Chapters 7, 9, 15, and 16

Question 1

The timing and scope of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act can be attributed primarily to

a. an increase in repressive tactics against black voters in the South.
b. the dramatic increase in population in the northern states, which contributed to an increase in power.
c. the backlash created by the Vietnam War.
d. the suffrage movement.
e. the civil rights movement.

Answer 1

E. The Civil Right movement

Question 2

Which of the following statements is true?

a. Voter turnout is slightly higher in America than in other democracies among middle-income groups.
b. Since the 1960s, voter turnout in the United States for presidential elections has averaged about 40 percent.
c. Voter turnout in a midterm election has hovered just above 50 percent since 1970.
d. Voter turnout in presidential elections has averaged 55 percent since the 1960s, and midterm election turnout has not exceeded 50 percent since 1920.
e. Voter turnout in the United States is lower than most other democracies, with presidential voting turnout averaging about 40 percent in recent elections.

Answer 2

D. Voter turnout in presidential elections has averaged 55 percent since the 1960’s, and midterm election turnout has not exceeded 50 percent since 1920.

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a reason that voter turnout is lower in the United States than in other democracies?

a. Americans must register to vote themselves.
b. American elections are not held on the weekend.
c. Americans have never had a viable socialist or labor party.
d. The frequency of elections in the United States is much higher than in other democracies.
e. Participation in community-based and local political organizations or actions, and volunteering for political campaigns, is lower in the U.S. than in Europe, which reduces political interest among voting-age groups.

Answer 3

E. Participation in community-based and local political organizations or actions, and volunteering for political campaigns, is lower in the US than in Europe, which reduces political interest among voting-age groups.

Question 4

________ allows people to register to vote at their polling place on election day.

a. California
b. Maine
c. New Mexico
d. Texas
e. Maryland

Answer 4

B. Maine

Question 5

What fraction of states elects their governors in non-presidential election years?

a. roughly one-quarter
b. about one-half
c. over three-fourths
d. nine-tenths
e. less than one-third

Answer 5

C. Over three-fourths

Question 6

Of the following states, ________ typically has the highest voter turnout in a presidential election.

a. Minnesota
b. South Carolina
c. Texas
d. Hawaii
e. Louisiana

Answer 6

A. Minnesota

Question 7

Which of the following demographic combinations would provide the most accurate predictors of voter turnout?

a. age and gender
b. age and income
c. race and gender
d. income and race
e. education and age

Answer 7

B. Age and income

Question 8

The last time that voter turnout in midterm elections reached 50 percent was in _______.

a. 1920
b. 1930
c. 1940
d. 1950
e. 1960

Answer 8

A. 1920

Question 9

Citizens 18-20 years of age were granted the right to vote in the Twenty-Sixth Amendment in _______.

a. 1912
b. 1920
c. 1954
d. 1971
e. 1986

Answer 9

D. 1971

Question 10

________ holds more elections than other nations.

a. Canada
b. Great Britain
c. Japan
d. Brazil
e. The United States

Answer 10

E. The United States

Question 11

MoveOn is an example of

a. young citizens’ continuing indifference to political affairs.
b. a lobbying organization designed to promote civil rights.
c. a small movement designed to promote voter registration.
d. an influential, Web-based organization that heads an activist network.
e. an Internet-based protest movement designed to promote conservative causes.

Answer 11

D. An influential, web-based organization that heads an activist network

Question 12

Of the following nations, citizens in ________ are more likely to contribute money and time to election campaigns.

a. the United States
b. Germany
c. Austria
d. the Netherlands
e. Great Britain

Answer 12

A. The United States

Question 13

What was the main driver behind the upswing in voter turnout during the 2008 presidential primaries?

a. the public debate about health care reform
b. competition between John McCain and Barack Obama
c. competition between John McCain and Mitt Romney
d. competition between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama
e. the public debate about taxation policy

Answer 13

D. Competition between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama

Question 14

Which of the following is a form of unconventional political activism?

a. voting
b. participating in a parent-teacher association
c. volunteering for a political campaign
d. holding a political protest
e. None of these answers is correct.

Answer 14

D. Holding a political protest

Question 15

Which of the following statements is true about protest movements in America?

a. Protest movements have generally been severely restricted by both federal and local laws.
b. Protest movements have not traditionally been a part of American society.
c. Protest movements routinely receive strong public support.
d. Protest movements have become less well-organized in recent years.
e. Protest movements are an American tradition, but they do not generally receive strong public support.

Answer 15

E. Protest movements are an American tradition, but they do not generally receive strong public support.

Question 16

Registration for voting began around _______.

a. 1790
b. 1828
c. 1866
d. 1900
e. 1932

Answer 16

D. 1900

Question 17

What phrase do scholars such as Robert Putnam use to describe the sum of the face-to-face interactions among citizens in a society?

a. community capital
b. social capital
c. civic virtue
d. social engagement
e. civic pride

Answer 17

B. Social capital

Question 18

Which of the following statements is true about voting?

a. Thomas Paine ridiculed the restriction of voting to property-owning males in his work Common Sense.
b. Black males gained the right to vote before white women were granted suffrage.
c. Voting is a widespread political activity.
d. Voting can give government a measure of control over its citizens.
e. All these answers are correct.

Answer 18

E. All these answers are correct

Question 19

Voter turnout among working-class white citizens dropped sharply in 1968 and 1972, largely because of the centrality of which issue?

a. health care
b. immigration
c. the war in Vietnam
d. the economy
e. civil rights

Answer 19

E. Civil Rights

Question 20

In the past two decades, the percentage of young adults in America that think “it’s my duty as a citizen always to vote” has

a. dropped by half.
b. slightly increased.
c. not changed.
d. nearly doubled.
e. slightly decreased.

Answer 20

D. Nearly doubled

Question 21

Low voter turnout is characteristic of democracies that have extended suffrage to virtually all adults.

Answer 21

False

Question 22

Voting is the way most Americans directly participate in national politics.

Answer 22

True

Question 23

Although political participation in the U.S. is much higher among higher-income groups than lower-income groups, the U.S. is no different in this respect from other Western democracies.

Answer 23

False

Question 24

States with lenient registration requirements have not proven to show higher voter turnout than those with stringent requirements.

Answer 24

False

Question 25

Senior citizens are the age group with the lowest rate of voter turnout.

Answer 25

False

Question 26

At some point in their lives, a majority of Americans engage in unconventional political activism.

Answer 26

False

Question 27

The American ideal of individualism, as suggested by William Watts and Lloyd Free, promotes a sharp distinction in people’s minds between their personal lives and national life.

Answer 27

True

Question 28

The historical trend in voting qualifications in the U.S. has been to create barriers to political participation by some demographic groups.

Answer 28

True

Question 29

Robert Putnam’s claim of a decline in social capital in America appears to be true for older citizens.

Answer 29

True

Question 30

Trends from 2004 through the 2008 elections included a substantial increase in turnout among younger voters from that of previous recent presidential elections.

Answer 30

True

Question 31

Which nation has been famously labeled “a nation of joiners”?

a. France
b. Italy
c. the United States
d. Germany
e. Great Britain

Answer 31

C. The United States

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT a professional group?

a. American Association of Retired Persons
b. American Association of University Professors
c. American Medical Association
d. American Bar Association
e. None of these is correct, as all represent professional groups.

Answer 32

A. American Association of Retired Persons

Question 33

The reality that about 90 percent of regular listeners to National Public Radio do not contribute to their local station is illustrative of

a. the iron triangle.
b. issue networks.
c. the free-rider problem.
d. inside lobbying.
e. outside lobbying.

Answer 33

C. The free-rider problem

Question 34

What is the primary means of lobbying for the American Civil Liberties Union?

a. inside lobbying
b. outside lobbying
c. protest politics
d. networking on the Internet
e. litigation

Answer 34

E. Litigation

Question 35

An iron triangle works to the advantage of

a. interest groups.
b. congressional subcommittees.
c. government agencies.
d. all of these: interest groups, congressional subcommittees, and government agencies.
e. None of these answers is correct.

Answer 35

D. All of these: interest groups, congressional subcommittees, and government agencies.

Question 36

Most political action committees represent

a. citizens’ groups.
b. government groups.
c. business groups.
d. labor groups.
e. incumbent office holders.

Answer 36

C. Business groups

Question 37

________ wrote that “Liberty is to faction what air is to fire.”

a. James Madison
b. Theodore Lowi
c. John McCain
d. Bob Livingston
e. John Stuart Mill

Answer 37

A. James Madison

Question 38

The AFL-CIO is

a. the dominant business association in the U.S. and the single largest spender on lobbying efforts in the country.
b. the dominant independent union in the U.S.
c. the dominant labor group in the U.S., and is composed of nearly sixty affiliated unions.
d. the business association of the major domestic auto manufacturing companies.
e. the oldest business association and still represents some 14,000 manufacturers.

Answer 38

C. The dominant labor group in the US, and is composed of nearly sixty affiliated unions

Question 39

The 2008 congressional passage of legislation that provided the Treasury Department with $700 billion in taxpayers’ money to rescue troubled financial institutions is a demonstration of what observation made by economist Mancur Olson?

a. Issue networks are less effective than iron triangles but more prevalent, because they are quickly formed on an ad hoc basis.
b. Traditional methods of external outreach such as letter writing can influence lawmakers if a large enough body of citizens participates.
c. Citizens’ groups are able to muster the kinds of resources that business groups can, if they have a large enough membership.
d. Small groups are ordinarily more united on policy issues and often have more resources.
e. Lobbyists for government clients can be just as effective as lobbyists for private or public organizations.

Answer 39

D. Small groups are ordinarily more united on policy issues and often have more resources

Question 40

How have PACs affected long-standing partisan divisions in campaign funding?

a. Their interest in backing incumbents has blurred those divisions.
b. Their favoring of Republican candidates has increased the power of Republican lawmakers.
c. Their favoring of business interests has brought a further entrenchment of those partisan divisions.
d. Because PACs tend not to favor either party, there has been no lasting effect on partisan funding divisions.
e. The imbalance of PAC contributions to Republican candidates has brought legislation designed to reduce the division.

Answer 40

A. Their interest in backing incumbents has blurred those divisions

Question 41

Congress receives more mail from members of ________ than it does from members of any other group.

a. the American Civil Liberties Union
b. Greenpeace
c. Common Cause
d. the American Association of Retired Persons
e. MoveOn

Answer 41

D. The American Civil Liberties Union

Question 42

Political action committees can contribute ________ per candidate per election under federal law (the total including both primary and general elections).

a. $1,000
b. $10,000
c. $25,000
d. $50,000
e. $100,000

Answer 42

B. $10,000

Question 43

The “size factor” tends to advantage

a. public interest groups.
b. business groups.
c. labor unions.
d. environmental interest groups.
e. None of these answers is correct.

Answer 43

B. Business groups

Question 44

The National Rifle Association is

a. a public interest group.
b. a single-issue group.
c. an ideological group.
d. both a public interest and a single-issue group.
e. None of these answers is correct.

Answer 44

B. A single-issue group

Question 45

Which of the following is a disadvantage for citizens’ groups?

a. They cannot generate profits or fees as a result of economic activity.
b. They must contend with the free-rider problem.
c. Their members don’t usually receive material benefits.
d. All of these are disadvantages for citizens’ groups: They cannot generate profits or fees as a result of economic activity; they must contend with the free-rider problem; and their members don’t usually receive material benefits.
e. None of these answers is correct.

Answer 45

D. All of these disadvantages for citizens’ groups: They cannot generate profits or fees as a result of economic activity; they must contend with the free-rider problem; and their members don’t usually receive materials benefits.

Question 46

Which part of Washington, D.C. is populated almost entirely by lobbying firms?

a. C Street
b. New Jersey Avenue
c. 13th Street
d. Pennsylvania Avenue
e. K Street

Answer 46

E. K Street

Question 47

What do the Christian Coalition, the American Conservative Union (ACU), and the Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) have in common?

a. They are all dominated by conservatives.
b. They are all dominated by Democrats.
c. They are all dominated by conservatives and Democrats.
d. They are all ideologically-motivated groups.
e. They are all economic groups.

Answer 47

D. They are all ideologically-motivated groups.

Question 48

What new development has helped citizens’ groups overcome the free-rider problem and reach more donors?

a. computer-assisted direct mail
b. e-mail lists
c. websites
d. all of these: computer assisted direct mail, e-mail lists, and websites
e. None of these answers is correct.

Answer 48

D. All of these: computer assisted direct mail, email lists, and websites

Question 49

Which of the following groups routinely engage in lobbying?

a. National Rifle Association
b. National Organization for Women
c. U.S. Conference of Mayors
d. National Governors Association
e. All these answers are correct.

Answer 49

E. All these answers are correct

Question 50

Who coined the term “interest-group liberalism”?

a. Madison
b. Lowi
c. de Tocqueville
d. Schattschneider
e. Jefferson

Answer 50

B. Lowi

Question 51

A defining characteristic of any interest group is that it exists to promote a single specific policy in a particular political arena.

Answer 51

False

Question 52

Pluralists” believe that the actions of interest groups in general have a strongly positive impact on society.

Answer 52

True

Question 53

Purposive incentives to group membership are based on the opportunity to participate in a cause in which one believes.

Answer 53

True

Question 54

The free-rider problem presents problems in attracting members to economic interest groups.

Answer 54

False

Question 55

Grassroots lobbying efforts by companies failed to alter the 2000 legislation that resulted in the permanent normalization of trade relations with China.

Answer 55

False

Question 56

In comparison with citizens’ groups, economic groups have an easier time gathering the resources necessary for organized political activity.

Answer 56

True

Question 57

As interest groups have increasingly resorted to legal action, they have often found themselves facing one another in court.

Answer 57

True

Question 58

An issue network is a stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with policies beneficial to their common goal.

Answer 58

False

Question 59

The great bulk of PAC funding is given to incumbents seeking re-election.

Answer 59

True

Question 60

An interest group seeking favorable coverage by the news media is engaging in outside lobbying.

Answer 60

True

Question 61

Adam Smith

a. wrote Das Kapital.
b. wrote The Wealth of Nations.
c. advocated a worker-controlled economy.
d. advocated laissez-faire capitalism.
e. both wrote The Wealth of Nations and advocated laissez-faire capitalism.

Answer 61

E. Both wrote The Wealth of Nations and advocated laissez-faire capitalism

Question 62

The process of deregulation began in 1977 with the ________ industry.

a. meat-packing
b. railroad
c. airline
d. dairy
e. steel

Answer 62

C. Airline

Question 63

________ revealed the threat of harmful pesticides such as DDT.

a. Earth in the Balance
b. The Silent Spring
c. The government
d. The Environmental Protection Agency
e. None of these answers is correct.

Answer 63

B. The government

Question 64

________ is the single largest source of global carbon emissions on a per-capita basis.

a. China
b. Germany
c. Cuba
d. The United States
e. Russia

Answer 64

D. The United States

Question 65

Which of the following explicitly rejected the Kyoto agreement when he assumed office, saying that it would stunt economic growth?

a. George W. Bush
b. Bill Clinton
c. George H. W. Bush
d. John McCain
e. Barack Obama

Answer 65

A. George W. Bush

Question 66

________ brought an end to the prevailing economic theory held in the U.S. that the economy was self-regulating—that it would correct itself after a downturn.

a. The Civil War
b. Industrialization
c. Immigration
d. The Great Depression
e. The 1970s energy crisis

Answer 66

D. The Great Depression

Question 67

Fiscal policy deals with

a. interest rates.
b. inflation.
c. taxes.
d. government spending.
e. both taxes and government spending.

Answer 67

E. Both taxes and government spending

Question 68

Milton Friedman argued

a. that the Fed should be held more accountable by giving Congress control over the appointment process of the Federal Reserve Board.
b. that corporate tax cuts should be implemented during a downturn in order to stimulate business production.
c. that tax cuts are most desirable during a recession in order to fuel demand among top earners.
d. that governments should spend during recessions in order to make up for the loss in private spending.
e. that supply and demand are best controlled by manipulating the money supply.

Answer 68

E. That supply and demand are best controlled by manipulating the money supply

Question 69

________ believed that government should spend to improve the economy when it goes into recession or depression.

a. John Maynard Keynes
b. Franklin D. Roosevelt
c. Ronald Reagan
d. George W. Bush
e. Both John Maynard Keynes and Franklin D. Roosevelt

Answer 69

E. Both John Maynard Keynes and Franklin D Roosevelt

Question 70

The Fed may raise or lower the cash reserve that member banks are required to deposit with the Federal Reserve. The cash reserve is

a. the total amount of money a bank may have invested in private or government securities at any one time.
b. the amount of money each bank must keep invested in government securities at any one time.
c. the amount of money each bank must pay to the federal government in taxes each year.
d. the proportion of a member bank’s total deposits that the bank can loan out at any one time.
e. the proportion of a member bank’s total deposits that the bank must keep on hand.

Answer 70

E. The proportion of a member bank’s total deposits that the bank must keep on hand.

Question 71

The supply-side economic policy and tax cuts of the Bush administration were similar to that of which previous president?

a. Franklin Roosevelt
b. Johnson
c. Reagan
d. Carter
e. Kennedy

Answer 71

C. Reagan

Question 72

The Federal Reserve Board was created in ________.

a. 1889
b. 1965
c. 1948
d. 1913
e. 1841

Answer 72

D. 1913

Question 73

Which of the following statements is true?

a. By the late nineteenth century, the large trusts that had dominated many areas of the economy had all been broken up.
b. Railroad companies in the late nineteenth century competed so intensely with each other that they dropped their shipping rates too low to remain profitable.
c. Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1887 and charged it with responsibility for ensuring that farmers did not overcharge when selling their crops across state lines.
d. Both are true: By the late nineteenth century, the large trusts had all been broken up; and competition led railroads to drop their rates too low to remain profitable.
e. None of these answers is correct.

Answer 73

E. None of these answers is correct

Question 74

The first national park in the United States was created at

a. Acadia.
b. the Everglades.
c. Yellowstone.
d. Mount Rushmore.
e. the Grand Canyon.

Answer 74

C. Yellowstone

Question 75

What environmental protection-related event happened in 1970?

a. The Endangered Species Act was passed.
b. The Clean Air Act was passed.
c. Rachel Carson’s The Silent Spring was published.
d. The Water Quality Act was passed
e. The Environmental Protection Agency was created.

Answer 75

E. The Environmental Protection Agency was created

Question 76

At the present time, federal subsidies account for ________ of net agricultural income.

a. more than half
b. more than a third
c. more than a fourth
d. about a tenth
e. about a fifth

Answer 76

C. More than a fourth

Question 77

At present the national debt exceeds

a. $1 trillion.
b. $100 billion.
c. $13 trillion.
d. $17 trillion.
e. $33 trillion.

Answer 77

C. $13 trillion

Question 78

What major legislative action did Congress take in 2008 with respect to agriculture in the U.S.?

a. a five-year, $300 billion farm bill for assistance to farmers
b. a massive, $200 billion cut in farm subsidies
c. a 10% rise in tariffs on imports of foreign agricultural goods
d. a series of price controls to keep the cost of basic agricultural products from rising too high
e. a ten-year, $500 billion series of subsidies to American farmers

Answer 78

A. A five-year, $300 billion farm bill for assistance for farmers

Question 79

In 2001 the Supreme Court ruled that the EPA

a. cannot apply its environmental standards to foreign companies producing products in the U.S.
b. cannot apply its environmental production standards to foreign companies selling products in the U.S.
c. can only apply Superfund provisions to sites contaminated through actions of the U.S. government.
d. can only take into account public health when establishing air quality standards.
e. can take into account public health and economic factors when establishing air quality standards

Answer 79

D. Can only take into account public health when establishing air quality standards

Question 80

Inflation

a. is generally combated by raising government spending and cutting taxes.
b. reached a low, during the twentieth century, in the 1970s.
c. was a major problem before the creation of the Fed, but was reduced dramatically by the introduction of monetary policy as an economic tool.
d. turned into deflation as a result of the Vietnam War.
e. was a minor problem before the late 1960s, rising by less than 4 percent annually.

Answer 80

E. Was a minor problem before the late 1960’s, rising by less than 4 percent annually.

Question 81

In comparison with the Scandinavian countries, the United States relies more heavily on free-market mechanisms.

Answer 81

True

Question 82

An economic depression is a less severe downturn than an economic recession.

Answer 82

False

Question 83

Interest groups do not attempt to bring pressure to bear on regulation of the economy.

Answer 83

False

Question 84

Government intervenes to bring “equity” into the marketplace when, for example, it requires tobacco companies to place warnings about health risks related to smoking on cigarette packages.

Answer 84

True

Question 85

In general, the economic policy pursued by the U.S. government has been harmful to business interests.

Answer 85

False

Question 86

A government’s fiscal policy is built on its taxing and spending decisions.

Answer 86

True

Question 87

Monetary policy is controlled primarily through congressional actions.

Answer 87

False

Question 88

In comparison with fiscal policy, monetary policy has at least one obvious advantage: It can be initiated more quickly because the Federal Reserve Board (the “Fed”) is a faster-acting body than Congress.

Answer 88

True

Question 89

In 2010, Congress enacted the most substantial deregulation of financial institutions since the Reagan era.

Answer 89

False

Question 90

Congress passed farm legislation in 1996 that extended more farm subsidies to farmers than ever before in American history.

Answer 90

False

Question 91

The federal poverty line for a family of four in 2009 was set at roughly ________.

a. $10,000
b. $22,000
c. $28,000
d. $39,000
e. $44,000

Answer 91

B. $22,000

Question 92

About ________ percent of American children live in poverty today.

a. 2
b. 5
c. 10
d. 20
e. 40

Answer 92

D. 20

Question 93

What legislation abolished the AFDC, replacing it with the program titled Temporary Assistance for Needy Families?

a. the 1990 Earned Income Tax Credit Act
b. the 2000 Equity Assurance Bill
c. the 1985 Social Reform Act
d. the 1996 Welfare Reform Act
e. the Social Security Act

Answer 93

D. The 1996 Welfare Reform Act

Question 94

In the United States,

a. income is distributed equally.
b. income is distributed more equally than in any other industrialized democracy.
c. income is distributed equally, more equally than in any other industrialized democracy.
d. citizens in the top fifth get 50 percent of all income.
e. citizens in the lowest fifth get 30 percent of all income.

Answer 94

D. Citizens in the top fifth get 50 percent of all income

Question 95

Unemployment benefits

a. are usually terminated after ten weeks.
b. provide a recipient with an average of one-half their employed wage.
c. are funded by federal payroll taxes.
d. can be extended by the president, but only with approval of the Senate.
e. provide a recipient with 100% of their employed wage, but that amount decreases with each week in unemployment.

Answer 95

C. Are funded by federal payroll taxes

Question 96

During the Great Depression, the unemployment level in the United States reached ________ percent.

a. 5
b. 10
c. 15
d. 20
e. 25

Answer 96

E. 25

Question 97

Medicare was

a. created in 1865.
b. supported by political conservatives when it was first established.
c. supported by a wide bipartisan margin when it was first established.
d. created in 1965 and was supported by liberals when first established.
e. created in 1935.

Answer 97

D. Created in 1965 and was supported by liberals when first established

Question 98

Which of the following is part of the TANF law?

a. Single mothers will lose a portion of their benefits if they refuse to cooperate in identifying the father of their children for child support purposes.
b. Unmarried teenage mothers qualify for welfare benefits only if they remain in school and live with a parent or legal guardian.
c. Within two years, the head of most families on welfare will have to find work or risk the loss of benefits.
d. Americans’ eligibility for federal cash benefits is limited to no more than five years in their lifetime.
e. All these answers are correct.

Answer 98

E. All of these answers are correct

Question 99

Most of federal spending in the area of subsidized housing is on

a. tax breaks.
b. the construction of low-income housing.
c. rent vouchers.
d. repairs to meet health standards.
e. None of these answers is correct.

Answer 99

C. Rent vouchers

Question 100

Which of the following is true of public-school finance?

a. About one-third of all revenue comes from the federal government.
b. About one-half of all revenue comes from the federal government.
c. About two-thirds of all revenue comes from local government.
d. About 90 percent of all revenue comes from state and local governments.
e. None of these answers is correct.

Answer 100

D. About 90 percent of all revenue comes from state and local governments

Question 101

The ________ requires national testing in reading, math, and science, and ties funding to test performance.

a. G.I. Bill
b. No Child Left Behind Act
c. Morrill Act
d. Elementary and Secondary Education Act
e. Higher Education Act

Answer 101

B. No Child Left Behind Act

Question 102

Welfare was traditionally the responsibility of state governments until the ________.

a. 1850s
b. 1870s
c. 1890s
d. 1930s
e. 1960s

Answer 102

D. 1930’s

Question 103

Which of the following is true of social security and Medicare?

a. They were both created when Republicans controlled the presidency.
b. They were both created when Democrats controlled the presidency.
c. They were both created when Republicans controlled Congress.
d. They were both created when Democrats controlled Congress.
e. They were both created when the Democrats controlled both the presidency and the Congress.

Answer 103

E. They were both created when the Democrats controlled both the presidency and the Congress

Question 104

Food stamps are considered which type of benefit?

a. cash-assistance
b. earned-income
c. in-kind
d. tax-credit
e. free-rider

Answer 104

C. In-kind

Question 105

The Social Security Act was passed in ________.

a. 1929
b. 1933
c. 1935
d. 1937
e. 1941

Answer 105

C. 1935

Question 106

Of the following nations, citizens in ________ are somewhat more supportive of a free-market economy and its effects on the welfare of citizens.

a. the United States
b. Great Britain
c. Germany
d. France
e. Belgium

Answer 106

A. The United States

Question 107

Which of the following is true of TANF eligibility rules?

a. States can choose to impose more restrictive rules in some areas.
b. States cannot allow exceptions to any of the rules.
c. The eligibility guidelines are initially created by each state and then modified by the federal government.
d. States that choose to modify eligibility rules must then provide 100% of funding.
e. The eligibility rules do not apply to unwed mothers that are pregnant or have been the victims of domestic violence.

Answer 107

A. states can choose to impose more restrictive rules in some areas

Question 108

What has been the biggest challenge facing the states in the implementation of the TANF program?

a. the determination of eligibility of an individual for assistance
b. the creation of effective welfare-to-work programs
c. the funding of the state portions of TANF responsibility
d. training case workers to counsel aid recipients
e. keeping track of how aid recipients spend their individual funding

Answer 108

B. The creation of effective welfare-to-work programs

Question 109

Medicaid

a. was created in 1960.
b. provides health care for all Americans who are not retired.
c. provides health care for the poor and middle-income Americans.
d. was created in 1965 and provides health care for the poor.
e. None of these answers is correct.

Answer 109

D. Was created in 1965 and provides health care for the poor

Question 110

What is the current social security tax?

a. 1 percent payroll tax on employees and employers
b. 3.5 percent payroll tax on employees and employers
c. 6.2 percent payroll tax on employees and employers
d. 10.5 percent payroll tax on employees and employers
e. 20 percent payroll tax on employees and employers

Answer 110

C. 6.2 percent payroll tax on employees and employers

Question 111

About one in seven Americans lives at or below the poverty line.

Answer 111

False

Question 112

The “feminization of poverty” reflects the fact that single-parent, female-headed families are roughly five times as likely as two-income families to fall below the poverty line.

Answer 112

True

Question 113

A higher percentage of white Americans live below the poverty line than Hispanics and African Americans.

Answer 113

False

Question 114

The term means test refers to a tax on part of the social security income of wealthier retirees.

Answer 114

False

Question 115

The major difference between social insurance programs and public assistance programs is that social insurance programs are available only to the financially needy.

Answer 115

False

Question 116

Social insurance programs enjoy a greater degree of support among the American public than do public assistance programs.

Answer 116

True

Question 117

The National Education Association claims that the No Child Left Behind law forces teachers to teach to the national tests and thereby undermines classroom learning.

Answer 117

True

Question 118

The United States ranks first in the world in the proportion of adults receiving a college education.

Answer 118

True

Question 119

The United States has relatively low child poverty rates compared with Western European countries.

Answer 119

False

Question 120

The U.S. government spends much less on public housing than on tax breaks for homeowners, most of whom are middle- and upper-income Americans.

Answer 120

True