Question 1

The number of families receiving welfare

Accepted Answer

A)  has decreased every year since 1996. 
B)  has increased every year since 1996. 
C)  has not changed significantly since the 1960s. 
D)  decreased dramatically between 1993 and 2004 but increased significantly between 2004 and 2008. 
E)  increased dramatically between 1993 and 2004 but decreased significantly between 2004 and 2008. 
A)  has decreased every year since 1996. 
B)  has increased every year since 1996. 
C)  has not changed significantly since the 1960s. 
D)  decreased dramatically between 1993 and 2004 but increased significantly between 2004 and 2008. 
E)  increased dramatically between 1993 and 2004 but decreased significantly between 2004 and 2008.

Question 2

Which of the following is an example of nineteenth-century "indoor relief"?

Accepted Answer

A)  the police station 
B)  job placement services 
C)  subsidized schools and training centers 
D)  passes to hotels 
E)  cash payments 
A)  the police station 
B)  job placement services 
C)  subsidized schools and training centers 
D)  passes to hotels 
E)  cash payments

Question 3

Americans do not benefit equally from social programs. Describe and analyze the distribution of government benefits. What groups benefit the most and from what types of programs? Who receives the fewest benefits, and why is this so?

Accepted Answer

The distribution of government benefits

Question 4

The individual mandate requires uninsured individuals to purchase health insurance.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Which of the following is not a goal of American social policy?

Accepted Answer

A)  the alleviation of poverty 
B)  the promotion of equality of opportunity 
C)  closing the gap between rich and poor 
D)  protecting people against disability and illness 
E)  protecting people against temporary unemployment 
A)  the alleviation of poverty 
B)  the promotion of equality of opportunity 
C)  closing the gap between rich and poor 
D)  protecting people against disability and illness 
E)  protecting people against temporary unemployment

Question 6

Which of the following programs most benefits the working poor?

Accepted Answer

A)  earned income tax credits 
B)  Medicaid 
C)  Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 
D)  subsidized student loans 
E)  Social Security 
A)  earned income tax credits 
B)  Medicaid 
C)  Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 
D)  subsidized student loans 
E)  Social Security

Question 7

Spending on Social Security is difficult to control because benefits automatically go up along with inflation.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Part of the reason welfare programs became so unpopular was that

Accepted Answer

A)  many Americans came to believe that welfare recipients did not want to work. 
B)  the benefits provided by the program were too small to actually help recipients improve their lives. 
C)  the programs were completely taken over by the federal government rather than having input from state and local governments. 
D)  the programs were completely taken over by state and local governments rather than having input from the federal government. 
E)  federal judges frequently ruled them to be unconstitutional. 
A)  many Americans came to believe that welfare recipients did not want to work. 
B)  the benefits provided by the program were too small to actually help recipients improve their lives. 
C)  the programs were completely taken over by the federal government rather than having input from state and local governments. 
D)  the programs were completely taken over by state and local governments rather than having input from the federal government. 
E)  federal judges frequently ruled them to be unconstitutional.

Question 9

Which of the following is not an identifiable problem with Social Security?

Accepted Answer

A)  As the workforce gets older, the government will be forced to spend more on Social Security entitlements. 
B)  The investment made in Social Security will soon fall below the interest available in an insured bank account. 
C)  The political consensus supporting a federal retirement program is crumbling. 
D)  The government is projected to experience shortfalls in the Social Security Trust Fund within a generation. 
E)  As baby boomers retire, there will not be enough workers to cover their Social Security benefits. 
A)  As the workforce gets older, the government will be forced to spend more on Social Security entitlements. 
B)  The investment made in Social Security will soon fall below the interest available in an insured bank account. 
C)  The political consensus supporting a federal retirement program is crumbling. 
D)  The government is projected to experience shortfalls in the Social Security Trust Fund within a generation. 
E)  As baby boomers retire, there will not be enough workers to cover their Social Security benefits.

Question 10

Medicare is a ______ program; Medicaid is a ______ program.

Accepted Answer

A)  noncontributory; contributory 
B)  contributory; noncontributory 
C)  contributory; contributory 
D)  noncontributory; noncontributory 
E)  existing; now defunct 
A)  noncontributory; contributory 
B)  contributory; noncontributory 
C)  contributory; contributory 
D)  noncontributory; noncontributory 
E)  existing; now defunct

Question 11

Children and the working poor receive the fewest benefits from government social policies.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

The goals of American social policy are

Accepted Answer

A)  popular and receive wide support. 
B)  often controversial. 
C)  determined not by popular opinion but by the Constitution. 
D)  often changed drastically from administration to administration. 
E)  similar to those seen in the social programs of other countries. 
A)  popular and receive wide support. 
B)  often controversial. 
C)  determined not by popular opinion but by the Constitution. 
D)  often changed drastically from administration to administration. 
E)  similar to those seen in the social programs of other countries.

Question 13

Describe some of the earliest forms of welfare. Why was welfare so controversial for much of American history? What event did the most to transform American attitudes toward poverty relief and why?

Accepted Answer

Some of the earliest forms of welfare in

Question 14

The earliest form of public welfare in the United States was distributed by the individual states and paid for with property taxes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

When did the American welfare state begin?

Accepted Answer

A)  the 1890s 
B)  the 1920s 
C)  the 1930s 
D)  the 1960s 
E)  the 1980s 
A)  the 1890s 
B)  the 1920s 
C)  the 1930s 
D)  the 1960s 
E)  the 1980s

Question 16

The idea of ______ was at the heart of George W. Bush's 2005 plan for Social Security reform.

Accepted Answer

A)  termination 
B)  private accounts 
C)  universal access 
D)  benefit reduction 
E)  benefit increase 
A)  termination 
B)  private accounts 
C)  universal access 
D)  benefit reduction 
E)  benefit increase

Question 17

In what ways do social policies reflect and challenge the traditional American values of liberty, equality, and democracy? In what ways do liberals and conservatives tend to react differently to poverty and social policies? Draw on the debate around the 2010 health care reform bill in your discussion.

Accepted Answer

Social policies in the United States oft

Question 18

No Child Left Behind created a national test on math and reading that all elementary school children must pass.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Which of the following is an in-kind benefit?

Accepted Answer

A)  Social Security 
B)  cost-of-living adjustments 
C)  Medicaid 
D)  Veterans benefits payments 
E)  Supplemental Security Income 
A)  Social Security 
B)  cost-of-living adjustments 
C)  Medicaid 
D)  Veterans benefits payments 
E)  Supplemental Security Income

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

A)  the middle class 
B)  the working poor 
C)  children 
D)  racial and ethnic minorities 
E)  the nonworking poor 
A)  the middle class 
B)  the working poor 
C)  children 
D)  racial and ethnic minorities 
E)  the nonworking poor

Exam 17: Social Policy

The number of families receiving welfare

Which of the following is an example of nineteenth-century "indoor relief"?

Americans do not benefit equally from social programs. Describe and analyze the distribution of government benefits. What groups benefit the most and from what types of programs? Who receives the fewest benefits, and why is this so?

The individual mandate requires uninsured individuals to purchase health insurance.

Which of the following is not a goal of American social policy?

Which of the following programs most benefits the working poor?

Spending on Social Security is difficult to control because benefits automatically go up along with inflation.

Part of the reason welfare programs became so unpopular was that

Which of the following is not an identifiable problem with Social Security?

Medicare is a ______ program; Medicaid is a ______ program.

Children and the working poor receive the fewest benefits from government social policies.

The goals of American social policy are

Describe some of the earliest forms of welfare. Why was welfare so controversial for much of American history? What event did the most to transform American attitudes toward poverty relief and why?

The earliest form of public welfare in the United States was distributed by the individual states and paid for with property taxes.

When did the American welfare state begin?

The idea of ______ was at the heart of George W. Bush's 2005 plan for Social Security reform.

No Child Left Behind created a national test on math and reading that all elementary school children must pass.

Which of the following is an in-kind benefit?

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

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Medicare is a program; Medicaid is a program.