Chapter 2
The Modern Welfare State
Test Bank
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of the following was one of the reasons that Germany conceived a social
insurance plan during the 1880s?
a. lingering aftermath from the Seven Weeks’ War
b. to provide relief from the sick and elderly dying
c. unification with Austria and surrounding areas
d. the decline of working farms due to industrialization
2. Before what world event did America begin providing welfare aid to survivors,
spouses, and dependent children?
a. World War I
b. the Stock Market Crash
c. World War II
d. the Red Scare
3. What kind of welfare benefits were cut substantially after the 1996 welfare reform?
a. tax rebates
b. assistance to the elderly
c. cash payments
d. assistance to the sickly
4. According to the text, which country has one of the least-developed welfare states?
a. the U.S.
b. Mexico
c. Germany
d. Great Britain
5. Which president declared an “unconditional war on poverty in America” to focus on
aiding groups with special needs?
a. Theodore Roosevelt
b. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
c. Lyndon Johnson
d. Richard Nixon
6. Which of the following best explains why it was easy for U.S. policymakers to expand
the country’s welfare state during the 1960s?
a. The Civil Rights movements demanded social justice.
b. Rising tax revenues provided the government with money.
c. The U.S. was trying to compete with Europe’s plan.
d. The U.S. became extremely liberal during the 1960s.
7. Which of the following programs has not suffered from lack of funds since the
beginning of the era of transformation?
a. Social Security
b. Medicare
c. Unemployment
d. No Child Left Behind
8. Which social system views the welfare state as a way for the government to control
the middle class?
a. Marxism
b. Communism
c. Capitalism
d. Unitarianism
9. Which of the following best describes the main difference between the European and
American welfare states?
a. America values total equality while Europe values individualism.
b. America values individualism while Europe values total equality.
c. America tries to help the needy while Europe tries to help the sick.
d. America tries to help the sick while Europe tries to help the needy.
10. Which of the following best represents Asa Briggs’s first goal of the welfare state?
a. a company providing its employees with unemployment should the employees
be laid off
b. a company giving its senior employees a yearly bonus for each year they stay
with the company
c. a soup kitchen providing homeless people with shelter, clothes, and food
d. a nonprofit organization spending money on volunteer picnics
Short Answer Questions
Answer: A
Bloom’s Level: Apply
1. Explain how the Great Depression caused a surge in left-wing politics, allowing social
legislation to be passed without much opposition.
2. Did industrialization contribute to the need for social welfare policies? Who was most
affected by industrialization?
3. What did Asa Briggs mean when he said that the government was trying to “modify
the play of market forces”? Interpret this phrase and provide one example of its
meaning.
4. Explain Asa Briggs’s third welfare state goal and show two real-life examples of this
third goal.
5. Distinguish the difference between America’s and Europe’s welfare systems. When
Americans and Europeans started their welfare systems, to whom did they provide
assistance and why?
6. Using Asa Briggs’s three welfare state goals, create a welfare program that satisfies
the conditions of the three goals. Briefly explain how each program satisfies its
corresponding goal.
Essay Questions
1. America’s welfare systems are closely linked to employment. What does this indicate
about U.S. attitudes toward welfare systems?
2. What is the difference between federal benefits and private sector benefits? In
general, what benefits does each sector contribute to the public? Examine the
reasons why mandated benefits are present in America’s welfare state.
3. Formulate your own theory of welfare group. Explain the main points, how it receives
funding, and how it helps the public. Is your theory based on any of the theories in the
text? Which aspects are similar? Why?
4. The government doles out social benefits both in cash and in tax credits. If the
government had to use only one way to hand out benefits, which should it choose?
Defend your reason with two examples. The first example should show a positive
aspect of your choice; the second example should show a negative aspect of the
opposite choice.