The 1960s at home: Kennedy, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Great Society

Grade 11 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   The Great Society and the poverty count (cards A to E). Card A, President Johnson at the University of Michigan, May 22, 1964 (excerpt): "But most of all, the Great Society is not a safe harbor, a resting place, a final objective, a finished work. It is a challenge constantly renewed, beckoning us toward a destiny where the meaning of our lives matches the marvelous products of our labor." Card B, the Economic Opportunity Act, August 20, 1964, section 2 (excerpt): "It is, therefore, the policy of the United States to eliminate the paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty in this Nation by opening to everyone the opportunity for education and training, the opportunity to work, and the opportunity to live in decency and dignity." Card C, Census Bureau counts, in our words: 39.49 million people were below the poverty line in 1959, which was 22.4 percent of all people. In 1969 the count was 24.15 million, which was 12.1 percent. The rate was 19.0 percent in 1964 and 12.6 percent in 1970. Card D, Medicare, in our words: signed July 30, 1965; coverage began July 1, 1966; nearly 20 million people enrolled in the first three years. Americans 65 and older numbered about 12 million in 1950 and 17.5 million by 1963. Card E, a note on the debate, in our words: economists and historians disagree about how much of the fall in poverty came from the programs and how much from a growing economy; the cards do not settle it.

2. 1.

   Card C's count fell about 39 percent from 1959 to 1969 and the rate about 46 percent. A student says the programs must be why the rate fell faster. Which reply is best, Bo asks?

   • The gap is explained by a larger population counted, so it does not need the programs
   • The gap is explained by a poverty line that was lowered, so it does not need the programs
   • The gap shows the programs worked, since a rate falls faster after help
   • The gap is explained by a smaller population counted, so it needs the programs
3. 2.

   Using card C, 39.49 million was 22.4 percent in 1959 and 24.15 million was 12.1 percent in 1969. What follows about the population counted, Esme asks?

   • It stayed near 176 million, so the fall in the count and in the rate must match
   • It grew from about 176 to about 200 million, so a smaller count was a smaller share
   • It grew from about 8.8 million to about 2.9 million, so the count fell with the rate
   • It fell from about 200 million to about 176 million, so the rate fell more than the count
4. 3.

   Card A calls the Great Society "a challenge constantly renewed" and not "a finished work." A critic says it failed because 24 million were still poor in 1969. Which reply is best, Jun asks?

   • The critic is right, since Johnson set 1969 as the year the work would be finished
   • The count is a fact, but the aim was framed as ongoing, so it is no final test
   • The critic is wrong, since a challenge constantly renewed cannot be tested by a count
   • The critic is wrong, since a count of people leaves out the gain in opportunity
5. 4.

   Card E says the cause of the fall is debated. Which finding would most strengthen the case for the programs, Kira asks?

   • A larger fall among groups reached than among similar groups not reached
   • A rise in the number of people receiving program help after 1965
   • A fall in poverty in years of low unemployment, which shows programs add to growth
   • A fall in the rate in each year after 1964 that exceeds the fall before it
6. 5.

   Card D says Americans 65 and older numbered about 12 million in 1950 and 17.5 million by 1963, and Medicare enrolled nearly 20 million in three years. What can be said, Luz asks?

   • The group grew about 46 percent by 1963, so enrollment above 17.5 million also fits later growth
   • The group grew about 46 percent, so enrollment above 17.5 million shows Medicare reached new people
   • The group grew about 31 percent, so enrollment above 17.5 million fits growth after 1963
   • The group grew about 46 percent, so enrollment above 17.5 million counts people under 65
7. 6.

   Medicare was signed July 30, 1965, and coverage began July 1, 1966. A student uses the 1966 and 1969 poverty rates to judge Medicare. What is the main flaw, Milo asks?

   • The rate is measured a year late, so Medicare's effect appears in 1967
   • Medicare cannot affect a poverty rate, so no year's rate can judge it
   • Coverage began mid-1966, and other causes are not separated
   • Coverage began in 1965, so the 1966 rate is a full year after it
8. 7.

   A student needs the size of the fall, the Act's stated policy, and the debate over causes. Which pairing is best, Noah asks?

   • Card C for the size, card A for the policy, card E for the debate
   • Card C for the size and the debate, card B for the policy
   • Card C for size, card B for policy, card E for the debate
   • Card D for the size, card B for the policy, card E for the debate
9. 8.

   The rate fell 3.4 points from 1959 to 1964. At that pace of 0.68 a year, 1969 would be about 15.6, against the real 12.1. What does the gap show, Ren asks?

   • A faster fall, which the cards cannot divide among causes
   • A fall that began after 1964, since the early pace was flat
   • A fall the programs caused, since the early pace had no program behind it
   • A fall that matches the early pace, since 15.6 is close to 12.1
10. 9.

    A columnist writes, "The Great Society failed, because poverty rose in 1970." Using cards C and E, which reply is best, Tala asks?

    • The rise is the first evidence of failure, since a rate should keep falling
    • A 0.5-point rise beside a 10.3-point fall, with no cause shown, is weak support for failure
    • The rise comes after the laws, so it counts against them as much as the fall counted for them
    • The rise is weak support because a recession in 1970 explains it
11. 10.

    Which conclusion do cards A to E support best, Zee asks?

    • The Act had little effect, since a third of the fall came before it
    • Poverty fell a lot, and how much the Act caused is unsettled
    • The Act met its goal, since the fall to 12.1 percent followed its policy
    • Growth explains the fall, since card E names it as a rival to the programs