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 added a fourth member and widened NAFTA into a union like the EU
   • 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
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?

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

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

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

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

   • 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
   • The EU runs a single market; NAFTA phased out tariffs among three countries
   • NAFTA let people, goods and money move freely, and the EU just removed tariffs
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
   • The WTO runs a single market, and the EU sets trade rules for the whole world
   • Both have 27 members, but the WTO began in 1995 and the EU in 1958
   • 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?

   • Size decides the order, since the WTO covers 98 percent of world trade
   • 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
   • NAFTA took force in 1994 and the WTO began in 1995, so the WTO came later
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 single market began in 1995, when Austria, Finland and Sweden joined
   • The market began January 1, 1993 and the EU on November 1, 1993
   • The EU began first, in 1993, and the single market followed in 1995
9. 8.

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

   • The claim is false, since the WTO has no part in trade rules
   • NAFTA's row shows tariffs phased out, among three countries; the WTO deals with rules
   • The claim is supported, since the WTO grew out of the GATT, which removed tariffs
   • The claim is supported, since the WTO covers 98 percent of world trade and sets its rules
10. 9.

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

    • 'The WTO sets trade rules between nations; the EU is a union with its own treaty.'
    • 'The EU is a member of the WTO in place of its 27 countries.'
    • 'The WTO and the EU are the same body under two names.'
    • 'The WTO sets the single market for the EU, since both began in the 1990s and cover trade.'
11. 10.

    A student writes: 'USMCA is a trade agreement of three countries.' Which rows support it, Zee asks?

    • The USMCA row alone, since it states the agreement's three countries
    • The WTO row, since its 166 members include three countries
    • The EU row alone, since it also describes an agreement among countries
    • USMCA replaced NAFTA, and the NAFTA row names the three countries