Chapter 15 part 2

Question 1

In 2010, what percentage of people with a disability lived in poverty?

a. fewer than 5 percent
b. nearly 15 percent
c. over 20 percent
d. close to 30 percent

Answer 1

c. over 20 percent

Question 2

What is the term for poverty based on wages alone?

a. minimum pay
b. working poverty
c. wage insecurity
d. market poverty

Answer 2

d. market poverty

Question 3

Which of the following is a cause for the increase in market poverty?

a. Most people are not willing to take minimum-wage jobs.
b. There are fewer people interested in filling available jobs.
c. The cost of many consumer goods has increased dramatically.
d. A growing number of older workers have been laid off.

Answer 3

b. There are fewer people interested in filling available jobs.

Question 4

Which of the following is true of social assistance?

a. Most people on welfare do not want to work.
b. Welfare rates are often more than the low income cutoff.
c. Working is always more financially beneficial than welfare.
d. Add-ons such as drug and dental care can make welfare preferable to low wages.

Answer 4

d. Add-ons such as drug and dental care can make welfare preferable to low wages.

Question 5

According to an American study of single mothers surviving on welfare, what was their first choice for extra funds to meet their expenses?

a. working, but not reporting the pay
b. asking relatives for help
c. selling sex, drugs, or stolen goods
d. getting money from the child’s father

Answer 5

d. getting money from the child’s father

Question 6

For many poor Canadians, what proportion of their income may be spent on housing?

a. over one-sixth
b. over one-quarter
c. over one-third
d. over one-half

Answer 6

d. over one-half

Question 7

What is the term for the uncertainty that a person can buy enough nutritious food he or she likes, or the inability to do so?

a. food insecurity
b. malnutrition
c. starvation
d. an empty cupboard

Answer 7

a. food insecurity

Question 8

Which province or territory has the highest rates of food insecurity?

a. Quebec
b. Nunavut
c. Alberta
d. Ontario

Answer 8

b. Nunavut

Question 9

There are no exact figures for the number of homeless people in Canada. Which of the following reasons is least likely to account for the lack of information?

a. The homeless population changes from day to day.
b. It is difficult to count people who do not use a shelter.
c. Definitions of homelessness change.
d. Cyclically homeless individuals complete the Canadian census when they are living at home.

Answer 9

d. Cyclically homeless individuals complete the Canadian census when they are living at home.

Question 10

Which of the following best describes the homeless?

a. They are almost all psychiatric patients who have been discharged to the community.
b. They consist of transient unemployed men, much like those in the 1930s.
c. They rarely include families, women, or children.
d. They are a varied group with different reasons for homelessness.

Answer 10

d. They are a varied group with different reasons for homelessness.

Question 11

Eli is addicted to methamphetamine and has been using drugs for many years. Which of the following is most likely to describe Eli?

a. cyclically homeless
b. chronically homeless
c. temporarily homeless
d. absolutely homeless

Answer 11

b. chronically homeless

Question 12

Which of the following describes John and his family, who are homeless after a fire that destroyed their apartment and all their possessions?

a. chronically homeless
b. cyclically homeless
c. temporarily homeless
d. discreditably homeless

Answer 12

c. temporarily homeless

Question 13

What is the current trend regarding the number of young homeless people?

a. fewer of them are members of minorities
b. the number is increasing
c. the number is far less than the number of homeless seniors
d. the number is decreasing

Answer 13

b. the number is increasing

Question 14

Which of the following is least likely to be given as a reason for the increase in homelessness?

a. changes in eligibility for welfare
b. drug and alcohol abuse
c. sharp increases in costs of food and other essentials
d. shortages in affordable housing

Answer 14

c. sharp increases in costs of food and other essentials

Question 15

Which of the following best describes conditions in shelters for the homeless?

a. Conditions are usually worse in women’s shelters than in men’s.
b. Conditions offer the homeless a sense of being cared for.
c. Conditions do not favour family living because of lack of privacy.
d. Conditions are made worse for psychiatric patients by the numbers of children admitted.

Answer 15

c. Conditions do not favour family living because of lack of privacy.

Question 16

Which of the following makes up the largest single group of poor people in Canada?

a. lone mothers
b. children
c. elderly women
d. runaway teens

Answer 16

b. children

Question 17

According to the text, which of the following is twice as likely for poor children?

a. to live in the same neighbourhood for many years
b. to live in poorly functioning families
c. to find a mentor who provides a good role model
d. to have parents who combine firmness and consideration

Answer 17

b. to live in poorly functioning families

Question 18

In terms of child poverty, in 2012 what was Canada’s rank among 35 of the wealthiest countries worldwide?

a. first
b. third
c. fifteenth
d. twenty-fourth

Answer 18

d. twenty-fourth

Question 19

What is the effect of poverty on the education of poor children?

a. Despite the challenge, most will graduate from high school.
b. Many studies have found that poverty does not affect the education of poor children.
c. Because it is an opportunity to escape poverty, poor children are more likely to do well in school.
d. Poor children are often not as ready for school as others because of limited experiences, as well as physical and health problems.

Answer 19

d. Poor children are often not as ready for school as others because of limited experiences, as well as physical and health problems.

Question 20

Which of the following describes the recreational habits of children from families living in poverty?

a. They pay recreational centre fees to escape from their homes.
b. They participate less often in organized sports than children from wealthier homes.
c. They are more likely to play unorganized sports than other children.
d. They are less likely to watch television than other children.

Answer 20

b. They participate less often in organized sports than children from wealthier homes.

Question 21

According to the text, what is the main cause of poverty in Canada?

a. lack of motivation
b. not enough social support
c. low wages
d. high unemployment

Answer 21

c. low wages

Question 22

Which of the following is one of the problems with job-creation efforts?

a. People would much rather live on welfare.
b. No retraining is offered to welfare recipients.
c. The training courses offered take too long to complete.
d. Many of the jobs pay low wages.

Answer 22

d. Many of the jobs pay low wages.

Question 23

How has the focus of social assistance programs changed?

a. It has switched from providing services targeted at specific groups to universal coverage.
b. It has switched from providing subsidies to working parents to increasing welfare benefits.
c. It has switched from providing services to all poor people to those aimed at reducing child poverty.
d. It has switched from providing noncash services such as school nutrition to funding for food banks.

Answer 23

c. It has switched from providing services to all poor people to those aimed at reducing child poverty.

Question 24

What is one disadvantage for families when they move from welfare to paid employment?

a. they start to earn more money and spend more than they earn
b. they spend less time together as a family
c. they can lose benefits tied to income levels, such as subsidized housing
d. they have more difficulty finding proper daycare

Answer 24

c. they can lose benefits tied to income levels, such as subsidized housing

Question 25

According to the text, who is at the bottom end of the poverty scale?

a. people with psychiatric disorders
b. alcoholic and unemployed men
c. unwed teenage mothers
d. homeless children

Answer 25

d. homeless children