SOCIOLOGY-Supplemental Reading
NICKEL & DIMED QUESTIONS
60 points
Due date:
Use a separate sheet of paper to answer these questions. Use complete
sentences.
1.According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, what do you have to
earn to afford a 1 bedroom apartment? P.3
2.What are the odd’s that a welfare recipient could get a job paying this
wage? P.3
3.What % of the workforce earns less that $8 an hour (according to the
economic policy institute)p.3
4.What rules did the author set for herself to make this a valid study? P.4
5.What limits did the author put on herself?p.5
6.What advantages does the author have over most who fill low wage jobs?
P.6
7.Where does the author decided to live first? What is the pay for her
first job? Why isn’t it minimum wage? (p.12-16)
8.What is the job of the manager? P.22
9.How are the workers treated when told of possible drug use? P.25
10.How are the maids “invisible” in the economy? P.99
11.What are the 2 forms of rebellion as described on p.107?
12.Why are the low wage workers “the untouchables of a caste-free
society?” p.11
13.Explain the Wal-mart experience. p.143-8
14.How does prosperity shrink the stock of affordable housing? P.172
15.Many argue that workers need a union. What problems would be fixed
through unionization? Why haven’t they unionized? P.185-6
16.What is wrong with the calculation of poverty? P.199-200
17.How and why are the poor “disappearing”? p.216
18.Give 3 examples of the signs of “distress” in the newspapers.
19. In general, how are the attitudes between employees and employers
described in this book?
**From the Reader’s Guide, answer 2 of the following questions.
Choices--#2,3,4,8, 9, 10, 14,16, 17
10 points per question—may be typed. Must be a minimum of 2 paragraphs
per question; 6 sentences per paragraph minimum.