School Improvement in Maryland

Public Release Item: Public Release items have appeared on HSA forms and then are released for public viewing and use. Releasing items is one step to ensuring that schools, districts, and other stakeholders understand how the core learning goals are assessed on the HSA.

Goal 4 Economics

Expectation 4.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of economic principles, institutions, and processes required to formulate government policy.

Indicator 4.1.1 The student will evaluate how governments affect the answers to the basic economic questions of what to produce, how to produce, and for whom to produce.

Assessment Limits:

  • Role of government in answering the basic economic questions in traditional, market, command and mixed economies.

Selected Response Item - Released in 2001

In which economic system does the government control what products will be made, how many will be made, and how they will be made?

  1. mixed economy
  2. command economy
  3. traditional economy
  4. free market economy
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2001_411_gov23.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item - Released in 2001

Which of these best describes a mixed economy?

  1. The government decides who will produce goods and services.
  2. Natural resources are owned and controlled by the government.
  3. The government's only role in the economy is to ensure competition.
  4. Businesses are regulated by the government to protect the public's interest.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2001_411_gov54.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2002

A traditional economy is an economic system

  1. based on long-standing customs
  2. composed of elements of capitalism and socialism
  3. controlled completely by the government
  4. determined solely by individuals competing for profits
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2002_411_gov55.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2005

Which of these would most likely take place in a command economy?

  1. Industrial leaders agree to control prices.
  2. Stock traders create wealth through buying and selling.
  3. Government leaders decide how goods will be produced.
  4. Consumers decide the sales policies of business owners.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2005_411_gov22.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Selected Response Item - Released in 2004

Read the excerpt below.

“If a foreign country can supply us with a [product] cheaper than we ourselves can make it, better buy it [from] them...”

–Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, 1776

Based on the excerpt, which of these government actions would the author most likely support?

  1. raising taxes on imported goods
  2. entering into free trade agreements
  3. increasing wages paid to workers
  4. passing strict regulations on businesses
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2004_411_gov09.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item - Released in 2004

Which of these is most often encouraged by the government in a command economy?

  1. national production goals
  2. inherited occupational roles
  3. private ownership of property
  4. competition between businesses
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2004_411_gov14.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Brief Constructed Response (BCR) Item - Released in 2005

The United States has a mixed economy and is able to regulate many business activities.

  • What are the benefits of government control over business activities?
     
  • Should the United States government have more control or less control over business activities? Explain your answer.
     
  • Use details and examples to support your answer.
     
Write your answer on the lines in the answer box below.

/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2005_411_gov26.xml

View Scoring Information

Selected Response Item - Released in 2005

The government of China tells factory managers to increase their use of computers in manufacturing.

What economic question is most affected by the government's actions?

  1. what to produce
  2. how to produce
  3. for whom to produce
  4. when to produce
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2005_411_gov33.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item - Released in 2003

In 1847 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote the Communist Manifesto, which predicted the fall of capitalism. Read the excerpt below.

"The modern working-class developed a class of laborers who live only so long as they find work, and who find work only so long as their labor increases capital."
from the Communist Manifesto

According to the excerpt above, Marx and Engels believed that capitalism

  1. restricted the economic freedom of employers
  2. discouraged competition among businesses
  3. failed to ensure the quality of goods produced
  4. failed to protect the basic rights of workers
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2003_411_gov12.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2003

A company decides to install more machines and lay off workers. Which economic question is being directly addressed?

  1. how to produce
  2. what to produce
  3. for whom to produce
  4. how much to produce
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2003_411_gov49.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2002

Unemployment insurance and minimum wage laws are methods by which the United States government

  1. controls inflation
  2. protects workers
  3. promotes economic competition
  4. encourages economic specialization
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2002_411_gov31.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item - Released in 2006

Which of these is a characteristic of a traditional economy?

  1. People rely heavily on hunting and farming.
  2. Large corporations compete for business.
  3. The government generally owns all means of production.
  4. Technological advancements encourage growth.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2006_411_gov19.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2006

Which of these is usually true in nations with a market economy?

  1. Businesses that are inefficient risk going out of business.
  2. Most farms are owned and operated by the government.
  3. Workers are restricted by the government from changing jobs.
  4. Consumers have little choice in the types of goods they may buy.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2006_411_gov42.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2007

Which of these is a characteristic of a market economy?

  1. limited business rights
  2. competition between businesses
  3. government control and ownership of property
  4. nationwide pricing rules for goods and services
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2007_411_gov09.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item - Released in 2007

Which of these best describes the United States’ economic system?

  1. mixed
  2. market
  3. command
  4. traditional
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2007_411_gov22.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2008

Why do some nations adopt command economies during wars?

  1. to increase the standard of living
  2. to discourage the growth of monopolies
  3. to focus resources on essential industries
  4. to satisfy demand for consumer goods
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2008_411_gov18.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Selected Response Item - Released in 2008

In which economic system does the government have the most control over a country’s economy?

  1. mixed
  2. market
  3. command
  4. traditional
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2008_411_gov48.xml

Correct Answer:
C