In season three of the TV show The West Wing, the federal government considers redefining the national poverty measure in a way that would classify an additional 4 million people as poor. The fictional president worries that his administration will be criticized for leading the country into greater poverty. This change would have reflected a change in which of the following types of poverty measurements?

a. A relative measure of poverty.
b. Either a relative or an absolute measure of poverty.
c. Neither a relative nor an absolute measure of poverty.
d. An absolute measure of poverty.

The correct answer is "b. Either a relative or an absolute measure of poverty.".

Explanation: The poverty measure in this case has the possibility of being relative or absolute. The point is that any change in the way of measuring poverty can cause 4 million more people to be considered poor, therefore the president must support this and clarify that regardless of the change in the measurement, the 4 million people now classified as poor are the same, since this change is not a consequence of policies taken by the president, but rather due to a change in the measurement of poverty.

answer; sensory adaptation;