Productivity, Skills and Tools · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Tools, training, and getting more done

Civics & Economics · Economics · ages 9-12
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. A trained electrician usually charges more per hour than an untrained helper. Why?

    • The electrician takes longer to finish each job
    • The electrician's training makes the work more valuable
    • The helper uses better tools

  2. Which of these is an example of a tool raising how much work gets done?

    • A dishwasher machine washing many dishes at once
    • Washing one dish at a time by hand
    • Taking a break between each dish

  3. Spending time now to learn a skill, like coding, can help a person earn more later.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Two people apply for the same electrician job. One finished three years of training, the other has none. Who will the company likely pay more, and why?

    • The untrained worker, because they work faster without training
    • Both the same, because pay never depends on skill
    • The trained worker, because training raised their skill

  5. A dishwasher washes 12 dishes in an hour. Washing by hand, a person washes 4 dishes in an hour. How many more dishes does the dishwasher wash in one hour?

    By hand4Dishwasher12

    Answer: ______________

  6. Which is the best example of investing now to produce more later?

    • A farmer buys a tractor so she can plant more fields each year
    • A farmer spends all her money on candy
    • A farmer refuses to buy any new equipment

  7. A student spends a year learning to code instead of taking a job right away. A friend says this wastes a year of pay. What is the best economic reason the student's choice could still pay off?

    • Waiting a year always doubles a person's pay right away
    • Coding is fun so the money does not matter
    • The new skill can raise the student's pay for years afterward, more than one lost year costs

  8. Diego says, "Tools never really help, since a person still has to do the work." What is wrong with his claim?

    • Diego is right, tools make no real difference
    • Tools like machines let one person produce far more in the same time
    • Tools only matter for farmers, not for other jobs
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Tools, training, and getting more done W1-mt_q9wqRR_1Vk-s1

  1. The electrician's training makes the work more valuable · Training raises a worker's skill, so companies pay more for the work that skill can do.
  2. A dishwasher machine washing many dishes at once · A dishwasher is a tool that washes many dishes at once, so it raises how much gets done in an hour.
  3. True · Time spent learning a skill now is an investment that can pay off in higher earnings later.
  4. The trained worker, because training raised their skill · Training raises what a worker can safely and correctly do, so it usually raises their pay too.
  5. 8 · 12 dishes minus 4 dishes is 8 more dishes, all thanks to the tool.
  6. A farmer buys a tractor so she can plant more fields each year · The tractor costs money now but lets the farmer plant and produce more in the years after.
  7. The new skill can raise the student's pay for years afterward, more than one lost year costs · One year of training can be worth it if the higher pay it leads to lasts many years.
  8. Tools like machines let one person produce far more in the same time · A person still runs the tool, but the tool multiplies what that one person can produce in an hour.
Worksheet · LightMySky