Prereading Quiz: Out of Poverty

Before you read “Out of Poverty,” take this five-question quiz to find out how much you already know.

1

Someone who lives in extreme poverty is likely to ____.

People who live in extreme poverty—defined as living on less than $1.90 a day—often don’t have enough basic necessities like food and shelter.

2

About how many people lived in extreme poverty in 2017?

According to the World Bank, about 700 million people lived in extreme poverty in 2017 (the most recent year for which data is available).

3

Which of these countries has practically eliminated extreme poverty in recent years?

Today, less than 1 percent of China’s 1.4 billion people live in extreme poverty. This is a much smaller portion of the population, down from 61 percent in 1990. 

4

Putting money into a new business idea is an example of ____.

Putting money into a new business idea is an example of an investment. Countries can also make investments in their people by providing loans and improving access to education and health care.

5

How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected extreme poverty?

The Covid-19 pandemic has pushed 97 million people into extreme poverty since 2020, showing how fragile some of the previous gains can be.

Text-to-Speech