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

Grade 11 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Counting the poor, 1959 to 1970 (cards A to C). Card A, a table from the US Census Bureau, the official poverty rate for all people, in percent: 1959, 22.4; 1962, 21.0; 1964, 19.0; 1965, 17.3; 1966, 14.7; 1969, 12.1; 1970, 12.6. Card B, President Lyndon B. Johnson, State of the Union address to Congress, January 8, 1964 (excerpt): "This administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in America. I urge this Congress and all Americans to join with me in that effort." Card C, laws, in our words: the Economic Opportunity Act, signed August 20, 1964, set up the Office of Economic Opportunity to run programs against poverty. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was signed April 11, 1965, and Medicare and Medicaid on July 30, 1965. Medicare coverage began on July 1, 1966.

2. 1.

   Johnson spoke to Congress on January 8, 1964. Which use of card B is sound, Ari asks?

   • As evidence of the goal he set, to be read against rates measured later
   • As weak evidence, since a goal counts for less than the laws in card C
   • As evidence of the poverty rate he had in hand, since a speech cites one
   • As evidence the goal was reached, since card A's rates fell after it
3. 2.

   The Economic Opportunity Act was signed in August 1964. What does card A show about the fall that had come before, Esme asks?

   • About a third was in by 1964, so the laws deserve no share of the credit
   • A third of the fall was in by 1964, so the laws share the credit
   • About two thirds was in by 1964, so the laws deserve little of the credit
   • Under a third was in by 1964, so the laws deserve most of the credit
4. 3.

   A student writes, "The war on poverty cut the rate from 22.4 to 12.1." Which reply fits cards A to C best, Jun asks?

   • The claim holds for 1965 to 1969, though not for the earlier fall
   • Unproven: the rate fell before the laws and no card links a program
   • The claim holds because the rate fell most after the laws were signed
   • The claim fails because a table of rates cannot show a program's effect
5. 4.

   Two students ask questions. One asks how far the rate fell. The other asks what Johnson set out to do. Which matching is best, Kira asks?

   • Card B for the first, since a president knows the rate, and card A for the second
   • Card A for both, since the rate falling shows what Johnson set out to do
   • Card A for the first, card B for the second, with card C for the dates of the laws
   • Card C for both, since the laws are what Johnson set out to do and how far it fell
6. 5.

   Looking only at years next to each other in card A, which reading is fair, Luz asks?

   • The biggest fall was into 1970, since it is the last year in the table
   • The biggest fall was into 1966, 2.6 points, and it shows Medicare caused it
   • The biggest one-year fall was into 1966, 2.6 points, in a year Medicare began mid-year
   • The biggest fall was into 1965, since the Economic Opportunity Act came the year before
7. 6.

   The rate fell from 17.3 in 1965 to 14.7 in 1966, and Medicare coverage began July 1, 1966. What can be said, Milo asks?

   • Medicare was signed in 1965, so its effect shows in the 1966 fall
   • The Economic Opportunity Act and Medicare together explain the fall
   • Coverage began mid-1966 and no card links a program to the fall
   • Medicare covered half of 1966, so about half the fall came from it
8. 7.

   The rate rose from 12.1 in 1969 to 12.6 in 1970. What is the most careful reading, Noah asks?

   • A small rise, which one year cannot show is a new trend
   • A rise caused by a slowing economy in 1970
   • A rise caused by the laws having run their course
   • A reversal of the long fall, which the rise shows has begun
9. 8.

   A student wants to test whether poverty programs lowered the rate. Which added evidence would help most, Pia asks?

   • Johnson's later statements on what the programs had done
   • Rates for families helped, beside similar families not helped
   • Rates for each year after 1970, to see whether the fall continued
   • Rates for each state, to see where the programs were largest
10. 9.

    One student says poverty fell "10 points" and another says "almost half" from 1959 to 1969. Which is the fairer account, Ren asks?

    • Both describe one fall; only the percent shows its scale
    • The points figure, since percent of a rate can mislead
    • Neither, since the 12.3-point drop is more than half
    • The percent figure, since points hide how large the starting rate was
11. 10.

    Which year in card A falls fully after the Economic Opportunity Act was signed and fully before Medicare coverage began, Tala asks?

    • 1965, at 17.3 percent, the only year between the two dates
    • 1964, at 19.0 percent, since the Act was signed that year
    • 1966, at 14.7 percent, since Medicare was signed the year before
    • 1962, at 21.0 percent, since it comes before both events