Deck 13: The Economy and Family Life

Question 1

Which of the following constitutes corporate welfare?

A) flextime
B) pension
C) tax breaks
D) health insurance

Answer 1

C

Question 2

________ refers to working remotely through electronic linkups to a central office.

A) Crowdsourcing
B) Telecommuting
C) Vetting
D) Hot desking

Answer 2

B

Question 3

People who spend at least 27 weeks a year in the labor force, working or looking for work, but whose family or personal incomes fall below the official poverty level are called ________.

A) the welfare class
B) the bourgeois class
C) the working poor
D) discouraged workers

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Matthew works as a personal finance advisor.Over the course of his career, he has provided financial advice to several families in Baltonia.Recently, he wrote an article on how Baltonian middle-class families are spendthrifts rather than savers.Which of the following is most likely to weaken Matthew's analysis?

A) Studies indicate that Baltonia has the highest rate of consumerism in the world.
B) Surveys on middle-class families in Baltonia indicate that they are not responsible buyers like families in other neighboring countries.
C) Middle class families in Baltonia often withdraw funds from retirement accounts.
D) Over 90 percent of people in Baltonia have large pension and saving accounts.

Question 5

Which of the following is a difference between dual-earner and dual-career couples?

A) In dual-earner couples, both partners work in positions that involve ongoing professional growth whereas in dual-career couples, only one partner works in such a position.
B) In dual-career couples, both partners work in positions that require long-term commitment whereas in dual-earner couples, partners may or may not work in such positions.
C) In dual-earner couples, both partners work in managerial positions whereas in dual-career couples, both partners work in non-managerial positions.
D) In dual-career couples, partners are less qualified to perform their jobs than partners in dual-earner couples.

Question 6

Which of the following is a characteristic of work?

A) It produces goods, not services.
B) It is limited to physical activities.
C) It consists solely of mental activities.
D) It provides a sense of stability.

Question 7

________ is a process of social and economic change because of the reduction of industrial activity, especially manufacturing.

A) Deindustrialization
B) Commodification
C) Reindustrialization
D) Commercialization

Question 8

Wealth has several components.Which of the following is an example of property, one of the components of wealth?

A) bonds
B) stocks
C) real estate
D) wages

Question 9

CL Corp., an automobile manufacturing firm, decided to close its home office in Detroit and open three manufacturing centers across India.The company decided to take advantage of the lower labor and investment costs in India.This scenario is an example of ________.

A) offshoring
B) insourcing
C) deindustrialization
D) inshoring

Question 10

In the early 1960s, there was a reduction in industrial activity, especially manufacturing because ________.

A) managing employees was considered easier than managing machines
B) globalization limited the growth and spread of investment and trade
C) employers replaced the lowest skilled workers with automation
D) there was an increasing demand for workers in assembly line jobs

Question 11

A study about women in the workforce reported that women are less likely to be offered promotions than men.Which of the following statements, if true, is most likely to support the findings of the study?

A) Single working women are often expected to work longer hours than women who have children.
B) Research indicates that women have stronger leadership qualities than men.
C) Women have more access to task forces and highly visible committees than men.
D) A majority of working women complain of biased and damaging evaluations by male supervisors.

Question 12

Which of the following best describes corporate welfare?

A) favorable treatment that the government creates for businesses
B) contributions that employees of a company make to their society
C) environmentally sustainable initiatives that companies participate in
D) welfare activities that the government undertakes for people living in absolute poverty

Question 13

Which of the following is true of deindustrialization?

A) It refers to an increase in manufacturing activities.
B) It is also known as inshoring.
C) It refers to companies spending more on people than on machines.
D) It has been accelerated by globalization.

Question 14

The working poor are those ________.

A) who spend a minimum of 15 weeks in the labor force
B) who work solely as white-collar workers
C) who earn wages that fall below the official poverty level
D) who earn high disposable income

Question 15

Which of the following is true of offshoring?

A) It is restricted because of globalization.
B) It helps reduce a company's costs in the home country.
C) It refers to the transfer of jobs within different states in a country.
D) It indicates the increase of manufacturing jobs within a country.

Question 16

Briefly explain some benefits of flextime.

Question 17

Robert works as a maintenance engineer at ASL Corp., a steel plant.His co-workers are planning to form a labor union to lobby for better employee facilities.Robert is unsure whether he should be a part of the labor union and support its formation.Which of the following, if true, would strengthen his decision to do so?

A) In the past, the formation of labor unions has helped in providing greater workplace safety to employees.
B) Labor unions are more beneficial for employees in retail companies as compared to manufacturing companies.
C) The compensation package and provisions provided by ASL Corp are better than those provided by most steel companies in the country.
D) Strong labor unions limit the employer's freedom which often forces them to move their operations overseas.

Question 18

Though Tracy prefers to be a full-time homemaker and spend more time with her children, she cannot do so because she is a single mother and needs to provide financial support to her family.Which of the following categories of working mothers does Tracy fit into?

A) captives
B) conflicteds
C) copers
D) committeds

Question 19

Which of the following is true of commuter marriages?

A) Spouses meet occasionally, such as over weekends.
B) Spouses travel together to work.
C) They are also known as open marriages.
D) One of the parents only has visitation rights over their children.

Question 20

Joe is a destitute and lives on streets and abandoned buildings because he has no money to pay rent.He often sorts through garbage to find food to eat.In this scenario, Joe is experiencing ________.

A) absolute poverty
B) the feminization of poverty
C) relative poverty
D) voluntary poverty

Question 21

Which of the following is true of the poverty threshold?

A) It refers to the minimum income level that the government considers necessary for basic subsistence.
B) It remains constant and does not change over time.
C) It indicates that anyone whose income is above the threshold is eligible for government assistance.
D) It refers to anyone who has the basic necessities of life but cannot maintain an average standard of living.

Question 22

A two-person single career is one in which ________.

A) a spouse participates in the other's career behind the scenes
B) both spouses work outside the home
C) there is very little difference between the earnings of the two spouses
D) both spouses work in positions that require extensive training

Question 23

Mary, an unemployed mother, has decided to give up on searching for a job after applying for numerous jobs since last year.Despite sending job applications to several companies, she was not offered a job.In this scenario, Mary is an example of a(n)________.

A) discouraged worker
B) underemployed worker
C) part-time worker
D) overemployed worker

Question 24

Carrie works as a part-time waitress at a restaurant and receives less than minimum wage.She does not have a regular work schedule and is only called in when a waitress does not turn up.Her total annual salary falls below the official poverty line.In this scenario, Carrie can be classified under the ________.

A) welfare class
B) working poor
C) bourgeois class
D) middle-class

Question 25

Captives are those who ________.

A) consider their careers more important than their families
B) are forced to become full-time homemakers because of the expectations of society
C) have high occupational aspirations
D) remain in the labor force reluctantly

Question 26

Which of the following is true of being a stay-at-home dad?

A) They are more likely to instill problem-solving skills by letting children figure things out for themselves.
B) They are less intimately involved with their children.
C) They are less likely to be stigmatized by society.
D) They take up the role because they feel that their career is more important than child rearing.

Question 27

________ are women with young children who choose jobs with enough flexibility to accommodate family needs.

A) Copers
B) Conflicteds
C) Captives
D) Commiteds

Question 28

The economic homeless are those who ________.

A) have been homeless for a long period of time
B) are newly displaced from homes because of financial problems
C) are homeless because they suffer from mental illnesses
D) are in an extended, self-perpetuating cycle of poverty

Question 29

James, who has a history of drug and alcohol abuse, has been living on the streets since the past ten years.In this scenario, James can be classified as a(n)_________.

A) economic homeless
B) transitory homeless
C) chronic homeless
D) financial homeless

Question 30

Which of the following is an advantage of hiring part-time workers for companies?

A) They help reduce employee turnover rates.
B) They lower costs of health and unemployment insurance for a company.
C) Part-time workers tend to be more committed than full-time workers in a company.
D) Part-time workers are more familiar with the way a company functions.

Question 31

Which of the following is a cost of being a stay-at-home dad?

A) They feel emasculated because much of their identity comes from being a good nurturer.
B) They feel unappreciated by their working spouses.
C) They participate in their wife's career behind the scenes.
D) They work in professional positions out of their homes and cannot spend sufficient time with their children.

Question 32

Which of the following professionals is most likely to have nonstandard work hours?

A) a teacher
B) an accountant
C) a banker
D) a firefighter

Question 33

Which of the following is an example of a two-person single career?

A) couples in which both the husband and wife are marketing professionals
B) a stay-at-home wife and an entrepreneur husband
C) a stay-at-home dad and a working wife
D) the President and the first lady

Question 34

Which of the following best describes absolute poverty?

A) It indicates having enough money only to maintain an average standard of living.
B) It refers to having the money to access food and shelter but not purchase luxury products.
C) It indicates an income level that falls right above the poverty line.
D) It refers to not having enough money to afford the basic necessities of life.

Question 35

How are nonstandard work schedules beneficial for families?

A) They help reduce child care costs.
B) They make parents' work schedules more predictable.
C) They reduce the possibility of a divorce.
D) They prevent parents from undertaking shift work.

Question 36

Which of the following is a primary reason why women are increasingly working outside the home?

A) Women have lesser educational qualifications than men.
B) The role of a homemaker today is considered more fulfilling than a professional career.
C) Traditional gender roles are reinforced by the society.
D) Women experience personal satisfaction by pursuing a career.

Question 37

Robert is conducting research on the effects of marriage on couples.He finds that married women are more likely to be affected by their marital status than men.Which of the following statements, if true, is most likely to strengthen Robert's finding?

A) Married women who work for more than 45 hours per week are more likely to quit their jobs than those who are unmarried.
B) A large majority of married men are passed over for top managerial positions despite being well-qualified.
C) Women who have invested more time in their education have a greater commitment to their careers after marriage.
D) Studies have shown that men become more responsible and efficient workers after marriage than when they were unmarried.

Question 38

________ are people who have part-time jobs but want full-time work or whose jobs are below their experience, skill, and education level.

A) Discouraged workers
B) Hidden workers
C) Underemployed workers
D) Overemployed workers

Question 39

The feminization of poverty refers to ________.

A) how poverty can be reduced by employing a higher number of women
B) trends that indicate women empowerment
C) how women who play traditional gender roles tend to be poor
D) the likelihood that female heads of households will be poor

Question 40

Which of the following is an example of a conflicted mother?

A) Kate is highly committed to her job.
B) Beatrice invests equal amounts of time to her job and her children.
C) Jane feels that her being employed is detrimental to her children.
D) Lora finds her job financially and emotionally gratifying.

Question 41

Lydia and Bennett are a working couple.Lydia works as an accountant, while Bennett runs a software company out of home.In this scenario, which of the following holds true?

A) Lydia and Bennett are a two-person single career couple.
B) Lydia and Bennett play traditional gender roles.
C) Lydia and Bennett are a dual-earner couple.
D) Lydia and Bennett are a stay-at-home couple.

Question 42

Which of the following is a cost of dual-earner couples?

A) They lower the family's standard of living.
B) They create the problem of role overload.
C) They tend to make children more "needy."
D) They increase productivity at work.

Question 43

The ________ is the overall income difference between women and men in the workplace.

A) gender imbalance
B) discretionary income
C) gender wage gap
D) gender neutrality

Question 44

A major advantage of commuter marriages is that they ________.

A) allow couples to spend more time with each other
B) involve high-paying jobs
C) reduce traveling costs for the couple
D) help couples give more time to child rearing activities

Question 45

An advantage of flextime is that it ________.

A) contributes to job turnover
B) increases the possibility of presenteeism
C) ensures that employees have fixed work hours
D) decreases the likelihood of exhaustion

Question 46

Which of the following is a similarity between the glass ceiling and glass escalator effect?

A) both focus specifically on women who are mothers
B) both focus on stay-at-home mothers
C) both refer to biases against women
D) both indicate the removal of traditional gender stereotypes

Question 47

Commuter marriages have the disadvantage of involving extra costs.Which of the following is a reason behind this?

A) Commuter marriages mostly involve low paying jobs which make raising a family more costly.
B) Frequent traveling and maintaining two homes tend to be expensive for the couple.
C) Commuter marriages create the costs of uprooting teenage children.
D) Increased dependency between spouses creates marital discord which may lead to divorce.

Question 48

An advantage of two-income families is that they ________.

A) raise the family's standard of living
B) help parents spend more time with their children
C) lower role overload for parents
D) allow women to play the role of kin keepers

Question 49

Which of the following is most likely a negative consequence of role overload?

A) higher employee retention
B) decreased absenteeism
C) lowered turnover
D) decreased productivity

Question 50

Gina works as an architect at AMZ Corporation.She recently had a baby and plans to take two months of leave from work.Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, which of the following benefits can she avail?

A) Gina can avail paid leave for 12 weeks.
B) Gina can take leave from work without losing her job.
C) Gina can return to a job with fewer responsibilities but with the same pay and benefits.
D) Gina can depend on the supervisor's good will for leave.

Question 51

Which of the following best describes occupational sex segregation?

A) It is the process of segregating women based on their marital status.
B) It involves a lack of mentoring for women and providing them limited access to highly visible committees at the workplace.
C) It refers to the process of lowering the pay gap by encouraging women to join male dominated occupations.
D) It is the process of channeling women and men into different types of jobs.

Question 52

Which of the following represents a glass ceiling effect?

A) Patricia was not promoted to the position of a marketing manager because Anthony was more qualified for the position.
B) Donna received a biased job evaluation by Scott, her manager, who favors his male team members over her.
C) Timothy was not selected for a job because he did not have the relevant skills for it.
D) Amy, who is a mother of two children, experiences a large pay gap compared to the single women at her office.

Question 53

Money that remains after the costs of basic necessities have been paid is known as ________ income.

A) real
B) total personal
C) discretionary
D) nominal

Question 54

John and Gilbert are discussing about dual-earner couples.John states that dual-earner couples generally share egalitarian relationships.However, Gilbert disagrees and argues that such relationships are rarely egalitarian.Which of the following accurate statements is most likely to strengthen Gilbert's argument?

A) In today's world, parenting is no longer gendered among two-income couples.
B) Spouses in dual-earner couples often work 60-hour weeks which leave them with little time to spend with their children.
C) Spouses in dual-earner couples have equal responsibility for domestic tasks, including child care.
D) Dual-earner couples rarely make equal domestic contributions.

Question 55

Even when stay-at-home dads say that it's one of the most rewarding experiences they've had, they often feel stigmatized and emasculated by unemployment.Which of the following is a reason behind this?

A) Men are more intimately involved with their kids than women.
B) Women are more likely than men to be concerned about losing their business skills while being a stay-at-home parent.
C) Research shows that societies are increasingly accepting the role of stay-at-home dads.
D) Much of men's identity comes from being a good provider.

Question 56

The gender pay gap is also known as a ________.

A) gender analysis
B) wage gap
C) gender imbalance
D) gender parity

Question 57

In ________, both partners work in professional or managerial positions that require extensive training and ongoing professional growth.

A) dual-earner couples
B) dual-career couples
C) two-person single career couples
D) one-person single career couples

Question 58

The glass ceiling refers to ________.

A) programs that help women climb the corporate ladder
B) women's placement in staff positions that are on the career track to the top
C) trends that indicate women's bias toward other women at the workplace
D) attitudinal workplace obstacles faced by women

Question 59

Daniel is conducting research on women's growth and development at the workplace.He finds that women's promotions are based solely on their acquired skills and performance and not on cultural expectations.Which of the following statements, if true, is most likely to weaken Daniel's finding?

A) Research indicates that an increasing number of couples share equal amounts of paid work, housework, and child care.
B) Women are often not promoted because gender ideologies endorse breadwinning men and homemaking women.
C) Studies show that single women tend to be promoted more frequently than married women with children.
D) Long working hours for couples in managerial jobs lower gender inequality by eliminating "separate spheres" at home and the workplace.

Question 60

James is an employee of RVC Corporation.He works from home and regularly communicates with employees at the central office via email and other modes of communication.This type of a work arrangement is an example of ________.

A) flextime
B) hot desking
C) telecommuting
D) coworking

Question 61

Lloyd and Martin Inc.is an advertising firm.The company's management has decided to provide the option of telecommuting to its employees.How would implementing such a work arrangement be beneficial for the company?

Question 62

Even though most highly educated women are committed to their careers and work long hours, they're less likely than their male counterparts to advance in their jobs.Explain the reasons behind this.

Question 63

How do nonstandard work schedules of parents affect children?

Question 64

How does the Department of Agriculture determine the poverty threshold?

Question 65

What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of hiring part-time workers?

Question 66

Explain the concept of a motherhood penalty with the help of an example.

Question 67

What are some of the criticisms against labor unions?

Question 68

A limitation of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 is that ________.

A) it does not cover childbirth or parental leave
B) the leave should be taken all at once
C) the leave is unpaid
D) it does not require employees to notify the employer about the leave

Question 69

Larry and Kim, a married couple, work in different cities.Due to the economic recession, they were left with no choice but to accept jobs in different places.However, they travel to meet each other every weekend.Identify and explain the type of marriage seen in this scenario.

Question 70

Occupational sex segregation is a major factor behind the gender pay gap.Explain.

Question 71

What is globalization? Explain with the help of an example.