Social Problems, chapter 2

Countries with relatively low-income levels, high rates of absolute poverty, low life expectancy, and high infant mortality rates are low-income nations. a. true b. false

true

Income is the economic gain derived from wages, salaries, income transfers, or ownership of property. a. true b. false

true

Karl Marx believed that inequality and poverty were inevitable by-products of the exploitation of workers by capitalists. a. true b. false

true

Which of the following statements most accurately describes class inequality in the United States? a. Despite the American Dream, the U.S. remains highly stratified. b. The wealth and income gap between the richest and poorest U.S. households has continued to narrow over recent decades. c. Middle-class African Americans are beginning to accumulate as much wealth as white Americans due to high-paying jobs. d. Marx's and Weber's theories on stratification issues are mostly identical.

Despite the American Dream, the U.S. remains highly stratified.

Which of the following statements best describes food insecurity? a. One-half of U. S. households are considered to be food insecure at some point during the year. b. Prolonged food insecurity poses no risk to health and well-being. c. Food insecurity has increased in recent years because of increases in poverty and unemployment rates. d. Food insecurity has decreased in recent years because of decreases in poverty and unemployment rates.

Food insecurity has increased in recent years because of increases in poverty and unemployment rates.

Which of the following initiatives created farm subsidies, minimum wage standards, and the Social Security system? a. Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal in the 1930's. b. Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty programs in the 1960's. c. Bill Clinton's Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity and Reconciliation Act in the 1990's. d. Barack Obama's Tax Relief Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act in the 2010's.

Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal in the 1930's.

What is the reason for food loss in poorer countries? a. Expiration dates cause many consumers to throw away edible food. b. Consumers are not aware of good and beneficial ways to use safe food that is presently being thrown away. c. Many problems occur because poor nations are technologically hindered. d. Advances in harvesting, storage, and packaging of food has caused most food loss problems.

Many problems occur because poor nations are technologically hindered.

How was the U.S.'s social stratification evaluated by Karl Marx? a. Marx divided capitalist societies into two categories: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. b. Marx believed that economic factors alone were not the sole determinants in class and social equality. c. Marx believed that wealth, power, and prestige play roles in people's class positions. d. Marx identified four classes in the U.S. economical system.

Marx divided capitalist societies into two categories: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.

Which three major programs were expanded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009? a. Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) b. the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the World Trade Center (WTC), and Assistance for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) c. the U.S. Census Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the dole d. SNAP (food stamps), unemployment insurance benefits, and Social Security

SNAP (food stamps), unemployment insurance benefits, and Social Security

Which of the following statements regarding the chronically poor is correct? a. The chronically poor make up about 40 percent of the U.S. population. b. Children are not considered to be among the chronically poor. c. Those unable to work because of age or disability often are chronically poor. d. Single mothers are underrepresented among the chronically poor.

Those unable to work because of age or disability often are chronically poor.

When wealthy and powerful individuals and corporations make decisions that serve their best interests while casting aside millions of the world's people who are deprived of life's most basic and important necessities, they create a. artificial scarcity. b. food waste. c. food loss. d. social stratification.

artificial scarcity.

Why do sociologists analyze secondary data when they conduct research on wealth and poverty around the world? a. because these data focus on poverty indicators b. because these data focus on low-income nations only c. because these data are based upon the culture of poverty hypothesis d. because these data focus on quality-of-life indicators for high-, middle-, and low-income nations

because these data focus on quality-of-life indicators for high-, middle-, and low-income nations

The practice used by people who view a social problem as emanating from within the individual exhibiting the problem is known as a. blaming the victim. b. blaming "the man." c. blaming the system. d. blaming the culture.

blaming the victim.

Most researchers argue that the most frequent cause of homelessness is a. gender and discrimination. b. race and discrimination. c. poverty and job loss. d. the welfare state.

c. poverty and job loss.

Which of the following is based on individual ownership and resource control founded in the type of work people do? a. caste system b. class system c. democracy d. socialism

class system

Overhauling housing policies and strengthening job-training programs would be considered a. functionalist solutions to poverty. b. conflict solutions to poverty. c. symbolic interactionist solutions to poverty. d. feminist solutions to poverty.

conflict solutions to poverty.

A business executive earning $50,000 annually in the 1930's would earn around $500,000 today. This increase is based upon a. cultural capital. b. constant dollars and current dollars. c. wage squeeze. d. sympathetic framing.

constant dollars and current dollars.

Comparing the conflict and functionalist solutions to poverty, it is logical to conclude that the conflict perspective is more conservative. a. true b. false

false

In high-income nations such as the United States, most people have similar life chances. a. true b. false

false

The amount of low-income housing has increased significantly in recent years due to programs such as Habitat for Humanity and federal housing initiatives. a. true b. false

false

Which of the following perspectives asserts that poverty-related problems can be reduced by strengthening our major social institutions? a. conflict perspective b. symbolic interactionist perspective c. functionalist perspective d. feminist perspective

functionalist perspective

James is a high school graduate and semiskilled laborer who is going back to school to attain his associate's degree. James is trying to improve his a. cultural capital. b. culture of poverty. c. human capital. d. investment capital.

human capital.

Regarding social problems in the media, sympathetic framing is most likely used when a. individuals in the story are children, elderly individuals, or persons with an illness or disability. b. individuals in the story are women or members of an ethnic minority. c. individuals in the story are men or members of an ethnic majority. d. individuals in the story are veterans.

individuals in the story are children, elderly individuals, or persons with an illness or disability.

The poverty line is based on the assumption that a. one-fourth of a person's income is spent on food. b. one-third of a person's income is spent on food. c. one-half of a person's income is spent on food. d. three-fourths of a person's income is spent on food.

one-third of a person's income is spent on food.

According to the text, the working class is composed of a. white-collar office workers. b. people in occupations such as semiskilled machine operators in industrial settings. c. the chronically poor. d. most service workers and the lowest-paid operatives and sales and clerical workers.

people in occupations such as semiskilled machine operators in industrial settings.

Julie is a high school dropout and a single mother with three children who works as a waitress earning minimum wage. Julie spends 30% of her income on food and 70% on rent for her and her children. She doesn't earn enough to pay for utilities and many other needed items. Julie and her children are in a. absolute poverty due to the feminization of poverty. b. relative poverty due to the feminization of poverty. c. absolute poverty because of the welfare state. d. relative poverty because of the welfare state.

relative poverty due to the feminization of poverty.

Which one of the following is most likely to fall into poverty? a. dual-income families b. single female-headed families c. single male-headed families d. elderly families

single female-headed families

Which approach makes us aware that social change must occur at both the micro- and macrolevel to reduce poverty? a. culture of poverty hypothesis b. system of constant and current dollars c. functionalist perspective d. symbolic interactionist perspective

symbolic interactionist perspective

Employers who enjoy tax credits for hiring welfare recipients are benefiting from a. the New Deal. b. the War on Poverty program. c. the Small Business Job Protection Act. d. the Job Creation Act.

the Small Business Job Protection Act.

The "American Dream" can best be summarized as a. the belief in the phrase "Live and let live." b. the belief that anyone can become famous. c. the belief that anyone can become successful. d. the belief that anyone can become rich.

the belief that anyone can become successful.

Oscar Lewis's idea that some poor people develop a separate and self-perpetuating system of attitudes and behaviors that keeps them trapped in poverty is known as a. the system of checks and balances. b. the cultural explanation of negative framing. c. the cultural explanation of capital. d. the culture of poverty hypothesis.

the culture of poverty hypothesis.

Conflict theorists would suggest that a. people in poverty are poorly motivated. b. the problem of poverty can only be solved by reducing inequality. c. to reduce poverty, we should find more constructive ways to think about poor people individually. d. stigma has a profound effect upon those who are labeled.

the problem of poverty can only be solved by reducing inequality.

Class systems contribute to social stratification. a. true b. false

true

The U.S. poverty line is primarily based on a low-cost food budget for a family. a. true b. false

true

The feminization of poverty refers to the trend whereby women are disproportionately represented among individuals living in poverty. a. true b. false

true

Today, more than 1.4 billion people live in absolute poverty. a. true b. false

true

In reference to divisions in the U.S. class structure, physicians, attorneys, and stockbrokers are located in which class? a. capitalist b. upper-middle c. proletariat d. middle

upper-middle

The decrease in take-home pay of workers since the 1980s is also known as a. constant dollars. b. current dollars. c. poverty squeeze. d. wage squeeze.

wage squeeze

The vast majority of poor people in the United States are a. women and children. b. men. c. elderly. d. disabled and infirm.

women and children.

Which one of the following groups is best described by the term racial feminization of poverty? a. men of color b. white female-headed households c. white females d. women of color

women of color