Geography · Grades 8–12
Resources, trade-offs and geographic decisions
Judge a proposal against stated goals, not just a slogan.
Understand the idea
Set criteria
Judge a proposal against stated goals, not just a slogan.
Look at scale
Local benefits may come with effects elsewhere or later.
Compare alternatives
A decision may involve trade-offs rather than one perfect option.
Worked examples
Which is a measurable criterion for comparing two transport plans?
Journey time can be measured using a defined method.
average journey time
Why should a new reservoir proposal consider both upstream and downstream effects?
Credit connected places and multiple impacts.
Water storage and flow changes can affect people, habitats and uses in more than one location.
Try it yourself
Which comparison is fairest for two water-saving devices?
- Water used for the same task under comparable conditions
- Water use for unrelated tasks
- Only one unmeasured opinion
- Only the packaging colour
Explain why a resource described as renewable can still be overused locally.
Which question addresses a distributional effect?
- How long is the proposal's title?
- Who receives the benefits and who bears the costs?
- Which font was used?
- What colour are the diagrams?
A fictional building reduces daily use from 900 L to 720 L. Find the daily saving in L.
Answers and marking notes
Answers and marking notes
- Water used for the same task under comparable conditions
A common task and conditions support comparison.
- Renewal occurs at a rate; use can exceed replenishment or damage the system supporting it.
Credit rate and location rather than assuming unlimited supply.
- Who receives the benefits and who bears the costs?
Impacts can fall unevenly on different groups.
- 180
900 − 720 = 180.
Preview material · independent educational review required. Grade bands are approximate, not official curriculum alignment.