Which of the following is NOT listed as a feature of the Elizabethan Poor Law?

• A. A classification system for dependents according to their ability to work
• B. Compulsory taxation to raise funds to help
• C. Responsibility for "have nots"
• D. Inhumane treatment for those in institutions

Answer: (D)

The Elizabethan Poor Law established a parish-based system for relief: communities were responsible for aiding their own poor, funded by a local tax known as the poor rate. It also recognized different categories of dependents based on their ability to work, so able-bodied poor could be required to perform work or receive outdoor relief, while those who were impotent—elderly or disabled—could receive indoor relief. This framework formalized the duty to care for the needy as a local obligation, rather than a centralized, distant policy. It did not list inhumane treatment of those in institutions as a feature; the law aimed to regulate relief and organize support, not endorse mistreatment.