Which of the following was a major contributor to the economic crisis that began in 2008?

Which of the following was a major contributor to the economic crisis that began in 2008?
 
  a. the collapse of the subprime mortgage industry
  b. massive cuts in the federal budget deficit
  c. increased wage demands by labor unions
  d. inflationary policies by the Federal Reserve

Question -2-

The largest number of Americans benefit from which means-tested income security program?
 
  a. Social Security
  b. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
  c. Supplemental Security Income
  d. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

Question -3-

Which of the following is a concern about the viability of Social Security?
 
  a. The rate of Social Security payroll taxes will continue to decrease.
  b. The number of current retirees contributing to the fund will continue to decrease.
  c. The working poor will not have access to Social Security after 2030.
  d. There will be too few workers contributing to support the increasing number of retirees.

Question -4-

If the Federal Reserve wanted to increase lending by banks, what could it do to reserve requirements?
 
  a. Lower the discount rate on bank reserve requirements.
  b. Lower the rate of taxation on bank reserve requirements.
  c. Lower the reserve requirements for banks.
  d. Increase the discount rate on bank reserve requirements.

Question -5-

Which of these statements best describes the influence of adjustments to the discount rate made by the Federal Reserve?
 
  a. They always lead to lower rates of marginal taxes.
  b. They can lead to higher unemployment in years of budget deficits.
  c. They can spur economic growth by increasing the cost of money for business.
  d. They can spur economic growth by increasing the available money supply.