Production possibilities curves
Grade 12 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
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.
Pia reads card A. The bakery moves from point C to point D. What does the extra 10 loaves cost?
- 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
- 12 cakes, since cakes fall from 48 to 36 as loaves rise from 20 to 30
- 10 cakes, since the bakery gives up one cake for each extra loaf it makes
Zee places Plan H (40 loaves, 30 cakes) against card A. Which description is right?
- 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
- 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
Tala reads cards A and C. Which claim do they support best?
- The cost of cakes rises because the ovens wear out as they are used more
- Each extra 10 loaves costs more cakes than the last, as card C's unequal workers would explain
- Each extra 10 loaves costs the same number of cakes, since each is the same size step
- Each extra 10 loaves costs fewer cakes than the last, since workers get better with practice
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.
Ari reads cards A and B. Which statement describes the change the new oven makes?
- The bakery moves along its old curve to make more cakes and fewer loaves
- Both the most cakes and the most loaves rise, since a new oven helps the baking of each good
- The most loaves rises from 50 to 75, but the most cakes stays at 60
- The most cakes rises from 60 to 75, but the most loaves stays at 50
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 stayed at 12 cakes, since the oven does not change how loaves are made
- It rose from 12 cakes to 25, since 25 cakes is the most possible at 40 loaves
- It rose from 12 cakes to 15, because cakes became easier to make
A baker wants only loaves. Esme compares cards A and B. Which statement is right?
- The bakery gains at points with no loaves, so mixed plans do not gain from the oven
- That baker gains, since a new oven makes baking of each kind cheaper for the bakery
- That baker loses, since the oven takes workers away from making loaves at the bakery
- That baker gains nothing at 50 loaves, though a bakery making both goods does
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.
Kira reads cards A and B. Which country makes more consumer goods this year, and which can make more later?
- R makes more now and later, since building factories adds to goods in the same year
- 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, 80 against 90; S can make up to 120 later, against R's 110
Milo reads card B. By how much does R's choice change its later maximum compared with S's?
- It is 20 higher, because R built 20 factories and S built zero, which makes the gap 20
- It is 10 higher, because R built 10 more factories, each adding 1 to the later maximum
- It is 10 lower, because R gave up 10 consumer goods this year to build the factories
- It is the same, because both countries could make 100 goods without any factories
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 much R's people value goods later compared with goods now
- How many factories each country built, which card A already gives
Ren writes one claim from cards A and B. Which claim do they support best?
- R's choice makes R richer in each year, since factories add to output in each later year
- S's choice gives up 10 consumer goods now to raise its later maximum by 10 more than R's
- 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
