Final answer:
The rapid growth of cities forced the working poor to live and work in crowded areas due to insufficient housing and transportation. Overpopulation and proximity to workplaces led to environmental and social challenges, impacting their quality of life.
Step-by-step explanation:
The growth of cities, especially during the period of industrialization, created numerous challenges for the working poor. Among such challenges, the need to live and work in crowded areas became a significant problem. This urban overcrowding was related to the rapid expansion of industry in the cities, where the demand for workers was high. Jobs were primarily located in these urban centers, turning workplaces into hubs of economic activity that in turn drew more people from rural areas and other countries.
Cities were often unprepared for the rapid influx of people, leading to insufficient housing, poor sanitation, and inadequate transportation systems. This created an environment where people had to live in crowded, dangerously constructed tenements close to their workplaces. The situation was compounded by the fact that public transportation was either unavailable or unaffordable for many of the working poor, limiting their options for living farther from the congested city center. Such densely populated living conditions also facilitated the spread of diseases and exacerbated social ills, including crime and exploitation.
Furthermore, the environmental degradation and psychological stress that accompanied living in cramped and unhygienic urban settlements could be significant. As cities expanded, these problems only intensified, resulting in a diminished quality of life for many of the working poor who could not afford to live elsewhere. Hence, the most accurate description of the problem that the growth of cities created for the working poor is that they had to live and work in crowded areas (option 4).