The 1980s and 1990s: new technology, the end of the Cold War and the Gulf War

Grade 11 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Computers, the internet and work, 1980 to 2000 (cards A to C). Card A, US Census Bureau surveys, the percent of all US households with a computer: 1984, 8.2; 1989, 15.0; 1993, 22.8; 1997, 36.6; 2000, 51.0. Card B, US Census Bureau surveys, the percent of all US households with internet access at home, in our words: 18.0 in 1997, 26.2 in 1998 and 41.5 in August 2000. The Census Bureau first asked about home internet access in 1997. The National Science Foundation started NSFNET in 1986 to link university researchers and shut it down in 1995, as companies took over the internet's main lines. Card C, Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate, in percent of the civilian labor force, yearly averages for selected years: 1980, 7.1; 1982, 9.7; 1986, 7.0; 1989, 5.3; 1992, 7.5; 2000, 4.0.

2. 1.

   A student says home computers spread at a steady pace from 1984 to 2000. Which reply fits card A, Ari asks?

   • Steady per year: the first span was longer, which makes its yearly gain match the last
   • Not steady: about 1.4 points a year to 1989, but about 4.8 a year from 1997
   • Not steady: the later surge came from the internet in card B, not from computers
   • Steady: the share rose at each survey, so each span shows the same pace
3. 2.

   Computers spread from 1984 to 2000, and unemployment fell from 7.1 in 1980 to 4.0 in 2000. Do cards A and C show computers lowered unemployment, Esme asks?

   • Yes in the long run: the 1992 rise was a blip in a fall that tracked the spread
   • Yes for 1992 to 2000: unemployment fell as computers spread, the clearest span
   • No: unemployment rose from 5.3 in 1989 to 7.5 in 1992 as computers spread
   • No: series from two agencies cannot be compared fairly
4. 3.

   A student writes, "By 2000 computers had reached nearly every home." How do cards A and B answer, Jun asks?

   • Well: the share rose from 8.2 to 51.0, a sixfold rise close to full coverage
   • Poorly: 51.0 percent had a computer, and only 41.5 percent had home internet
   • Poorly, but only because the surveys counted households, not users
   • Well: more than half had one, and card B shows internet use close behind
5. 4.

   A student plots card A's five surveys with equal spacing. Why does that mislead, Kira asks?

   • Equal spacing is fair, since each survey is a separate point on the line
   • The gaps shrink from 5 to 3 years while gains grow, hiding the speed-up
   • Equal spacing is fine, since the gains grow whatever the gaps are
   • The 1993 survey changed its question, so equal steps join unlike points
6. 5.

   NSFNET was shut down in 1995, and the Census Bureau first asked about home internet in 1997. What does that mean for card B, Milo asks?

   • It shows home internet was close to zero before 1997
   • It shows NSFNET reached 18.0 percent of homes by 1995, rising to 1997
   • It cannot show home use in NSFNET's years; the first home figure is 1997
   • It shows the shutdown opened the internet to homes, since homes appear after it
7. 6.

   From 1997 to 2000, which spread faster in points a year, home computers or home internet, and what does that leave out, Noah asks?

   • Computers, since they started higher and so had more homes to add
   • Internet, at 23.5 points a year against 14.4, from a lower starting share
   • Computers, since 51.0 is a higher share than 41.5
   • Internet, about 7.8 points a year against 4.8, from a lower start
8. 7.

   Home internet rose from 18.0 percent of homes in 1997 to 41.5 in 2000. Which description is fairest to a reader, Pia asks?

   • It rose about 23.5 percent, the gain in points
   • It rose about 57 percent, the gain measured against the 2000 share
   • It more than doubled, about 131 percent, a gain of 23.5 points
   • It rose modestly, since 41.5 percent is still under half of homes
9. 8.

   Which added evidence would best test whether home computers changed unemployment, Ren asks?

   • A survey of firms on whether they bought computers in each year
   • Average pay in computing jobs before and after 1990
   • Job-loss rates for computer users and similar workers who did not use them
   • Unemployment rates for each year after 2000, to see whether the link held
10. 9.

    A forecaster in 1989 extended the 1984-to-1989 pace to 2000, giving about 30 percent. What does the real 51.0 in card A show, Tala asks?

    • The forecaster ignored the internet, which card B shows began raising the share in 1997
    • The 1989 forecast was based on too few surveys, so it could not be trusted
    • Growth sped up beyond the early pace, so a straight line from 1984 to 1989 fell short
    • The forecast was right, since a straight line from 8.2 to 15.0 reaches 51.0
11. 10.

    Which conclusion do cards A to C support best, Zee asks?

    • Computers raised employment, since unemployment fell as the share rose, apart from 1992
    • The internet lowered unemployment by 2000, since card B's growth was fastest then
    • Spread was slow until 1997 and then reached almost the whole country
    • Computers and internet spread quickly but unevenly; effects on jobs are not shown