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 C: lab-grown stones were 3.5 percent of the market in 2018 and 18.5 percent in 2023. About how many times as large was the 2023 share, Ari asks?

   • About 5 times as large, since 18.5 divided by 3.5 is about 5.3
   • About 15 times as large, since 18.5 minus 3.5 is 15
   • About one fifth as large, since the share went from 18.5 to 3.5
   • About 18 times as large, since the 2023 share is 18.5 percent
3. 2.

   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?

   • 25 percent, the same as the fall in diamond exports
   • 20 percent: a quarter of the 80 percent share
   • 80 percent, the share that diamonds make up
   • 5 percent, found by subtracting 75 from 80
4. 3.

   Card D: mining output fell 24 percent in 2024. If output was 100 units in 2023, what was it in 2024, and how much must it grow to return to 100, Esme asks?

   • 24 units; it must grow about 76 percent
   • 76 units; it must grow about 32 percent
   • 124 units; it must grow about 24 percent
   • 76 units; it must grow about 24 percent
5. 4.

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

   • 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
   • Pick the larger number, since it shows the biggest danger
6. 5.

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

   • Proven: card D names lab-grown stones as the cause of the fall
   • Not proven: weak demand cannot affect a whole economy
   • Proven: lab-grown share rose and the economy shrank, so one caused the other
   • Not proven: the cards fit together, but neither names a cause
7. 6.

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

   • 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
   • The economy shrank, so Botswana mined less, which let lab-grown stones into the market
8. 7.

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

   • Which reporter lives closest to Botswana
   • Whether the report names the IMF document and year
   • Nothing, since a figure with a percent sign has been checked
   • That the news site is famous, since fame shows accuracy
9. 8.

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

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

    • Not supported: GDP cannot be compared with anything
    • Supported: diamonds are 80 percent of exports, so they are most income
    • Supported: 30 percent of GDP means 30 percent of each person's income comes from diamonds
    • Not supported: 30 percent of GDP is value added, not each person's income
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 changes nothing, since forecasts stay fixed once they are published
    • It cancels card D, since a later fact replaces an earlier one
    • It may change card E's forecast but not what happened in 2024