SUS1501
Assignment 3 Semester 2 2026
Unique number
Due date: 21 August 2026
1 IN 5 BELOW THE FOOD POVERTY LINE
No prizes for guessing which one of the Crossroads Assessment questions we have
chosen to explore here:
“Even before COVID, one out of every five South Africans lived below the food
poverty line.” My personal opinionon this statement is most closely described by:
A. Who cares?
B. The mortality rates of these people will be high and, as in the question on child
mortality, this is a blessing indisguise for the human species as a whole, given the
rising human population.
C. If they worked harder, they wouldn't be so poor.
, 1 IN 5 BELOW THE FOOD POVERTY LINE
No prizes for guessing which one of the Crossroads Assessment questions we have
chosen to explore here:
“Even before COVID, one out of every five South Africans lived below the food
poverty line.” My personal opinionon this statement is most closely described by:
A. Who cares?
B. The mortality rates of these people will be high and, as in the question on child
mortality, this is a blessing indisguise for the human species as a whole, given the
rising human population.
C. If they worked harder, they wouldn't be so poor.
D. This is sad, but to be honest, it is not going to stop me from focusing on my own
wellbeing first.
E.I think that we must all strive to eliminate poverty together.
According to Stats SA, in 2024 the food poverty line in South Africa was R 796 per
person per month. It is the amount ofmoney a person would need in order to satisfy
their basic food requirements. Compare this to the national child incomegrant of R
560 per month!?
STEP 2: ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS
1. Most likely utilitarian option
The most likely utilitarian answer is option B, which says that the higher mortality of
people living in severe poverty could be viewed as a benefit for the human species
because population growth would be reduced. This answer is disturbing, but it fits
the strict utilitarian reasoning used in the learning material because utilitarianism
judges an action or outcome according to whether it increases the total good of the
wider system rather than according to the interests of one individual or group
(SUS1501, 2026a). The option treats the suffering and possible deaths of people
Assignment 3 Semester 2 2026
Unique number
Due date: 21 August 2026
1 IN 5 BELOW THE FOOD POVERTY LINE
No prizes for guessing which one of the Crossroads Assessment questions we have
chosen to explore here:
“Even before COVID, one out of every five South Africans lived below the food
poverty line.” My personal opinionon this statement is most closely described by:
A. Who cares?
B. The mortality rates of these people will be high and, as in the question on child
mortality, this is a blessing indisguise for the human species as a whole, given the
rising human population.
C. If they worked harder, they wouldn't be so poor.
, 1 IN 5 BELOW THE FOOD POVERTY LINE
No prizes for guessing which one of the Crossroads Assessment questions we have
chosen to explore here:
“Even before COVID, one out of every five South Africans lived below the food
poverty line.” My personal opinionon this statement is most closely described by:
A. Who cares?
B. The mortality rates of these people will be high and, as in the question on child
mortality, this is a blessing indisguise for the human species as a whole, given the
rising human population.
C. If they worked harder, they wouldn't be so poor.
D. This is sad, but to be honest, it is not going to stop me from focusing on my own
wellbeing first.
E.I think that we must all strive to eliminate poverty together.
According to Stats SA, in 2024 the food poverty line in South Africa was R 796 per
person per month. It is the amount ofmoney a person would need in order to satisfy
their basic food requirements. Compare this to the national child incomegrant of R
560 per month!?
STEP 2: ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS
1. Most likely utilitarian option
The most likely utilitarian answer is option B, which says that the higher mortality of
people living in severe poverty could be viewed as a benefit for the human species
because population growth would be reduced. This answer is disturbing, but it fits
the strict utilitarian reasoning used in the learning material because utilitarianism
judges an action or outcome according to whether it increases the total good of the
wider system rather than according to the interests of one individual or group
(SUS1501, 2026a). The option treats the suffering and possible deaths of people
