16. Which of the following statements is true?

a. Income distribution in the United States has gotten progressively more unequal since 1929.

b. The Lorenz curve indicates the degree of discrimination in an economy.

c. The Lorenz curve indicates the degree of income inequality in an economy.

d. The richest 5% of Americans earn approximately half of the nation's income.

18. The poverty line equals the:

a. average income of the bottom one-tenth of all income recipients.

b. cost of an economical and nutritional food plan for a family multiplied by six.

c. cost of an economical and nutritional food plan for a family multiplied by three.

d. average income of a family headed by a worker who has been unemployed for six months or more.

19. Which of the following statements is correct?

a. About 50 percent of blacks earn an income below the poverty line.

b. The area of the United States with the highest percentage of the population below the poverty line is the south.

c. Since 1980 the fraction of persons below the poverty level has risen sharply.

d. About 25 percent of the U.S. population earns an income below the poverty line.