question

The goals of American social policy are:

answer

often controversial.

question

Which of the following is an example of 19th century "indoor relief"?

answer

the police station

question

Which group was the first to receive government assistance throughout the United States?

answer

mothers with dependent children

question

Social case work, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, was largely concerned with:

answer

personal counseling and "mental hygiene."

question

How did the Great Depression change American attitudes about welfare?

answer

It revealed that poverty could be caused by a flawed economic system, not just by personal irresponsibility.

question

When was Social Security established?

answer

1935

question

Social Security is a good example of:

answer

a contributory program.

question

Which of the following is not a program of forced savings?

answer

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

question

Which of the following statements about Social Security is false?

answer

Contributors receive benefits in strict proportion to their contribution.

question

Medicare is a _____ program; Medicaid is a _____ program.

answer

contributory; noncontributory

question

The periodic adjustment of benefits or wages that takes into account the increased cost of living is called:

answer

indexing.

question

Why have Americans typically been apprehensive about government efforts to reform health care?

answer

They fear reform will be too costly and will jeopardize current health care arrangements.

question

A cost-of-living adjustment is based on what?

answer

the rate of inflation

question

When potential recipients of a benefit establish their genuine need, the government program is called:

answer

means tested.

question

What important noncontributory program was abolished by Congress in 1996?

answer

Aid to Families with Dependent Children

question

When was Medicare established?

answer

1965

question

The Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program is administered:

answer

by the states, with benefit levels varying between states.

question

Which of the following statements about noncontributory programs is false?

answer

The existence of these programs dates from the Civil War.

question

Which program was designed to help argument the benefits to the aged, blind, and disabled?

answer

Supplemental Security Income

question

Which of the following is an in-kind benefit?

answer

food stamps

question

How does an entitlement differ from a right?

answer

Unlike an entitlement, a right cannot be taken away by an act of Congress.

question

What was the significance of the Supreme Court case Goldberg v. Kelly?

answer

It held that public assistance benefits could not be revoked without due process of law.

question

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

answer

closing the gap between rich and poor

question

What do public opinion polls reveal about welfare policies?

answer

They are among the most disliked government programs.

question

What was the reason behind Progressive-era welfare for single mothers?

answer

Reformers wanted women to stay home with their children rather than go to work.

question

The welfare reforms of 1996 did all of the following except:

answer

take the federal government out of welfare policy, granting all authority to the states.

question

Which of the following can be concluded from the results of the 1996 welfare reforms?

answer

The reforms have reduced the number of people on welfare but have done little to reduce poverty.

question

The main change in welfare policies since 1996 is:

answer

increases use of non-cash assistance.

question

Approximately what percentage of the current federal budget is spent on entitlement programs, such as Social Security and Medicare?

answer

55 percent

question

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

answer

risen; fallen

question

Which of the following social policies is most costly to the government?

answer

Social Security

question

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

answer

The political consensus supporting a federal retirement program is crumbling.

question

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

answer

private accounts

question

The goals of social policy:

answer

reflect changing views about which risks should be borne by the individual, or shared by society.

question

After the election of 2004, President George W. Bush announced that _____ would be the centerpiece of his domestic policy.

answer

Social Security reform

question

The first federal government assistance in education came:

answer

in 1785, when the federal government set aside land for public schools.

question

What is the most significant force determining the distribution of opportunities in the United States?

answer

education

question

What was the most significant education policy developed by the federal government in the 19th century?

answer

the establishment of land-grant colleges

question

What event brought federal attention to elementary school education?

answer

the fear that the Soviets were winning the Cold War through better technology

question

The idea that all people should have the freedom to use whatever talents and wealth they have to achieve their goals is called:

answer

equality of opportunity.

question

Which of the following statements about the No Child Left Behind Act is false?

answer

It creates a standard national test for all students.

question

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

answer

a proposal to change the criteria for allocating $14 billion in federal assistance to schools from a per pupil formula to a system of competitive grants

question

Which of the following is not a reason why the No Child Left Behind Act has been controversial?

answer

The states were made responsible for setting standards and devising appropriate tests.

question

Charter schools are best described as:

answer

public schools that are free to design special curricula.

question

Who was in charge of caring for the poor during the 19th century?

answer

private corporations

question

Since the 1930s, American employment and training programs have:

answer

fared poorly in terms of both expense and results.

question

Which of the following was created during the New Deal?

answer

Works Progress Administration

question

When was the U.S. Public Health Service founded?

answer

1798

question

What was the result of the efforts to reform health care in the United States in 1994?

answer

Health care reform met resistance and no bill was voted on by Congress.

question

In 2010, approximately what percentage of American workers were offered health insurance through their jobs?

answer

60 percent

question

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

answer

a "public option" allowing individuals to acquire medical coverage directly from the government

question

The central thrust of federal housing policy has been to:

answer

promote homeownership.

question

In 2007 and 2008, the government faced a housing crisis cause by:

answer

foreclosures.

question

Which of the following is the strongest factor in predicting which groups in society receive the most benefits from government's social policies?

answer

groups that are the most politically powerful

question

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

answer

the middle class

question

When did the American welfare state begin?

answer

the 1930s

question

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

answer

children

question

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

answer

Most members of Congress are themselves elderly or soon will be.

question

AARP has a membership of approximately _____ members.

answer

40 million

question

Between 1959 and 2004, the percentage of elderly Americans living in poverty has gone from ___ to ___.

answer

35 percents; 10 percent

question

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

answer

Tax expenditures.

question

Which of the following is the best example of the shadow welfare state?

answer

workplace medical insurance

question

What is the shadow welfare state?

answer

social benefits that are distributed by private employers who are being subsidized by the government

question

Which of the following programs most benefits the working poor?

answer

earned income tax credits

question

Which of the following is not a reason the working poor receive such a small amount of social policy benefits?

answer

The working poor are often considered undeserving by public opinion.

question

Since the welfare reforms of 1996, what is the primary reason for receiving federal cash assistance if one is nonworking and able-bodied?

answer

The recipient is caring for children.

question

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

answer

They would make subjective decisions on who was deserving or undeserving of aid.

question

Since the mid-1990s, by how much has the number of welfare recipients declined in the United States?

answer

over 50 percent

question

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

answer

Men are more likely to be poor than women.

question

Which of the following groups are more than twice as likely as other Americans to be below the poverty line?

answer

single mothers

question

According to the text, why is it difficult to lobby for the interests of poor children?

answer

Children cannot vote.

question

What was outdoor relief distributed by private charities?

answer

money

question

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

answer

It perpetuated poverty.

GOVT 2302: Quiz 14 – Flashcards

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