Final answer:
The claim that the severely poor population percentage has hit a 32-year high is false; poverty rate trends have fluctuated with a peak in 2011 at 15.9%, but by 2013 it decreased to 14.5%. The correct option is B.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the percentage of the population considered severely poor has reached a 32-year high is false. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the poverty rate increased in the early 1980s and early 1990s, reaching a peak in 2011. Since the 1960s, the poverty rate declined and then fluctuated, but in no year in the last four decades has it fallen below 11%.
In 2011, the poverty rate peaked at 15.9%, which was comparable to the levels of the 1960s. However, by 2013, the rate had declined to 14.5%. It is important to understand the trends in poverty rates to better grasp the socioeconomic challenges within society.