Production possibilities curves

Grade 12 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Cards A to C on a bakery's choices (all made up). Card A, "The bakery's day (made up)". Who made it: written for this sheet. Table, columns Point | Loaves | Cakes: A | 0 | 60; B | 10 | 56; C | 20 | 48; D | 30 | 36; E | 40 | 20; F | 50 | 0. Note: at every point the bakery uses all its ovens and workers. Card B, "Two more plans (made up)". Who made it: written for this sheet. Plan G: 30 loaves and 30 cakes. Plan H: 40 loaves and 30 cakes. Card C, "Why costs rise (in our words)". Who made it: written for this sheet. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Workers and ovens are not equally good at both goods. The first ones moved to a new good are the ones best suited to it, so each further move costs more.

2. 1.

   Pia reads card A. The bakery moves from point C to point D. What does the extra 10 loaves cost?

   • 10 cakes, since the bakery gives up one cake for each extra loaf it makes
   • 12 cakes, since cakes fall from 48 to 36 as loaves rise from 20 to 30
   • 4 cakes, since the first 10 loaves cost 4 cakes and each 10 loaves costs the same
   • 36 cakes, since 36 is the number of cakes the bakery still makes at point D
3. 2.

   Zee places Plan H (40 loaves, 30 cakes) against card A. Which description is right?

   • Inside the curve: 30 cakes is less than the 36 cakes the bakery makes at 30 loaves
   • Inside the curve: the bakery could add cakes if it made fewer than 40 loaves
   • Beyond the curve: at 40 loaves the most cakes the bakery can make is 20
   • On the curve: point E makes 40 loaves, so a plan with 40 loaves is on the curve

4. Use this

   Cards A and B on a new oven (both made up). Card A, "Before the new oven (made up)". Who made it: written for this sheet. Table, columns Loaves | Most cakes possible: 0 | 60; 10 | 56; 20 | 48; 30 | 36; 40 | 20; 50 | 0. Card B, "After the new oven (made up)". Who made it: written for this sheet. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The oven makes cakes faster and does not help with loaves. Table, columns Loaves | Most cakes possible: 0 | 75; 10 | 70; 20 | 60; 30 | 45; 40 | 25; 50 | 0.

5. 3.

   Ari reads cards A and B. Which statement describes the change the new oven makes?

   • The most loaves rises from 50 to 75, but the most cakes stays at 60
   • Both the most cakes and the most loaves rise, since a new oven helps the baking of each good
   • The bakery moves along its old curve to make more cakes and fewer loaves
   • The most cakes rises from 60 to 75, but the most loaves stays at 50
6. 4.

   The bakery wants 30 loaves and 40 cakes. Noah compares cards A and B. When is that possible?

   • Not before, since the most cakes at 30 loaves was 36; yes after, since it is now 45
   • Not before and not after, since 40 cakes is more than the table shows at 30 loaves
   • Yes before, since 40 cakes appears in the table; not after, since the oven changed the numbers
   • Yes before and after, since 30 loaves is one of the points in both tables
7. 5.

   From 20 to 30 loaves, Bo compares the cakes given up before and after the oven. Which statement is right?

   • It fell from 12 cakes to 9, since a new oven makes baking cheaper
   • It rose from 12 cakes to 25, since 25 cakes is the most possible at 40 loaves
   • It stayed at 12 cakes, since the oven does not change how loaves are made
   • It rose from 12 cakes to 15, because cakes became easier to make
8. 6.

   A baker wants only loaves. Esme compares cards A and B. Which statement is right?

   • That baker loses, since the oven takes workers away from making loaves at the bakery
   • That baker gains, since a new oven makes baking of each kind cheaper for the bakery
   • The bakery gains at points with no loaves, so mixed plans do not gain from the oven
   • That baker gains nothing at 50 loaves, though a bakery making both goods does

9. Use this

   Cards A and B on building for later (both made up). Card A, "Two countries (made up)". Who made it: written for this sheet. Table, columns Country | Factories built this year | Consumer goods this year: R | 20 | 80; S | 10 | 90. Card B, "A rule (made up)". Who made it: written for this sheet. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Each country could make at most 100 consumer goods this year if it built no factories. Every factory built this year adds 1 to the most consumer goods the country can make in each later year.

10. 7.

    Kira reads cards A and B. Which country makes more consumer goods this year, and which can make more later?

    • R makes more now, 80 against 90; S can make up to 120 later, against R's 110
    • S makes more now and later, since 90 is greater than 80 and S built fewer factories
    • S makes more now, 90 against 80; R can make up to 120 later, against S's 110
    • R makes more now and later, since building factories adds to goods in the same year
11. 8.

    Milo reads card B. By how much does R's choice change its later maximum compared with S's?

    • It is the same, because both countries could make 100 goods without any factories
    • It is 10 lower, because R gave up 10 consumer goods this year to build the factories
    • It is 10 higher, because R built 10 more factories, each adding 1 to the later maximum
    • It is 20 higher, because R built 20 factories and S built zero, which makes the gap 20
12. 9.

    Jun wants to say whether R chose better than S. Which missing fact matters most?

    • What the factories cost in dollars, since the cards give goods and not dollars
    • How many people live in R compared with S, since larger countries should build more
    • How many factories each country built, which card A already gives
    • How much R's people value goods later compared with goods now
13. 10.

    Ren writes one claim from cards A and B. Which claim do they support best?

    • R's choice costs nothing, since it adds factories and keeps its goods at 80
    • R's choice gives up 10 consumer goods now to raise its later maximum by 10 more than S's
    • S's choice gives up 10 consumer goods now to raise its later maximum by 10 more than R's
    • R's choice makes R richer in each year, since factories add to output in each later year