Sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, and why entrepreneurs take risks

Grade 12 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Card A. Compare chart "One year's profit of $100,000" (made up for practice, except the 21% corporate rate), columns Form | Tax on the business's profit | Tax when the owner receives the profit: Sole proprietorship | none; profit counts as the owner's income | 22% of the $100,000; Corporation | 21% of the $100,000 | 15% of the dividends paid out. Note: the 21% federal corporate rate is real. The 22% and 15% rates are assumed for this sheet and are not tax advice. A partnership works like a sole proprietorship: each partner pays 22% on a share of the profit.

2. 1.

   Pia reads card A. If the corporation pays out all its profit as dividends, which comparison of owners' take-home pay is correct?

   • The corporation's owner keeps $79,000, because the corporate rate of 21% is below the 22% rate
   • Both owners keep $78,000, because 22% and 21% plus 15% are close to the same
   • The sole proprietor keeps $78,000; the corporation's owner keeps $67,150 after both taxes
   • The corporation's owner keeps $85,000, because a 15% rate is lower than 22%
3. 2.

   Ren imagines the corporation keeping its profit in the firm instead of paying dividends. Using card A, what happens this year?

   • The firm pays $21,000 and keeps $79,000; the 15% owner tax is delayed until dividends are paid
   • The firm pays $21,000 and the owner $22,000, as a sole proprietor would
   • The owner pays the 15% tax on $79,000 anyway, because the profit already belongs to the owner and the firm
   • The firm pays no tax this year, because profit that is kept is not taxed
4. 3.

   A writer says card A shows owners should always choose a sole proprietorship because it keeps more profit. Tala tests the claim. What is the verdict?

   • Refuted: the corporation pays just 21% on its profit, less than the 22%
   • Weakly supported: it keeps more of paid-out profit, but card A says nothing on risk such as debts
   • Shown: it keeps $78,000 against $67,150, so it is the better form for any owner of any kind of business
   • Unsupported: the sole proprietorship earns more because it pays a lower rate

5. Use this

   Card A. Compare chart "A bakery's costs" (made up for practice), columns Cakes baked | Extra cost of the next cake | Total cost, with $26 fixed: 1 | $12 | $38; 2 | $14 | $52; 3 | $16 | $68; 4 | $18 | $86; 5 | $22 | $108; 6 | $28 | $136; 7 | $36 | $172. Note: invented bakery, made up for practice. The $26 fixed cost is owed this month even if the bakery bakes nothing. Each cake sells at the market price.

6. 4.

   Ari reads card A. The market price is $26 a cake. How many cakes should the bakery bake?

   • Five: the 5th adds $26 for $22 more cost, but the 6th adds $26 for $28
   • Six: profit is still positive at six cakes, $156 of sales against $136 of cost
   • Four: the 4th is the cake with the lowest average cost, $21.50
   • Seven: keep baking until total cost, $172, passes sales, $182
7. 5.

   The market price falls to $20 a cake. Bo uses card A. What should the bakery do this month?

   • Bake 7 cakes, because more cakes spread the $26 fixed cost thinner
   • Bake 4 cakes: $80 of sales covers the $60 of extra cost, so the loss is $6, not the $26 fixed cost
   • Bake 5 cakes, since the $2 lost on the 5th is small next to the $26 fixed cost the bakery owes anyway
   • Close, because baking 4 cakes costs $86 and sales are just $80
8. 6.

   The price drops further, to $11 a cake. Esme uses card A. What should the bakery do this month?

   • Bake 1 cake, because it brings $11 and that helps pay the $26 fixed cost
   • Bake 2 cakes, because the 2nd costs $14, close to the $11 price
   • Close for now: even the 1st cake costs $12 more to bake, above the $11 price, so baking adds to the loss
   • Bake 4 cakes, because the average cost of the first four is lowest, at $21.50 a cake, so those four pay their way

9. Use this

   Card A. Compare chart "Food trucks at a fair, per day" (made up for practice), columns Price | Buyers want now | Buyers want after new customers come | Trucks offer now | Trucks offer after new trucks arrive: $4 | 80 | 110 | 20 | 50; $5 | 70 | 100 | 40 | 70; $6 | 60 | 90 | 60 | 90; $7 | 50 | 80 | 80 | 110; $8 | 40 | 70 | 100 | 130. Note: made up for practice. The market starts where the "now" columns match. In the first move, new customers want more meals at each price. In the second move, new trucks offer more meals at each price.

10. 7.

    Both moves on card A happen at once. Kira asks what can be said without reading the sizes. Which statement is best supported?

    • The price must rise, because more customers want meals at each price
    • Meals sold must fall, because the two moves cancel out
    • The price must fall, because new trucks offer more meals at each price and buyers pay less for them
    • Meals sold must rise; the price could rise, fall or stay the same, depending on the larger move
11. 8.

    Luz reads the "after" columns on card A, where buyers' and trucks' quantities match. What happens to the price and meals sold?

    • The price stays at $6 and meals sold stay at 60
    • The price stays at $6 while meals sold rise from 60 to 90
    • The price falls to $5 and meals sold rise to 70, as with new trucks alone
    • The price rises to $7 and meals sold rise to 80
12. 9.

    Suppose only the new trucks arrive and no new customers do. Milo uses card A. What happens to the price and meals sold?

    • The price falls from $6 to $5 and meals sold rise from 60 to 70
    • The price rises from $6 to $7 and meals sold rise from 60 to 80
    • The price falls from $6 to $5 and meals sold stay at 60
    • The price falls to $4 and meals sold fall to 50
13. 10.

    A reporter says new food trucks always push prices down. Noah tests the claim with both moves on card A. What is the verdict?

    • Not supported: the price rose to $7, so trucks push prices up
    • Not supported: with new customers too, the price stays at $6 and 30 more meals sell
    • Supported: new trucks lowered the price in the first move, so they do in each case
    • Not supported: the number of trucks is not on the card