Chapter 15

Question 1

In general, how is poverty defined?

a. in terms of well-being
b. by ability to manage
c. by income
d. in terms of possessions

Answer 1

c. by income

Question 2

In the early years of European settlement in Canada, the poor depended on which of the following for help?

a. the federal government
b. local poverty programs
c. the Canadian safety net
d. their family

Answer 2

d. their family

Question 3

What is the social safety net?

a. basic social security programs needed to support family life
b. programs that protect law-abiding citizens from criminals
c. policies designed to eliminate poverty and unemployment
d. a law that prohibits individuals from acts that would hurt society

Answer 3

a. basic social security programs needed to support family life

Question 4

Prior to the development of the social safety net, which of the following ideas was generally held?

a. Poor people should be able to retain some dignity.
b. Poverty was the result of social inequality and exploitation.
c. Asking for financial help should be easy.
d. Help should be less than the most poorly paid worker earned.

Answer 4

a. Poor people should be able to retain some dignity.

Question 5

Which of the following is a method of screening applicants to ensure that only those who need financial assistance receive it?

a. social security screening
b. clawback
c. financial review
d. means test

Answer 5

d. means test

Question 6

In the early days of the “mothers’ allowances,” what happened once women received this social assistance?

a. They had to meet once a month with their social worker.
b. They could move out of town only if they kept the welfare department informed.
c. They were subject to intrusion in their personal lives.
d. They received the payments without further review until children were grown.

Answer 6

c. They were subject to intrusion in their personal lives.

Question 7

When were most of the social security programs now available in Canada established?

a. before World War I
b. since 1980
c. during the Great Depression
d. after World War II

Answer 7

d. after World War II

Question 8

What is absolute poverty?

a. lacking the minimum basic requirements necessary for physical survival
b. a definition of poverty based on comparing individuals or families to others in the population
c. living in poverty for over 75 percent of one’s lifetime
d. a state of poverty that is passed on from generation to generation

Answer 8

a. lacking the minimum basic requirements necessary for physical survival

Question 9

In Canada, the low-income cutoff is a measure of which type of poverty?

a. absolute poverty
b. transitional poverty
c. relative poverty
d. generational poverty

Answer 9

d. generational poverty

Question 10

The Market Basket Measure (MBM) is the cost of a basket of goods that includes food, shelter, clothing, and other basic needs. This measure accounts for which kind of variation?

a. individual
b. family
c. regional
d. national

Answer 10

c. regional

Question 11

Which of the following does the Statistics Canada low-income cutoff take into account?

a. province
b. family size
c. age of family members
d. sex of family members

Answer 11

b. family size

Question 12

What does “depth of poverty” refer to?

a. the amount that family or individual income is below the poverty line
b. the length of time family income has remained below the poverty line
c. the number of families in an area with incomes below the poverty line
d. the number of families in the country with incomes below the poverty line

Answer 12

a. the amount that family or individual income is below the poverty line

Question 13

Why is duration of poverty important?

a. The farther below the poverty line, the harder it is to provide basic needs.
b. The longer poverty lasts, the harder it is to make ends meet.
c. Individuals usually do not have any resources to tide them over.
d. Individuals are likely to experience food insecurity.

Answer 13

b. The longer poverty lasts, the harder it is to make ends meet.

Question 14

Which of the following is a reason why it is hard to determine the number of poor people in Canada?

a. Poor people are shy to admit their poverty.
b. They live in many different areas.
c. No one has tried to count them.
d. The total depends on the definition used.

Answer 14

d. The total depends on the definition used.

Question 15

Which of the following families is least likely to be living in poverty?

a. a lone-mother family with one child
b. a married couple with both employed
c. a married couple with one earner and two children
d. an elderly widow

Answer 15

b. a married couple with both employed

Question 16

Stephanie is part of the group of adults in Canada with the largest percentage living below the poverty line. Which of the following describes her status?

a. a married mother under the age of 25
b. a single adult under the age of 25
c. a lone mother
d. an elderly widow

Answer 16

c. a lone mother

Question 17

Which of the following best describes those who move out of poverty?

a. They are likely to go from a two-adult household to a one-adult household.
b. They are likely to be women who have upgraded their skills.
c. They are likely to go from a one-adult to a two-adult, two-earner household.
d. They are likely to be women who are in a workfare program.

Answer 17

c. They are likely to go from a one-adult to a two-adult, two-earner household

Question 18

Why has there been a decrease in poverty among the elderly?

a. because of the availability of the clawback and workfare policies
b. because of an increase in the number of seniors who hold jobs
c. because of the number of the near-poor in Canadian cities
d. because of improved pensions and government benefits

Answer 18

d. because of improved pensions and government benefits

Question 19

In 2006, which group had a median income 30 percent lower than the median income for the rest of Canadians?

a. Aboriginal people
b. people in Newfoundland
c. people with disabilities
d. people in rural areas

Answer 19

a. Aboriginal people

Question 20

Which factor helps explain why recent immigrants have a greater risk of poverty?

a. They often have large families to look after and are unable to work long hours.
b. Some come from countries with language and customs very different from Canada.
c. Many come from countries where they are used to living in poverty.
d. They come from cultures that do not value hard work and saving money.

Answer 20

b. Some come from countries with language and customs very different from Canada.