Why people move: push and pull factors on migration maps

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   People on the move today (cards A to E; summaries in our words). Card A, United Nations (UN) figures on cities: 751 million people lived in cities in 1950 and 4.2 billion in 2018. In 2007, for the first time, more than half of the world's people lived in cities. In 2018 the share was 55 percent, and the UN projects 68 percent by 2050. Card B, UN figures on people living outside the country where they were born: 173 million in 2000, 221 million in 2010 and 281 million in 2020, about 3.6 percent of the world's people in 2020. Card C, a note on terms: a projection is an estimate of the future, not a count. The UN notes that countries define "urban" in different ways. Card D, a model used by geographers: people weigh factors that push them away from a place against factors that pull them toward another. Card E, an imagined case: in Town X, machines have cut farm jobs. City Y, a few hours away, is hiring and paying higher wages. One family in X owns its land and cares for older relatives.

2. 1.

   Card A: 4.2 billion is 55 percent of the world's people in 2018. About how many people were there in the world, Bo asks?

   • About 6.5 billion, since 4.2 billion plus 55 percent of it gives the total
   • About 2.3 billion, since 55 percent of 4.2 billion is about 2.3
   • About 4.2 billion, since the card gives the world's people
   • About 7.6 billion, since 4.2 billion divided by 0.55 is about 7.6
3. 2.

   Card B: about 3.6 percent of the world's people lived outside their birth country in 2020. What does that mean for everyone else, Esme asks?

   • About 3.6 percent lived in cities, since that is the share given
   • About half moved at some time, since many people move
   • About 96 of every 100 lived in the country where they were born
   • About 36 percent lived outside the country where they were born
4. 3.

   Card B: 173 million in 2000 and 281 million in 2020. About what percent more people lived outside their birth country, Jun asks?

   • About 38 percent, since the rise of 108 million is 38 percent of 281 million
   • About 1.6 percent, since 281 divided by 173 is 1.6
   • About 62 percent: the rise of 108 million out of 173 million
   • About 108 percent, since the rise was 108 million
5. 4.

   A student says, "Card A shows people moving from the countryside is the main reason cities grew." Which reply is best, Kira asks?

   • Not supported: the UN cannot count people in cities with any accuracy
   • Not supported: card A counts city dwellers but does not give reasons
   • Supported: card A names push and pull factors for the growth of cities
   • Supported: more people in cities means more people moved there
6. 5.

   Which number on card A is a projection rather than a count, Luz asks?

   • 4.2 billion in 2018
   • 751 million in 1950
   • 55 percent in 2018
   • 68 percent by 2050
7. 6.

   Using card D, which push and which pull appear in card E, Milo asks?

   • Push: higher wages in City Y. Pull: machines cut farm jobs.
   • Push: owning land in Town X. Pull: caring for older relatives in Town X.
   • Push: fewer farm jobs in Town X. Pull: higher wages in City Y.
   • Push: the distance of a few hours. Pull: the machines in Town X.
8. 7.

   In card E, how might a worker in Town X and the family that owns land there weigh the same facts differently, Noah asks?

   • Both would decide the same way, since both are in Town X and face the same facts
   • The worker would stay, since new wages do not matter to workers anywhere
   • The worker may be pulled to City Y; the family may be held by land and care
   • The family would leave first, since owning land makes moving easy and cheap
9. 8.

   Suppose the UN later revises its 2050 projection from 68 percent to 66 percent. What does that show about a projection, Pia asks?

   • It shows the UN was dishonest, since the first number was wrong
   • It shows cities will stop growing by 2050, since the number went down
   • It shows a projection can be revised when new data arrive
   • It shows the 2018 count of 55 percent was also revised by the UN
10. 9.

    Card A comes from UN statisticians, and card C says countries define "urban" differently. What is a strength and a limit, Ren asks?

    • Strength: the data are secret. Limit: the UN keeps them.
    • Strength: one method for each country. Limit: nothing serious, since the UN is neutral.
    • Strength: many countries' figures. Limit: "urban" differs by country.
    • Strength: the figures come from one city. Limit: other cities are missing.
11. 10.

    Card B: 173 million (2000), 221 million (2010), 281 million (2020). Which decade saw the bigger rise, and by how much, Tala asks?

    • 2000 to 2010, by 48 million
    • 2010 to 2020, by 60 million
    • 2010 to 2020, by 281 million
    • Both decades, by the same amount