The sociological perspectives discussed in this chapter provide very different views into social class and poverty in the United States. Discuss the advantages of using multiple perspectives in understanding social problems such as poverty.

Students studying poverty can often come up with numerous reasons why people go hungry in the United States (e.g., a lack of sufficient money), but few realize that poor families encounter higher food prices, a smaller selection of food, and food deserts than other families. Discuss why this happens and what, if anything, should be done about it.

The United States has one of the highest income disparities in the world. The gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow. Other nations, such as the Nordic countries, have much lower income disparities. Discuss some possible reasons why such dissimilarity exists among highly developed nations.

Some researchers believe that the poverty line is too low. If you were in charge of adjusting the poverty line to reflect the current year what would it be for an individual? A family of four? Why?