Kinds of work and how geographers measure development

Grade 9 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Card D. Income per person and World Bank income groups, 2025. Country | GNI per person (US$) | Income group: Niger | 750 | low income; Nigeria | 1,360 | lower-middle income; India | 2,760 | lower-middle income; Mexico | 13,730 | upper-middle income; China | 14,230 | upper-middle income; United States | 88,810 | high income. Note: GNI per person is the income earned by a country's residents in a year, divided by its population (World Bank Atlas method, 2025). The World Bank's groups for its 2027 fiscal year: low income, $1,175 or less; lower-middle, $1,176 to $4,635; upper-middle, $4,636 to $14,375; high, more than $14,375.

2. 1.

   Jun imagines every country's GNI per person on Card D rising 4% while the group lines stay put. Which countries change income group?

   • China and the United States, because both would end above the $14,375 line once the 4% rise is added
   • China and Mexico, because Mexico's $13,730 is within 5% of the high-income line and the 4% rise would lift it over
   • No country, because a 4% rise is small beside the gaps between the lines that separate the income groups
   • Only China, which passes the $14,375 line at about $14,799, while Mexico reaches only about $14,279
3. 2.

   Pia compares Niger, Nigeria and India on Card D. Which statement about their income groups is supported?

   • Niger and Nigeria are both low income, because their figures are both below $1,400 and are close together
   • Nigeria and India share a group though India's figure is over twice Nigeria's, and Niger is below the $1,175 line
   • India's group is about twice as high as Nigeria's, because India's income per person is about twice as large
   • Nigeria belongs with Niger rather than India, because it is $610 above Niger but $1,400 below India

4. Use this

   Card D. Income per person and World Bank income groups, 2025. Country | GNI per person (US$) | Income group: Niger | 750 | low income; Nigeria | 1,360 | lower-middle income; India | 2,760 | lower-middle income; Mexico | 13,730 | upper-middle income; China | 14,230 | upper-middle income; United States | 88,810 | high income. Note: GNI per person is the income earned by a country's residents in a year, divided by its population (World Bank Atlas method, 2025). The World Bank's groups for its 2027 fiscal year: low income, $1,175 or less; lower-middle, $1,176 to $4,635; upper-middle, $4,636 to $14,375; high, more than $14,375. Card E (made up for practice). Two countries in 2025. Marden: GNI per person $3,900; workers: farming 48%, industry 22%, services 30%. Pellan: GNI per person $3,900; workers: farming 12%, industry 18%, services 70%.

5. 3.

   Bo notes that Marden and Pellan on Card E have the same income per person and fall in the same Card D group. What does Card E add?

   • Pellan's workers must earn more than Marden's, because services pay more than farming does in a typical country
   • Card D's groups cannot be right here, because countries with equal incomes should also have an equal mix of jobs
   • The same income group can hide different jobs: most Marden workers farm and most Pellan workers are in services
   • Pellan must rank higher in development, because services employ most of its workers and farming employs most of Marden's
6. 4.

   Milo asks where Marden belongs on Card D, and what Card E and Card D together say about Marden and India. What is sound?

   • Marden is low income like Niger, because nearly half of its workers farm, which is what Niger's workers mostly do too
   • Marden sits in India's lower-middle group; Card D has no job shares for India, so their jobs cannot be compared
   • Marden's income is limited by its large farm share, so India's income must be limited by the same cause
   • Marden is upper-middle, because the group's lines are meant for countries with fewer than half of workers farming

7. Use this

   Card F (made up for practice). Orlo's GNI per person in current US dollars, not adjusted for price changes: 2005, $1,000; 2015, $2,500; 2025, $6,000. Orlo's prices were 50% higher in 2025 than in 2005, so a basket of goods that cost $100 in 2005 cost $150 in 2025.

8. 5.

   Zee reads Card F: income per person rose from $1,000 to $6,000. About how much did buying power per person grow?

   • About five and a half times, taking the 50% price rise away from the 500% rise in income to get $5,500
   • No growth, because the 50% rise in prices cancels the whole rise from $1,000 to $6,000 in income
   • About four times: $6,000 divided by the price rise of 1.5 is about $4,000 in 2005 prices
   • Six times, because the card reports the dollars people earned, and $6,000 is six times as many dollars as $1,000

9. Use this

   Card G (made up for practice). Two countries in 2025. Xanta: total GNI $900 billion; population 150 million. Yorvik: total GNI $1,200 billion; population 400 million. Note: GNI per person is total GNI divided by population.

10. 6.

    Ren compares Xanta and Yorvik on Card G. Which statement about size and income is right?

    • Yorvik has the higher income per person, because its total of $1,200 billion is larger than Xanta's $900 billion
    • Yorvik is the more developed country, because its economy is the larger of the two and it has more people
    • Xanta's income per person is 50% higher than Yorvik's, because Yorvik's figure is half of Xanta's figure
    • Yorvik has the larger total income, but Xanta's people have twice the income per person

11. Use this

    Card G (made up for practice). Two countries in 2025. Xanta: total GNI $900 billion; population 150 million. Yorvik: total GNI $1,200 billion; population 400 million. Note: GNI per person is total GNI divided by population. Card D. Income per person and World Bank income groups, 2025. Country | GNI per person (US$) | Income group: Niger | 750 | low income; Nigeria | 1,360 | lower-middle income; India | 2,760 | lower-middle income; Mexico | 13,730 | upper-middle income; China | 14,230 | upper-middle income; United States | 88,810 | high income. Note: GNI per person is the income earned by a country's residents in a year, divided by its population (World Bank Atlas method, 2025). The World Bank's groups for its 2027 fiscal year: low income, $1,175 or less; lower-middle, $1,176 to $4,635; upper-middle, $4,636 to $14,375; high, more than $14,375.

12. 7.

    Esme places Xanta and Yorvik in Card D's groups. Which placement is right?

    • Xanta is upper-middle and Yorvik is low income, because Yorvik's income per person is just half of Xanta's
    • Yorvik is in the higher group, because groups rank countries by total income and Yorvik's total is the larger
    • Both are upper-middle, because both totals ($900 billion and $1,200 billion) are far above the $4,636 line that starts that group
    • Xanta is upper-middle and Yorvik lower-middle, because groups use income per person, not total income

13. Use this

    Card H (made up for practice). Three countries in 2005 and 2025. Lorn: farming share of workers 50% then 20%; GNI per person $800 then $4,000. Mesh: farming 52% then 45%; GNI per person $850 then $1,400. Quil: farming 30% then 8%; GNI per person $5,000 then $12,000. Note: in 2008 Lorn began selling copper from a new mine.

14. 8.

    Ari tests the idea that a falling farming share raises income per person, using Card H. Which country is the weakest evidence?

    • Lorn, because its new copper mine in 2008 could explain its income jump apart from workers leaving farming
    • No country is weaker than the others, because the three rows show income rising as farming falls, so each is equally strong
    • Quil, because it started the richest in 2005 and so had the least need to change its mix of jobs
    • Mesh, because its farming share fell just 7 points, which is too small a change to show anything

15. Use this

    Card H (made up for practice). Three countries in 2005 and 2025. Lorn: farming share of workers 50% then 20%; GNI per person $800 then $4,000. Mesh: farming 52% then 45%; GNI per person $850 then $1,400. Quil: farming 30% then 8%; GNI per person $5,000 then $12,000. Note: in 2008 Lorn began selling copper from a new mine. Card D. Income per person and World Bank income groups, 2025. Country | GNI per person (US$) | Income group: Niger | 750 | low income; Nigeria | 1,360 | lower-middle income; India | 2,760 | lower-middle income; Mexico | 13,730 | upper-middle income; China | 14,230 | upper-middle income; United States | 88,810 | high income. Note: GNI per person is the income earned by a country's residents in a year, divided by its population (World Bank Atlas method, 2025). The World Bank's groups for its 2027 fiscal year: low income, $1,175 or less; lower-middle, $1,176 to $4,635; upper-middle, $4,636 to $14,375; high, more than $14,375.

16. 9.

    Luz sorts Lorn's and Quil's 2025 incomes into Card D's groups. Which statement is right?

    • Lorn is upper-middle in 2025, because $4,000 is within 15% of the $4,636 line and so counts as that group
    • Quil is high income in 2025, because its $12,000 is three times Lorn's $4,000 and so is far above middle
    • In 2025 Lorn's $4,000 is lower-middle and Quil's $12,000 is upper-middle on Card D's lines
    • Lorn moved up a group since 2005, because its $800 then was under $1,175, and Card D's lines apply to that year too

17. Use this

    Card D. Income per person and World Bank income groups, 2025. Country | GNI per person (US$) | Income group: Niger | 750 | low income; Nigeria | 1,360 | lower-middle income; India | 2,760 | lower-middle income; Mexico | 13,730 | upper-middle income; China | 14,230 | upper-middle income; United States | 88,810 | high income. Note: GNI per person is the income earned by a country's residents in a year, divided by its population (World Bank Atlas method, 2025). The World Bank's groups for its 2027 fiscal year: low income, $1,175 or less; lower-middle, $1,176 to $4,635; upper-middle, $4,636 to $14,375; high, more than $14,375. Card H (made up for practice). Three countries in 2005 and 2025. Lorn: farming share of workers 50% then 20%; GNI per person $800 then $4,000. Mesh: farming 52% then 45%; GNI per person $850 then $1,400. Quil: farming 30% then 8%; GNI per person $5,000 then $12,000. Note: in 2008 Lorn began selling copper from a new mine.

18. 10.

    Tala sets Lorn's 2005 income ($800) beside Niger's 2025 income ($750) on Card D. Which statement is fair?

    • No comparison is possible, because the countries on Card H are made up and Card D is real data
    • Lorn's 2025 income ($4,000), not its 2005 income, is the fair partner for Niger's 2025 figure ($750)
    • Niger's farm share is probably near Lorn's 50% of 2005, since both incomes are under $1,000 per person
    • Lorn in 2005 ($800) and Niger in 2025 ($750) are almost equal, so Lorn then was as poor as Niger is today