CHAPTER 7 HOMEWORK Social Problems: Poverty
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1. "Poverty" refers to a standard of living below the minimum needed for the maintenance
of adequate diet, health, and shelter.
2. The official poverty line is set by the U.S. Bureau of the Census as a fixed percentage of
the average income of the American population.
3. Summary statistics about poverty rates among various racial groups mask the"
differences within groups.
4. Despite working, 30 percent of American workers who make up the "working poor"
remain poor because they hold menial, dead-end jobs with no benefits and low pay.
5. Woman are less likely than men to be among the "working poor" because of welfare,
child support, and alimony.
6. The «'hidden welfare system" refers to government aid that goes to the non-poor in the
form of tax loopholes, lower taxes, and tax avoidance by individuals and direct subsidies
and low-cost credit to corporations.
7. Poor children are two or more times more likely as other children to suffer from such
problems as stunted growth, physical and mental disability, and fatal injuries due to
accidents.
8. The "culture-of-poverty" hypothesis is based on the belief that the poor have a deviant
cult~1 pattern that is transmitted from generation to generation.
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9. Which of the following is a critique of the government poverty measure?
a. It does not take into account the regional variation in the cost of living.
b. It does not keep up with inflation.
c. It overlooks the fact that housing costs take up more of the family budget than
food.
d. All of the above are valid critiques.
10. People may be missed by the census because they
a. are homeless.
b. following the harvest from one area to another.
c. live in ghettos, more than one family to a home.
d. all of the above
11. All the following are reasons for the high poverty rate among the women EXCEPT
a. lower intelligence of women.
b. high frequency of divorce.
c. large number of never-married women with children.
d. poor job and earnings opportunities for women.
12. 'rhe largest cause of a person living their childhood in poverty is
a. the feminization of poverty.
33S0: Chapter 7 Homework b. c. d. 13. The
a. b. c. d. Page 2
people living in rural areas.
women voluntarily leaving the workforce.
none of the above
are those living
at or below half the poverty line.
below the poverty line.
at or below one-third of the poverty line.
transient lifestyles.
poor~poor
14. The term "wealthfare" is used to describe government aid
a. given to the poor countries in the Third World.
b. that goes to the poor.
c. that goes to the non-poor.
d. none of the above
15. The
a. b. c. d. poor
have a harder time getting insurance.
pay more for day-to-day products like milk and bread.
have a more difficult time obtaining loans.
all of the above
16. Poor children in the U.S. are
a. more likely to get better health care in government subsidized clinics.
b. three times more likely to die in childhood than their better...off peers.
c. more likely to receive better schooling.
d. none of the above.
17. The
a. b. c. d. infant mortality rate in some poor urban neighborhoods
exceeds the rate in Third World countries.
is equal to the rate in Third World countries.
is less than the rates in Third World countries.
is the same as in the suburbs.
18. All of the following are psychological consequences of being poor EXCEPT
a. being poor is degrading.
b. being poor leads one to define oneself as a failure.
c. being poor engenders hopelessness.
d. the poor are satisfied with what they have.
19. Which of the following is NOT a critique of the "culture...of-poverty" hypothesis?
a. It fails to consider that the behaviors described are a result of adaptation to
poverty.
b. It blames the poverty on the failings of society.
c. It blames the victims of poverty for their situations.
d. It fails to acknowledge that the poor are an integral part of the American capitalist
system.
20. All of the following characteristics of the capitalist system contribute to the persistence
of poverty EXCEPT
a. employers keep wages so low that many full-time workers live below the poverty
line.
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b. insuring low wages requires that there be a surplus of unemployed laborers.
c. employers make investment decision without regard for their employees.
d. corporate profits are diverted in the employee retirement programs, so they do no
good immediately.