How natural resources shape what a place makes and trades

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Botswana and diamonds (real figures; cards A to E; summaries in our words). Card A, news reports of International Monetary Fund (IMF) figures, 2025: diamonds make up about 80 percent of Botswana's exports and about 30 percent of its GDP (the value of everything its economy makes in a year). Card B: two reports give different figures for how much of the government's income comes from diamond mining; one says about a third, another says about half. Card C: one industry estimate says lab-grown stones were 3.5 percent of the world diamond gem market by value in 2018 and 18.5 percent in 2023; another source says about 20 percent in 2023. Card D: the IMF found that Botswana's economy shrank by 3 percent in 2024, mostly because of weak demand in the diamond market, and that mining output fell by 24 percent. Card E: Botswana's government projected a large deficit (spending above income) for 2025. A projection is a forecast, not a count.

2. 1.

   Card A: diamonds are about 80 percent of exports. If diamond exports fall by a quarter and other exports stay the same, by what share do total exports fall, Bo asks?

   • 80 percent, the share that diamonds make up
   • 25 percent, the same as the fall in diamond exports
   • 5 percent, found by subtracting 75 from 80
   • 20 percent: a quarter of the 80 percent share
3. 2.

   Card B gives about a third in one report and about half in another. What is the best response, Jun asks?

   • Pick the larger number, since it shows the biggest danger
   • One report must have made up its number
   • Both are right, since a third and a half are the same
   • Check the year and what each report counts as income
4. 3.

   A student says, "Cards C and D prove lab-grown stones caused the 2024 fall." Which reply is best, Kira asks?

   • Proven: lab-grown share rose and the economy shrank, so one caused the other
   • Not proven: weak demand cannot affect a whole economy
   • Not proven: the cards fit together, but neither names a cause
   • Proven: card D names lab-grown stones as the cause of the fall
5. 4.

   Which chain from cards C and D is best supported, Luz asks?

   • The economy shrank, so Botswana mined less, which let lab-grown stones into the market
   • Lab-grown stones raised the price of mined diamonds, so mining output fell
   • Lab-grown stones gained share, demand weakened, and output and the economy fell
   • A 2025 deficit forecast caused the weak demand of 2024
6. 5.

   Card E gives a deficit forecast for 2025. What kind of statement is that, Milo asks?

   • A finding from the IMF about the year 2024
   • A government forecast, which can change as events change
   • A count of what happened in 2025, like card D's figures for 2024
   • A fact, because it is written as a number
7. 6.

   Card A is news reports of IMF figures. What should a careful reader check, Noah asks?

   • That the news site is famous, since fame shows accuracy
   • Which reporter lives closest to Botswana
   • Nothing, since a figure with a percent sign has been checked
   • Whether the report names the IMF document and year
8. 7.

   Card E forecasts a big deficit. How might a mine worker and a government planner each react, Pia asks?

   • The worker worries about jobs and wages; the planner about the budget
   • The worker would plan the budget; the planner would worry about wages
   • Both would care about the same thing, since they live in the same country
   • Neither would care, since a forecast cannot affect anyone
9. 8.

   Card A: diamonds are 80 percent of exports. If other exports double and diamond exports stay the same, about what share do diamonds make, Ren asks?

   • About 50 percent, since doubling splits the total in half
   • About 80 percent, since diamond exports did not change
   • About 67 percent, still largest but lower than 80
   • About 40 percent, the new size of other exports
10. 9.

    A student says, "Card A shows 30 percent of Botswana's people's income comes from diamonds." Which reply is best, Tala asks?

    • Supported: diamonds are 80 percent of exports, so they are most income
    • Not supported: GDP cannot be compared with anything
    • Not supported: 30 percent of GDP is value added, not each person's income
    • Supported: 30 percent of GDP means 30 percent of each person's income comes from diamonds
11. 10.

    Suppose a new card F says diamond prices rose in early 2026. What does it change about cards D and E, Zee asks?

    • It shows card D was wrong about 2024 because prices were high
    • It cancels card D, since a later fact replaces an earlier one
    • It changes nothing, since forecasts stay fixed once they are published
    • It may change card E's forecast but not what happened in 2024