Chapter 2: Social Class

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Social stratification refers to ______.

a. a large number of people with similar amounts of income and education

b. one’s social ranking

c. the degree to which people feel a part of social groups

d. the ranking of individuals into social strata or groups

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Which is TRUE of the poverty threshold?

a. It fails to include foster children or families living in military barracks.

b. It is set at twice the cost of the economy food plan.

c. It varies by geographic location.

d. It was originally based on the consumer price index.

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Does It Mean to Be Poor?

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Which area of the United States has the highest poverty rate?

a. West

b. South

c. Midwest

d. Northeast

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Does It Mean to Be Poor?

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. The term life chances, coined by Max Weber, explains how each social position provides access to ______.

a. goods and services

b. high positions in government

c. religious enlightenment

d. happiness and self-fulfillment

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. ______ refers to a lack of necessities, such as food, shelter, and income.

a. Absolute poverty

b. Basic poverty

c. Relative poverty

d. Status poverty

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Does It Mean to Be Poor?

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. The term “relative” poverty emphasizes the ______ gap between the richest and poorest Americans.

a. decreasing

b. growing

c. completely nonexistent

d. socially constructed

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: What Does It Mean to Be Poor?

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. Based on 2016 figures, which group in the United States has the highest percentage of its members in poverty?

a. non-Hispanic Whites

b. Hispanics

c. blacks

d. Native Americans

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Does It Mean to Be Poor?

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. Which U.S. states had the highest three-year average poverty rates between 2014 and 2016?

a. Louisiana, New Mexico, and Mississippi

b. South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida

c. Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana

d. Montana, Wyoming, and Oklahoma

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Does It Mean to Be Poor?

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. Based on 2016 U.S. poverty figures, what race has the highest numbers of poor in the United States?

a. blacks

b. whites

c. Hispanics

d. Asians

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Does It Mean to Be Poor?

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. The ______ is the original federal poverty measure developed by the Social Security Administration and updated each year by the U.S. Census Bureau.

a. Household Food Consumption Survey

b. USDA

c. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

d. Poverty Threshold

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What does it mean to be poor?

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. The USDA based the poverty threshold on the 1955 Household Food Consumption Survey, which found that families of three or more people spent about ______ of their after-tax income on food.

a. one-third

b. one-fourth

c. one-half

d. two-thirds

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Federal Definitions of Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

12. ______ refers to a situation where some people fall below the average income or life style enjoyed by the rest of society.

a. Absolute poverty

b. Basic poverty

c. Relative poverty

d. Status poverty

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What does it mean to be poor?

Difficulty Level: Medium

13. Which sociological perspective asserts that during periods of economic crisis, the state expands welfare rolls to pacify the poor and reduce the likelihood of serious uprising?

a. feminist

b. interactionist

c. functionalist

d. conflict

Learning Objective: 2-2: Compare the four sociological perspectives on social class and poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Sociological Perspectives on Social Class and Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

14. Which of these would an Interactionist studying poverty be most interested in?

a. the public’s perception of welfare and its recipients

b. how poverty helps society operate

c. the welfare policies that disadvantage the poor

d. how the power elite are able to use political action committees

Learning Objective: 2-2: Compare the four sociological perspectives on social class and poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Sociological Perspectives on Social Class and Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

15. Jane is interested in how the poor provide necessary services for society such as providing jobs for those who serve them. Jane is examining poverty through the ______ perspective.

a. feminist

b. interactionist

c. functionalist

d. conflict

Learning Objective: 2-2: Compare the four sociological perspectives on social class and poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Sociological Perspectives on Social Class and Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

16. The feminist perspective points out that U.S. welfare policy is shaped by which of these?

a. religious beliefs and corporate influence

b. religious beliefs and the patriarchal family

c. male dominance and corporate influence

d. the patriarchal family and male dominance

Learning Objective: 2-2: Compare the four sociological perspectives on social class and poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Sociological Perspectives on Social Class and Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

17. Which of these two perspectives agree that inequality is inevitable in society?

a. functionalism and feminism

b. functionalism and conflict perspectives

c. feminism and interactionist perspectives

c. interactionist and functionalist perspectives

Learning Objective: 2-2: Compare the four sociological perspectives on social class and poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Sociological Perspectives on Social Class and Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

18. Nancy Fraser argues that there are masculinized and feminized welfare programs. The masculinized program is associated with which of these?

a. the family or household

b. the labor market

c. food security

d. religious beliefs

Learning Objective: 2-2: Compare the four sociological perspectives on social class and poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Sociological Perspectives on Social Class and Poverty

Difficulty Level: Hard

19. Nancy Fraser argues that there are masculinized and feminized welfare programs. The feminized program is associated with which of these?

a. the family or household

b. the labor market

c. food security

d. religious beliefs

Learning Objective: 2-2: Compare the four sociological perspectives on social class and poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Sociological Perspectives on Social Class and Poverty

Difficulty Level: Hard

20. What is the term for a set of norm, values and beliefs that encourage and perpetuate poverty?

a. poverty guidelines

b. relative poverty

c. culture of poverty

d. social stratification

Learning Objective: 2-2: Compare the four sociological perspectives on social class and poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sociological Perspectives on Social Class and Poverty

Difficulty Level: Easy

21. About ______ of U.S. households were food insecure at least some time in 2016.

a. 2 percent

b. 12 percent

c. 22 percent

d. 42 percent

Learning Objective: 2-3: Identify two consequences of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Consequences of Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

22. Food insecurity is ______ in large cities than it is in rural areas.

a. the same

b. less common

c. more common

d. not noticeably measured

Learning Objective: 2-3: Identify two consequences of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Consequences of Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

23. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides ______ to individuals and families through periods of unemployment or a crisis.

a. training programs

b. job placement

c. temporary assistance

d. computers

Learning Objective: 2-3: Identify two consequences of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Consequences of Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

24. Food insecurity is higher for which of these groups?

a. single female-headed household

b. elderly

c. Asian women

d. white men

Learning Objective: 2-3: Identify two consequences of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Consequences of Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

25. Which is TRUE of children in families in poverty?

a. They have higher rates of immunizations than those above the poverty line.

b. They have higher rates of dental care than those above the poverty line.

c. They are more likely than middle class families to have a regular health care provider.

d. They are less likely to receive preventative care in general than those above the poverty line.

Learning Objective: 2-3: Identify two consequences of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Health

Difficulty Level: Medium

26. What is the average monthly benefit for an individual receiving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program?

a. $126

b. $256

c. $446

d. $766

Learning Objective: 2-3: Identify two consequences of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Food Insecurity and Hunger

Difficulty Level: Medium

27. What is the average monthly benefit for a family receiving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program?

a. $126

b. $256

c. $446

d. $766

Learning Objective: 2-3: Identify two consequences of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Consequences of Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

28. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal provided assistance for which of these categories?

a. housing relief

b. work relief

c. marriage relief

d. mental health relief

Learning Objective: 2-4: Explain the Evolution of U.S. Welfare Policy.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Responding to Class Inequalities

Difficulty Level: Medium

29. Under the New Deal, ______ programs were the most popular because it was believed that people were being paid for working.

a. general relief

b. categorical assistance

c. social insurance

d. personal responsibility

Learning Objective: 2-4: Explain the Evolution of U.S. Welfare Policy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Responding to Class Inequalities

Difficulty Level: Hard

30. Which of these federal acts is classified as the centerpiece of the social welfare system?

a. Aid to Families with Dependent Children Act

b. Social Security Act

c. Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act

d. Great Society Act

Learning Objective: 2-4: Explain the Evolution of U.S. Welfare Policy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: U.S. Welfare Policy

Difficulty Level: Medium

31. Which of these programs was part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty to rehabilitate the poor?

a. Head Start

b. TANF Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

c. Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act

d. Aid to Families with Dependent Children Act

Learning Objective: 2-4: Explain the Evolution of U.S. Welfare Policy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Responding to Class Inequalities

Difficulty Level: Hard

32. After a recession ends, poverty is likely to ______.

a. stay the same as before the recession

b. decrease dramatically

c. decrease slightly

d. increase

Learning Objective: 2-4: Explain the Evolution of U.S. Welfare Policy.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Responding to Class Inequalities

Difficulty Level: Medium

33. What was the intent of Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act?

a. To help those who could not help themselves

b. To reduce recipients’ dependence on government assistance

c. To end poverty in the United States

d. To eliminate racial and employment discrimination

Learning Objective: 2-4: Explain the Evolution of U.S. Welfare Policy.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Responding to Class Inequalities

Difficulty Level: Medium

34. The Earned Income Tax Credit program was especially designed for which of these?

a. impoverished elderly

b. teenagers

c. minority groups

d. low-income working families

Learning Objective: 2-5: Assess whether life after welfare has improved after the passage of PRWORA.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Responding to Class Inequalities

Difficulty Level: Medium

35. The Supplemental Poverty Measure considers which of these important factors in lifting families out of poverty?

a. receipt of noncash benefits such as SNAP and the Earned Income Tax Credit

b. highest level of education in the household

c. citizenship status

d. how many years someone has lived in their house or apartment

Learning Objective: 2-5: Assess whether life after welfare has improved after the passage of PRWORA.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Responding to Class Inequalities

Difficulty Level: Medium

36. The U.S. Census Bureau has employed experimental measures of poverty to measure the poverty rate. These measures find that the poverty rate is ______ what has been found with standard poverty rate measures.

a. the same as

b. higher than

c. lower than

d. much more concentrated among the elderly than

Learning Objective: 2-5: Assess whether life after welfare has improved after the passage of PRWORA.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Responding to Class Inequalities

Difficulty Level: Medium

True/False

1. Wealth is more equally distributed than income.

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Separate poverty guidelines exist for those living in Alaska and Hawaii versus the rest of the United States.

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Does It Mean to Be Poor?

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. The working poor often encounter housing problems.

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Does It Mean to Be Poor?

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. Black and Hispanic workers are more than twice as likely as white and Asian workers to be working poor.

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Does It Mean to Be Poor?

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. According to the World Bank there has been a significant increase in the number of the world’s poor.

Learning Objective: 2-1: Explain the different definitions of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Does It Mean to Be Poor?

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. From a Conflict perspective, inequality is systematically created and maintained by those trying to preserve their advantage.

Learning Objective: 2-2: Compare the four sociological perspectives on social class and poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Sociological Perspectives on Social Class and Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. As a feminist theorist who analyzes welfare and the media Jane is likely to point out that media and politicians have stereotyped single mothers as abusers of welfare assistance.

Learning Objective: 2-2: Compare the four sociological perspectives on social class and poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Sociological Perspectives on Social Class and Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. Feminist scholars have criticized the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act requirements for making women choose to be stay-at-home mothers.

Learning Objective: 2-2: Compare the four sociological perspectives on social class and poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Sociological Perspectives on Social Class and Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there is no state in the United States where a low-income worker can reasonably afford a modest 1- or 2-bedroom rental unit.

Learning Objective: 2-3: Identify two consequences of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Consequences of Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Food stamps cannot be used to buy hygiene products, alcoholic beverages, and vitamins and medicines.

Learning Objective: 2-3: Identify two consequences of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Consequences of Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. The U.S. food stamp program is now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Learning Objective: 2-3: Identify two consequences of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Consequences of Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

12. People who receive the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act are only able to receive it for 36 months.

Learning Objective: 2-4: Explain the Evolution of U.S. Welfare Policy.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Responding to Class Inequalities

Difficulty Level: Medium

13. Most families who leave welfare for work do not earn enough money to afford decent quality housing.

Learning Objective: 2-4: Explain the Evolution of U.S. Welfare Policy.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Responding to Class Inequalities

Difficulty Level: Medium

14. To qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit program one must be unemployed.

Learning Objective: 2-5: Assess whether life after welfare has improved after the passage of PRWORA.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Responding to Class Inequalities

Difficulty Level: Medium

Essay

1. Discuss the issue of drug testing for welfare recipients. Is drug testing an appropriate action for social aid? Why or why not? What could be the consequences of such a policy? What other issues can affect the solutions and/or the problems related to social welfare?

Learning Objective: 2-2: Compare the four sociological perspectives on social class and poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis | Application

Answer Location: Sociological Perspectives on Social Class and Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Discuss how poverty plays a role in political decision-making. Why are the poor least likely to control opportunities? What are the issues that you feel are most important to the topic? Discuss how you can affect poverty as an individual in our culture.

Learning Objective: 2-2: Compare the four sociological perspectives on social class and poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis | Application

Answer Location: Sociological Perspectives on Social Class and Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Identify and describe two consequences of poverty mentioned in the reading.

Learning Objective: 2-3: Identify two consequences of poverty.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Consequences of Poverty

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Identify and explain three important developments in U.S. Welfare policy.

Learning Objective: 2-4: Explain the Evolution of U.S. Welfare Policy.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Responding to Class Inequalities

Difficulty Level: Hard