Question

posttest
questions 11 and 12 are based on the following chart:
gross domestic product (2000)
and land area for select nations

nation	gdp (trillion $us)	land area (sq km)
china	5.56	9,596,960
germany	2.184	357,021
japan	3.45	377,835
the netherlands	0.413	41,526
russia	1.2	17,075,200
south africa	0.412	1,219,912
united states	10.082	9,629,091

source: cia - the world factbook 2002

1. which nation has a land area most similar in size to the united states?

(1) russia
(2) the netherlands
(3) japan
(4) brazil
(5) china

1. if the nations on the chart were first listed in order of the size of their gross domestic products, and then were listed in order of their land areas, which would have the greatest difference between the two rankings?

(1) russia
(2) the netherlands
(3) japan
(4) germany
(5) south africa
question 13 is based on the following cartoon.
background clues: in 1995, congress considered several welfare reform bills. members of congress wanted the states, instead of the federal government, to control major welfare programs. this would mean that each state would decide which welfare programs to fund and in what amounts.
mike keefe, th

1. the cartoonist thinks that welfare programs are

(1) full of problems
(2) best run by state government
(3) very helpful
(4) a good way to retrain workers
(5) encouraging people to have

Explanation:

(Question 11):

Step1: Identify US land area

US land area: $9,629,091$ sq km

Step2: Compare to other nations

Calculate differences:

• Russia: $|17,075,200 - 9,629,091| = 7,446,109$
• China: $|9,596,960 - 9,629,091| = 32,131$
• Brazil: $|8,511,965 - 9,629,091| = 1,117,126$
• Others have far larger gaps.

(Question 12):

Step1: Rank by GDP (highest→lowest)

1. US (10.082), 2. China (5.56), 3. Japan (3.45), 4. Germany (2.184), 5. Brazil (1.34), 6. Russia (1.2), 7. Netherlands (0.413), 8. South Africa (0.412)

Step2: Rank by land area (largest→smallest)

1. Russia (17,075,200), 2. US (9,629,091), 3. China (9,596,960), 4. Brazil (8,511,965), 5. South Africa (1,219,912), 6. Germany (357,021), 7. Japan (377,835), 8. Netherlands (41,526)

Step3: Calculate ranking differences

• Russia: $|6 - 1| = 5$
• Netherlands: $|7 - 8| = 1$
• Japan: $|3 - 7| = 4$
• Germany: $|4 - 6| = 2$
• South Africa: $|8 - 5| = 3$

(Question 13):
The cartoon depicts welfare as a heavy, chaotic burden that states are reluctantly taking from the federal government, implying welfare programs are full of problems. The "Thanks" is sarcastic, showing states do not view this as a positive transfer of power.

Answer:

(Question 11):
(5) China

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