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 B names the Act's means: opening opportunity for education, training and work. A student says the 1969 poverty count tests it fully. Which reply is best, Ari asks?

   • It tests the means once card E's debate is settled by comparing growth years
   • It tests the goal; counts of who gained training or work test the means
   • It tests the means if card A's speech is read as promising a count
   • It tests the means, since opportunity should have lowered the count within five years
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 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
   • It stayed near 176 million, so the fall in the count and in the rate must match
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 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
   • The critic is right, since Johnson set 1969 as the year the work would be finished
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 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 larger fall among groups reached than among similar groups not reached
   • 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?

   • Coverage began in 1965, so the 1966 rate is a full year after it
   • The rate is measured a year late, so Medicare's effect appears in 1967
   • Coverage began mid-1966, and other causes are not separated
   • Medicare cannot affect a poverty rate, so no year's rate can judge 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 and the debate, card B for the policy
   • Card D for the size, card B for the policy, card E for the debate
   • Card C for the size, card A for the policy, card E for the debate
   • Card C for size, card B for policy, card E for the debate
9. 8.

   About two thirds of the 1959-to-1969 fall came after the 1964 rate. A student says this settles the debate in card E for the programs. Which reply is best, Pia asks?

   • It settles it, since a larger fall after the laws is what the programs predicted
   • It settles it for growth, since card E names growth and the fall tracked the economy
   • It fits the programs mattering, but growth after 1964 could also explain it
   • It settles it against the programs, since a third of the fall came before the laws
10. 9.

    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 fall that matches the early pace, since 15.6 is close to 12.1
    • A fall the programs caused, since the early pace had no program behind it
    • A fall that began after 1964, since the early pace was flat
    • A faster fall, which the cards cannot divide among causes
11. 10.

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

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