Growth, Development, Resources & Long-Term Choices — Practice · Grade 12 Social Studies

Chapter: Global Connections, Risk & Economic Inquiry

What this practice covers

By the end of Growth, Development, Resources & Long-Term Choices you should be able to:

8 questions, written answer, each with a worked explanation.

Vocabulary used: growth, development, intensity, sustainability, resource stock.

Problem 1

Why can total output grow while per-person output stays unchanged?
Answer and explanation

Population can rise proportionately. In the supplied case, 100/50 and 120/60 both equal two. The larger total does not establish higher average output per person or universal improved conditions.

Problem 2

Why does capital expenditure not automatically establish improved services?
Answer and explanation

Operation requires complementary resources, maintenance, institutions, and access. Spending records show inputs or acquisition, while service and outcome records show what changed. Explain the channel and actual use.

Problem 3

Why does lower energy intensity not prove lower total energy use?
Answer and explanation

Output can grow enough to outweigh the efficiency change. The supplied intensity falls ten percent while total use rises eight percent. State both measures and examine the mechanism rather than transferring the ratio’s direction to the total.

Problem 4

What should a long-term recommendation identify beyond a predicted benefit?
Answer and explanation

State current and future costs, timing, distribution, uncertainty, relevant constraints, and alternatives. Define how the forecast would be tested. A predicted gain does not establish universal access or eliminate future risks.

Problem 5

Invented periods: energy 1,000 then 1,080 units; real output 100 then 120 units. Calculate both changes and evaluate “efficiency improvement means total use fell.”
Answer and explanation

Intensity falls from ten to nine energy units per output, a ten percent decline. Total energy use rises eight percent. Thus the quoted claim is false for this packet: efficiency per unit improves while total use increases. The arithmetic does not establish the cause or full environmental effect; resource type, technology, and other evidence would add context.

Divide energy by output.

Calculate changes relative to original measures.

Separate ratios from totals.

Response criteria

  • Explain the relevant institution or economic concept accurately; show correct calculations where needed.
  • Connect supplied evidence and stated assumptions to an explained conclusion.
  • Compare feasible options and their effects on different people without stereotypes.
  • Identify a limitation, tradeoff, uncertainty, or condition that qualifies the conclusion.

Problem 6

Does higher GDP establish every dimension of development improved?
Answer and explanation

No. Production, distribution, capabilities, services, rights, environmental conditions, and unpaid activity require different measures. GDP can remain useful within its scope while other evidence is needed for a broader judgment.

Response criteria

  • Explain the relevant institution or economic concept accurately; show correct calculations where needed.
  • Connect supplied evidence and stated assumptions to an explained conclusion.
  • Compare feasible options and their effects on different people without stereotypes.
  • Identify a limitation, tradeoff, uncertainty, or condition that qualifies the conclusion.

Problem 7

Invented output 200 then 240; population 100 then 120. Calculate per-person output and both growth rates.
Answer and explanation

Per-person output is two in both periods. Total output rises twenty percent while per-person growth is zero. Neither average identifies every resident’s income or broader development conditions.

Response criteria

  • Explain the relevant institution or economic concept accurately; show correct calculations where needed.
  • Connect supplied evidence and stated assumptions to an explained conclusion.
  • Compare feasible options and their effects on different people without stereotypes.
  • Identify a limitation, tradeoff, uncertainty, or condition that qualifies the conclusion.

Problem 8

An invented resource stock starts at 100, adds ten through renewal, and loses 15 through use; other changes excluded. Calculate the ending stock and qualify it.
Answer and explanation

The stock ends at 95, a decline of five under the model. Actual ecosystems require evidence about renewal, timing, quality, and other changes. The simple balance is not a real environmental forecast.

Response criteria

  • Explain the relevant institution or economic concept accurately; show correct calculations where needed.
  • Connect supplied evidence and stated assumptions to an explained conclusion.
  • Compare feasible options and their effects on different people without stereotypes.
  • Identify a limitation, tradeoff, uncertainty, or condition that qualifies the conclusion.

Browse all courses