to the states. 
E)  give the states much more discretion in designing their cash-assistance programs to needy families.

Question 19

The main change in welfare policies since 1996 is

Accepted Answer

A)  increased use of noncash assistance. 
B)  increased benefits. 
C)  decreased use of means testing. 
D)  decreased use of job training programs. 
E)  increased use of direct cash assistance. 
A)  increased use of noncash assistance. 
B)  increased benefits. 
C)  decreased use of means testing. 
D)  decreased use of job training programs. 
E)  increased use of direct cash assistance.

Question 20

Over the past three decades, the level of federal payroll tax has ______, and the level of federal corporate taxes has ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  risen; risen 
B)  fallen; fallen 
C)  risen; fallen 
D)  fallen; risen 
E)  stayed the same; stayed the same 
A)  risen; risen 
B)  fallen; fallen 
C)  risen; fallen 
D)  fallen; risen 
E)  stayed the same; stayed the same

Exam 17: Social Policy

What do public opinion polls reveal about welfare policies?

One reason that the AFDC program grew significantly in the 1970s was that

What was the primary problem with private charities before the development of the welfare state?

Which of the following groups receives the least benefits from government's social policies?

______ are programs where the government provides a tax deduction for spending on health insurance and other benefits by both employers and employees.

Which of the following statements about American's health care views is most accurate?

How did deregulation of the mortgage industry in 1999 help produce the housing crisis of 2007 and 2008?

Which of the following statements about noncontributory programs is false?

Which of the following least explains why the elderly receive a large share of social benefits?

The federal government's spending on AFDC fell after the mid-1970s because

Which of the following was a key part of President Obama's overhaul of No Child Left Behind?

The health care reform bill passed by Congress in 2010 prohibits insurers from denying benefits for preexisting conditions.

The Great Depression altered American attitudes about the causes of and responsibility for poverty.

Which of the following is a program of forced savings?

Charter schools are best described as

What was the main fear concerning the consequences of outdoor relief?

Which of the following was not included in the congressional plans for health care reform?

The welfare reforms of 1996 did all of the following except

The main change in welfare policies since 1996 is

Over the past three decades, the level of federal payroll tax has ______, and the level of federal corporate taxes has ______.

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Over the past three decades, the level of federal payroll tax has , and the level of federal corporate taxes has .