Question

read the passage.
the following is from an address given by mary w. dewson, a member of the social security board, to the women’s city club of boston on february 17, 1938.
from this social security—what is it?
social insurance, like private insurance, has limitations. you can’t, for example, insure people who are already old against old - age dependency, any more than you can insure your car against property damages after you have had a smash - up. yet some provision has to be made for this non - insurable need. nobody knows exactly how many of those now old are without sufficient resources for their own support. surveys made some years ago in massachusetts, connecticut, and other states showed that anywhere from 40 to 50 percent of the people over 65 had an income of less than $300 a year. and $300 a year is the modest minimum which, the american people seem to think, is essential for health and decency. to take care of such old people, the social security act adds another provision—for assistance on the basis of need. with federal grants to match state funds, the states are now providing cash allowances for well over a million - and - a - half... people. as time goes on, however, more people will be covered by the old - age insurance system, particularly when, as we hope, it is extended to include practically all wage earners.
(from “this social security—what is it?” by mary w. dewson)
grow to include more of the population.
part b
which detail from the passage best supports the correct answer from part a?

1. “you can’t, for example, insure people who are already old against old - age dependency, any more than you can insure your car against property damages after you have had a smash - up.”
2. “nobody knows exactly how many of those now old are without sufficient resources for their own support.”
3. “to take care of such old people, the social security act adds another provision—for assistance on the basis of need.”
4. “as time goes on, however, more people will be covered by the old - age insurance system, particularly when, as we hope, it is extended to include practically all wage earners.”

Explanation:

The passage discusses the limitations of social insurance (similar to private insurance) in insuring already - old people against old - age dependency. It then mentions that the Social Security Act has a provision (assistance based on need) to take care of such old people. Option 3 directly refers to this provision which is likely the support for the correct answer in Part A (assuming Part A is about the Social Security Act's measures to address the non - insurable need of the old).

Answer:

1. "To take care of such old people, the Social Security Act adds another provision—for assistance on the basis of need."