Globalization: trade blocs, shipping and the internet

Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Compare chart 'Trade blocs and the WTO', in our words from the European Union, the Congressional Research Service and the World Trade Organization. Row 1, European Union (EU): a union of European countries with 27 members, whose years of entry run from 1958 to 2013; Austria, Finland and Sweden joined in 1995. It runs a single market where people, goods, services and money move freely, launched on January 1, 1993. The Maastricht Treaty, in force on November 1, 1993, officially created the EU. Row 2, NAFTA: a trade agreement of the United States, Canada and Mexico, in force from 1994. It phased out tariffs among the three countries, including on motor vehicles. Row 3, USMCA: entered into force on July 1, 2020, replacing NAFTA. It keeps most of NAFTA's chapters, with changes for autos, dairy and other areas. Row 4, World Trade Organization (WTO): the only international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. It began on January 1, 1995, with 166 members that account for 98 percent of world trade. It grew out of the GATT, signed on October 30, 1947 by 23 founding members. Below the chart: A tariff is a tax on goods brought in from another country.

2. 1.

   A student says USMCA started from scratch, with nothing carried over. What do the NAFTA and USMCA rows show, Ari asks?

   • It renamed NAFTA and changed nothing, since both link the same three countries
   • It replaced NAFTA but kept most of its chapters
   • It started from scratch, since it has a new name and a new date in 2020
   • It added a fourth member and widened NAFTA into a union like the EU
3. 2.

   The WTO row gives 166 members and 98 percent of world trade. A student says 98 percent of countries belong. What is wrong, Bo asks?

   • The WTO has 98 members, and 166 is its share of trade in percent
   • 98 percent is the share of countries, and 166 is the share of trade
   • 98 percent is a share of trade, not of countries; 166 is the count of members
   • Nothing is wrong, since members that hold 98 percent of trade are most countries of the world
4. 3.

   A student wants to list the EU's 27 members from the EU row. What does the row allow, Esme asks?

   • The count and the entry years, not a list of names
   • Nothing about members, since the row describes just the single market
   • The names of the six founders, since the row gives the first entry year
   • A full list of names, since the row says the EU has 27 members
5. 4.

   How does what the EU does differ from what NAFTA did, Jun asks?

   • NAFTA let people, goods and money move freely, and the EU just removed tariffs
   • The EU runs a single market; NAFTA phased out tariffs among three countries
   • The EU phased out tariffs among three countries, and NAFTA ran a single market
   • Both ran a single market, and the EU simply had more members than NAFTA
6. 5.

   How does the WTO differ from the EU, Kira asks?

   • The WTO sets trade rules between nations; the EU is a union with its own treaty
   • Both have 27 members, but the WTO began in 1995 and the EU in 1958
   • The WTO runs a single market, and the EU sets trade rules for the whole world
   • The WTO is a union of European countries that grew out of the GATT, as the EU did
7. 6.

   A student says the WTO came before NAFTA because it covers more trade. What do the dates show, Luz asks?

   • NAFTA took force in 1994 and the WTO began in 1995, so the WTO came later
   • They began on the same day, since both are big trade bodies of the early 1990s
   • The WTO came first, since 1995 is a bigger number than 1994
   • Size decides the order, since the WTO covers 98 percent of world trade
8. 7.

   A student says the single market and the EU began on the same day. What do the EU row's dates show, Milo asks?

   • They began on the same day, January 1, 1993, with the Maastricht Treaty
   • The EU began first, in 1993, and the single market followed in 1995
   • The single market began in 1995, when Austria, Finland and Sweden joined
   • The market began January 1, 1993 and the EU on November 1, 1993
9. 8.

   Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the EU in 1995, the year the WTO began. A student says the WTO's start caused them to join. What do the cards allow, Noah asks?

   • The same year fits a link, but no card says one caused the other
   • The cards show the joining caused the WTO, since the EU is older
   • The cards rule out any link, since the EU and the WTO are different bodies
   • The cards show the WTO's start caused the joining, since both came in 1995
10. 9.

    A student writes: 'The WTO removed tariffs between all countries.' What do the rows allow, Ren asks?

    • The claim is supported, since the WTO covers 98 percent of world trade and sets its rules
    • NAFTA's row shows tariffs phased out, among three countries; the WTO deals with rules
    • The claim is false, since the WTO has no part in trade rules
    • The claim is supported, since the WTO grew out of the GATT, which removed tariffs
11. 10.

    A student writes: 'The WTO runs the EU.' Which revision stays within the chart, Tala asks?

    • 'The EU is a member of the WTO in place of its 27 countries.'
    • 'The WTO sets the single market for the EU, since both began in the 1990s and cover trade.'
    • 'The WTO sets trade rules between nations; the EU is a union with its own treaty.'
    • 'The WTO and the EU are the same body under two names.'