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

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

   • 76 units; it must grow about 24 percent
   • 124 units; it must grow about 24 percent
   • 24 units; it must grow about 76 percent
   • 76 units; it must grow about 32 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
   • Check the year and what each report counts as income
   • Both are right, since a third and a half are the same
   • 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?

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

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

   • 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
   • A finding from the IMF about the year 2024
8. 7.

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

   • Which reporter lives closest to Botswana
   • Nothing, since a figure with a percent sign has been checked
   • That the news site is famous, since fame shows accuracy
   • Whether the report names the IMF document and year
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 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
10. 9.

    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 67 percent, still largest but lower than 80
    • About 40 percent, the new size of other exports
    • About 80 percent, since diamond exports did not change
    • About 50 percent, since doubling splits the total in half
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 may change card E's forecast but not what happened in 2024
    • It cancels card D, since a later fact replaces an earlier one
    • It changes nothing, since forecasts stay fixed once they are published