Which statement best describes the relationship between agriculture and business in the south?

Cambodian agriculture is in the midst of a rapid transformation. Agricultural growth averaged 5.3% during 2004-2012, which was among the highest in the world.

Growth was driven by a combination of increased yields, more productive use of labor due to mechanization, and the expansion of farmland.

Yet, agricultural growth has slowed down to around 1-2% in 2013-2014. A World Bank report, Cambodian Agriculture in Transition: Opportunities and Risks , co-financed by the World Bank and Australian Government, raises concerns and suggests ways to ensure agriculture continues to be a driver of growth and poverty reduction.   

Key Findings

• Cambodia’s agricultural gross production grew by 8.7% during 2004-2012 mainly because of higher paddy rice production. There was also significant increase in maize (20%), cassava (51%), sugarcane (22%), and vegetables (10%) production, albeit from the low initial base.
• Cambodia’s poverty headcount declined from 53% in 2004 to 18% in 2012, lifting four million people out of poverty. More than 60% of poverty reduction was a result of positive developments in the agriculture sector.
• Farm wages grew by 206% (non-farm wages up 60%) in 2005-2013, converging with salaries in other sectors.
• Although farmers focused on growing paddy rice, a mix of more profitable aromatic paddy and non-rice crops was introduced. The total area under rice declined from 86% in 2002 to 74% in 2011 responding to the higher profits of other crops.
• Vegetables were the most profitable crops to produce in Cambodia. They were followed by cassava, maize, dry season rice, and wet season rice.
• Yields increased by 4% for most crops during 2004-2012. This was driven by the use of new technologies and quality fertilizers, expanded irrigation, and better access to mechanized services and markets.
• Agricultural exports increased as prices remained competitive compared to rice producers in neighboring Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.

Challenges

• A large share of past agricultural growth was driven by the expansion of cultivated area. On average, farmland increased annually by 4.7% over 2004-2012, and may have reached its limits.
• Per hectare profitability grew by 3.4%. Farmers who managed to expand their land holding made significant profits. 
• On the other hand, the productivity of most small farms remained low. Although these farms increased their income, it was achieved through higher rice prices and from wages earned outside of their own farms.  
• The number of vulnerable people has increased. Most people who escaped poverty did it by a small margin. The loss of only 1,200 Riels per day ($0.7) would cause a doubling of Cambodia’s poverty rate back to 40%.
• Since 2013, Cambodia’s rice production has flattened. This was due to the deceleration in land expansion, bad weather, falling global rice prices, and the tightening of competition among rice producers.
• Agricultural growth slowed down to below 2% in 2013-2014. At least 5% agricultural growth over the next 15 years is needed to keep real farm incomes growing. With 5% growth, farm wages are projected to triple from $1,200 currently to $3,760 in 2030. On the other hand, the agricultural growth of 3% would increase incomes only to $2,500 by 2030.

Recommendations

Investments and policy improvements are needed immediately. Some of these will take more time and effort to have an impact on the ground. These four policies can help support continued agricultural growth during the next five years (short-to medium term):

• Maintain a private sector friendly policy environment, particularly to reduce the regulatory burden in farm input sectors such as seeds and fertilizers.
• Strengthen the environmental sustainability of agricultural production.
• Improve the quality of agricultural public programs and increase allocations to more effective programs.
• Help develop the agribusiness and agro-processing industry.

Section 4: Sample Selected-Response Questions TX PACT: Social Studies: Grades 4–8 (718)

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This section presents some sample exam questions for you to review as part of your preparation for the exam. To demonstrate how each competency may be assessed, sample questions are accompanied by the competency that they measure. While studying, you may wish to read the competency before and after you consider each sample question. Please note that the competency statements do not appear on the actual exam.

The correct answer is provided for each sample exam question. The sample questions are included to illustrate the formats and types of questions you will see on the exam; however, your performance on the sample questions should not be viewed as a predictor of your performance on the actual exam.

Domain I—History

Competency 001—Understand historical concepts, terms, sources, perspectives, and research skills.

1. Which of the following sources would a historian most likely use to obtain information about the social and occupational structure of Atlanta, Georgia, during the late nineteenth century?

1. mayoral addresses
2. census data
3. newspaper editorials
4. city directories

Competency 002—Understand major developments in world history from the beginnings of human society to 1350 CE.

2. Which of the following geographic factors had the greatest influence on economic life in ancient Egyptian culture?

1. the aquatic resources of the Mediterranean Sea
2. the annual flooding of the Nile River
3. the mineral resources of the Eastern Desert and the Sinai Peninsula
4. the natural harbors along the Red Sea

Competency 003—Understand major developments in world history from 1350 to 1850.

3. Which of the following accurately lists four major historical events between 1600 and 1825 in the order in which they occurred?

1. 1.   the emergence of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan
   2.   Peter the Great's reign as tsar of Russia
   3.   England's defeat of France in the Seven Years' War
   4.   the liberation of Mexico from Spanish rule
   
2. 1.   England's defeat of France in the Seven Years' War
   2.   the emergence of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan
   3.   the liberation of Mexico from Spanish rule
   4.   Peter the Great's reign as tsar of Russia
   
3. 1.   Peter the Great's reign as tsar of Russia
   2.   the liberation of Mexico from Spanish rule
   3.   England's defeat of France in the Seven Years' War
   4.   the emergence of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan
   
4. 1.   the liberation of Mexico from Spanish rule
   2.   Peter the Great's reign as tsar of Russia
   3.   the emergence of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan
   4.   England's defeat of France in the Seven Years' War
   

Competency 004—Understand major developments in world history from 1850 to the present.

4. World War 2 most influenced the movement for African independence by:

1. creating severe economic hardship for European colonies in Africa.
2. provoking demands for an Africa-wide confederation of colonial states.
3. weakening European nations with colonial holdings in Africa.
4. providing African nationalists with access to modern military weapons and tactics.

Competency 005—Understand major developments in early U.S. history from the precontact period to 1789.

5. Which of the following best describes a major effect of the American Revolution on U.S. society?

1. It removed most barriers to White male participation in the political process.
2. It advanced efforts to abolish slavery in the northern states.
3. It enabled White women to secure the same legal rights as White men.
4. It reinforced the South's commitment to plantation agriculture.

Competency 006—Understand major developments in U.S. history from 1789 to 1877.

6. During the first half of the nineteenth century, reformers such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton most often based their demands for women's rights on the:

1. political ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence.
2. constitutional principles stated in the Federalist Papers.
3. guarantee of republican government affirmed in the U.S. Constitution.
4. legal protections contained in the Bill of Rights.

Competency 007—Understand major developments in U.S. history from 1877 to 1929.

7. Which of the following late nineteenth-century developments most influenced the emergence of a national market for the exchange of goods and services in the United States?

1. the arrival of millions of European immigrants
2. the growth of the electrical industry
3. the increasing urbanization of U.S. society
4. the expansion of the railroad system

Competency 008—Understand major developments in U.S. history from 1929 to the present.

8. Which of the following best describes a major reason for the unprecedented economic affluence of U.S. society in the two decades after World War 2?

1. the absence of major competitors in global markets
2. the removal of wartime price and wage controls
3. the federal government's commitment to balancing the budget
4. the shift in population from the Northeast to the Southwest

Domain II—Geography and Culture

Competency 009—Understand geographic terms, concepts, sources, and research skills.

9. Which of the following statements best illustrates the geographic theme of movement?

1. Mexico City lies in a basin, surrounded by mountains, at an altitude of over 7,000 feet.
2. New York City is the financial center of the United States; Tokyo is the financial center of Japan.
3. Turkey is an important source of labor for business and industry in Germany.
4. Christianity is the dominant religion practiced in both Venezuela and the Republic of Ireland.

Competency 010—Understand physical features, physical systems, and the interaction between the environment and human societies.

10. Which of the following patterns of global resource distribution had the greatest influence on international relations during the twentieth century?

1. the distribution of forest resources in Asia and Latin America
2. the distribution of petroleum resources in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East
3. the distribution of iron ore resources in North America and Central Europe
4. the distribution of gold and diamond resources in Africa, Asia, Australia, and North America

Competency 011—Understand human systems.

11. In 1800, most of the world's population lived in rural areas. By 2000, the overwhelming majority of people in developed countries lived in towns and cities. This change was primarily a consequence of the:

1. consolidation of nation-states.
2. modernization of transportation networks.
3. industrialization of national economies.
4. globalization of trade.

Domain III—Government

Competency 012—Understand political science concepts, terms, perspectives, and research skills.

12. The term gerrymandering refers to which of the following practices in the U.S. political system?

1. using negative advertisements to attack political opponents
2. returning a bill to committee to prevent its enactment
3. funding political campaigns with money from special interest groups
4. redrawing congressional districts for political advantage

Competency 013—Understand the foundations of U.S. government, the U.S. political process, and the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship.

13. The ten amendments contained in the Bill of Rights can best be used to illustrate the meaning of which of the following principles of the U.S. Constitution?

1. checks and balances
2. judicial review
3. constitutional supremacy
4. limited government

Competency 014—Understand the structure, organization, and operation of different levels of government in the United States.

14. Which of the following best illustrates how the principle of separation of powers operates in the U.S. system of government?

1. The Senate proposes amendments to a bill that originated in the House of Representatives.
2. The president dismisses a cabinet member.
3. Members of the Senate conduct a filibuster to prevent the chamber from voting on a bill.
4. The U.S. Supreme Court declares a law unconstitutional.

Domain IV—Economics

Competency 015—Understand basic economic concepts, microeconomics, and consumer economics and personal finance.

15. A young woman is trying to decide whether she should return to college full time and complete her bachelor's degree or accept an entry-level management position at a local company. Which of the following economic concepts applies most directly to the decision this person is trying to make?

1. opportunity cost
2. scarcity
3. economic incentives
4. productivity

Competency 016—Understand macroeconomics and international economics.

16. Which of the following best describes an important role of the Federal Reserve in the U.S. economy?

1. ensuring the safety of checking and savings accounts in the U.S. banks
2. regulating the operation of U.S. security and commodity exchanges
3. managing the nation's money supply
4. maintaining consumer demand

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Which of the following best describes the economic relationship between the North and South during the Antebellum period?

What contributed to how the South remained so different from the North quizlet?

What contributed to the slow development of industry in the South?

What social effects did slavery have on southerners quizlet?