SOCI 111 Ch 10 review quiz

(Q006) In his interview with Dalton Conley, David Grusky explains why the notion of perverse incentives is outdated. What is an example of a perverse incentive? Entry to a special honors program is based solely on grades with no review of the types of classes students have taken, so some students take easier classes the semester before applying to boost their grade point average. A woman builds a fence around her property so her children won't kick their balls into the neighbor's yard, but after the fence has been built, the neighbor complains about the noise of the children's balls hitting the fence. An elementary school teacher gives students candy for the correct answer even though this is forbidden by the school district. People were so enthusiastic about Nintendo Wii when it was first released that accidents occurred as customers stormed store entrances to purchase it on the day of its release.

Entry to a special honors program is based solely on grades with no review of the types of classes students have taken, so some students take easier classes the semester before applying to boost their grade point average.

(Q019) In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared a "War on Poverty." This ambitious plan led to the creation of numerous agencies, some of which persist today. These include which of the following? Head Start and College Work Study Department of Labor and Peace Corps Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Minority Health

Head Start and College Work Study

(Q018) How has the timing of the transition to a free-market economy been used to partially explain the great difference in inequality and poverty between the United States and other advanced democracies? Countries that transitioned to a free-market economy later than the United States usually had no history of feudalism. Institutions that could better protect the weak or disadvantaged were more fully developed in countries that transitioned to a free-market economy later than the United States. Countries that transitioned to a free-market economy later than the United States usually had a more centralized form of government that could impose very high taxes on citizens. Institutions that could better protect the weak or disadvantaged were more fully developed in countries that transitioned to a free-market economy sooner than the United States.

Institutions that could better protect the weak or disadvantaged were more fully developed in countries that transitioned to a free-market economy later than the United States.

(Q024) What is a criticism of the official definition of poverty first developed by Mollie Orshansky in 1963? It does not take into account regional variation in the cost of living. It is too complex and difficult to calculate. It would make more sense to base it on expenditures on food rather than housing. It is based on the concept of relative poverty, which is less useful than a measure of absolute poverty.

It does not take into account regional variation in the cost of living.

(Q016) Think for a moment about the story in the text of Marlin, how his life turned out, and how he wound up where he is today. Based on all you have read about him throughout the entire chapter, what seems to be the best explanation for his life and his story? Poor nutrition, lack of medical care, and unsafe environments directly affected Marlin. Low income, unstable employment, and lack of resources affected Marlin's mother, which in turn affected Marlin. Marlin's mother suffered from many problems herself, which led to a detrimental outcome for Marlin. Marlin's father was never in the picture, which had a negative impact on his life.

Marlin's mother suffered from many problems herself, which led to a detrimental outcome for Marlin.

(Q013) Family wealth means debt subtracted from salable assets. Given the prevalence of debt for those in poverty, what are the possible implications for inheritance for the children of impoverished parents? The debt is passed to the children, making debt heritable. The courts may excuse inheritors (the children) from any financial obligations incurred by the parents, meaning that poverty is not inevitably heritable. All assets owned by the deceased are used to pay off the debt, making the inheritance to the children of poor people low or nonexistent. Since people living in poverty rarely have salable assets such as a house, there is usually nothing to pass on to their children.

Since people living in poverty rarely have salable assets such as a house, there is usually nothing to pass on to their children.

(Q007) According to William Julius Wilson, how do factors such as deindustrialization, globalization, suburbanization, and discrimination contribute to high rates of welfare-dependent, single-mother families? Such factors mean that many poor people travel farther from their communities to find jobs, which creates tensions and stress that often destroy marriages and lead to men abandoning their families. Such factors have contributed to a net shrinkage of the pool of employed, unincarcerated men, thus greatly limiting women's opportunity to find a stable life partner. Such factors mean that low-income workers must take on two or more jobs to earn a living wage, which means that they spend all their time working and no longer participate in the community where they would be most likely to find a spouse. Such factors have led to a decline in marriage rates for young men under 30 because they cannot afford to move out of their parents' house, which makes it more difficult to find a stable life partner.

Such factors have contributed to a net shrinkage of the pool of employed, unincarcerated men, thus greatly limiting women's opportunity to find a stable life partner.

(Q020) What is a major critique of how the poverty line is calculated in the United States? The formula does not reflect the fact that housing now takes up a much larger portion of family budgets. The formula includes income and assets, though it should only include income. The formula takes regional considerations into account, which creates inconsistencies. The formula only accounts for male earnings and not female earnings for a household.

The formula does not reflect the fact that housing now takes up a much larger portion of family budgets.

(Q004) Why did the negative income tax experiment lead to more women leaving their marriages? People could make earnings from a low-wage job stretch further because they paid less income tax, making some women feel financially independent enough to leave their husbands. Two single people received a larger amount than a married couple, so the financial incentive motivated couples to split up to earn more money. The guaranteed payment that people received through the program meant that many women were no longer financially dependent on a man. A larger percentage of men than women took their guaranteed payment and essentially "blew through it" quickly, so to have more control over their money, some women found it better to leave their husbands.

The guaranteed payment that people received through the program meant that many women were no longer financially dependent on a man.

(Q021) What is a reason why the United States has a relatively high level of poverty compared to other advanced democracies? The US government is highly centralized. The United States has a long history of feudalism. The safety net in the United States was originally designed to exclude blacks. The United States has a relatively low level of inequality.

The safety net in the United States was originally designed to exclude blacks.

(Q015) Some theorists argue that there can never be an absolute definition of poverty. In fact, the text suggests that wealth actually creates poverty. In other words, poverty is impossible to ever measure with certainty. always relational. contingent on family size. based on the needs of individuals.

always relational.

(Q009) According to the theory of the bell curve, a theory developed by two academics, genes have a key impact on children's outcomes. This argument is an updated approach to the idea that the dominant factor in the creation and persistence of poverty is education. parenting. biology. socioeconomic status.

biology.

(Q005) In his interview with Dalton Conley, Mario Luis Small notes that the culture of poverty argument has been rejected empirically and theoretically due to its flaws. In its place, what does Small suggest as an explanatory tool in research about poverty? culture race urban poverty economics

culture

(Q003) Illegal work, multigenerational living arrangements, multifamily households, serial relationships in place of marriage, and "swapping" are part of the failure of government programs. cycle of dependence. problem of unintended consequences. culture of poverty.

culture of poverty.

(Q008) In What Money Can't Buy, sociologist Susan Mayer challenged the common assumption that poverty directly causes poor health, behavioral problems, and many other problems for children. Mayer's work clearly demonstrates how the welfare system encourages dependence on government handouts. many welfare recipients do not want to transition to work. documenting an association between two factors is different from showing causation. low-income neighborhoods are at the root of welfare dependence, crime, and divorce.

documenting an association between two factors is different from showing causation

(Q022) In the Moving to Opportunity study done as a follow-up on the Gautreaux Assisted Housing Program, what measure showed no improvement? earnings happiness truancy rates asthma rates

earnings

(Q012) In the United States, the poverty line is established by looking at regional variances in income and cost of living. estimating food costs based on meeting minimum nutritional requirements and assuming that the average family spends about one-third of their budget on food. estimating minimum food, housing, transportation, and health insurance costs for different types of families. calculating the country's median income and then setting a percentage of that median income as the threshold by which poverty is measured.

estimating food costs based on meeting minimum nutritional requirements and assuming that the average family spends about one-third of their budget on food.

(Q011) In his interview with Dalton Conley, Matthew Desmond talks about the "Aspen effect," wherein people who work in fashionable places such as Aspen, Colorado, are forced to commute long distances. But Desmond notes another factor that has a major impact: eviction. Families that cannot pay their rent must move and find a new place to live. The major challenge faced by those being evicted is that after moving due to eviction, the commute times become even longer. eviction takes a lot of money to fight in court. eviction is time-consuming and forces people to miss work. eviction forces families into bad neighborhoods.

eviction is time-consuming and forces people to miss work.

(Q017) The level of income inequality in the United States is lower than that of most other advanced democracies. higher than that of most other advanced democracies. about equal to income inequality in most other advanced democracies. higher than that of all other advanced democracies.

higher than that of all other advanced democracies.

(Q014) Winona is picking up her children from day care. Her nine-hour minimum-wage shift as a temp leaves her exhausted. As she piles her two kids into the car, she loses her temper after one of them refuses to sit still for her to fasten the seatbelt. Winona's solution is to yell at the child until he does what she asks. A sociologist might say that Winona's situation is an example of the way wealth creates poverty. parenting stress hypothesis. absolute definition of poverty. worst form of child abuse.

parenting stress hypothesis.

(Q002) In the text, we read about Marlin, who was fed by food stamps, housed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and moved through the education system into prison. Marlin's life is a case study of the puzzle of whether the poverty line is accurately measured. poverty is the cause or the result of social problems. income is the primary cause of poverty. individuals provided for by so many institutions can be considered truly poor.

poverty is the cause or the result of social problems.

(Q010) The Gautreaux Assisted Living Program in Chicago and the Moving to Opportunity study provided opportunities to explore the effects on families of living in a low-poverty versus a high-poverty neighborhood. how home ownership affects children's educational outcomes. regional differences in public housing programs. the stress of moving on low-income families.

the effects on families of living in a low-poverty versus a high-poverty neighborhood.

(Q001) In the United States, poverty is usually thought of as severe economic deprivation that prevents people from living with dignity. Despite decades of effort and billions of dollars, poverty in the United States continues unabated. Recent research suggests that poverty is a kind of proxy, or stand-in, for the inability of the government to develop successful programs to halt poverty. failure of the tax code to fairly levy taxes on income. underlying social disease of inequality and economic segregation. failure of a capitalist market to provide food supply points in poor areas.

underlying social disease of inequality and economic segregation.

(Q023) In recent years it has become harder to fully participate socially and economically in American society without having a smartphone. Some might even consider them a requirement for being able to live with dignity in our society. This would be an example of how what is considered a necessity is socially defined and can change over time. absolute poverty no longer exists because the range of necessities has expanded. relative poverty is more easily solved than absolute poverty. the culture of poverty affects certain practices.

what is considered a necessity is socially defined and can change over time.