Geography · Unit 16

Development and the Economy

Rich and poor, and how the world works

Development is the hardest thing in geography to measure, because every indicator is a claim about what a good life consists of.

The unit covers the standard measures and their limits, the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary sectors, global trade, globalisation, and the inequality that runs both between countries and within them.

This unit breaks down into 20 short steps and 120 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 3. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.

Steps: 20
Questions: 120
Difficulty: 1-3

What this unit covers

Measuring Development
Economic Sectors
Inequality
Global Trade
Globalisation

Where this fits

Best after Population and Migration. It overlaps deliberately with the Economics track's Growth and Development unit.

Where people slip

GDP per capita is an average and says nothing about distribution. Two countries with the same figure can have entirely different standards of living for most of their people.

How the unit is structured

Development and the Economy runs as 20 short steps that unlock in order. 15 are practice rounds and 5 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 3 as you progress.

Step 1 · easierStep 20 · harder

Challenge rounds

Example questions

30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 120 in the unit altogether.

Economic Sectors

Choose all that applyLevel 1
1. Which of these are primary sector jobs? Choose all that apply.
- Farmingcorrect
- Fishingcorrect
- Miningcorrect
- Teaching
Farming, fishing and mining all gather raw materials, so they are primary sector jobs; teaching is a service.
Fact or fibLevel 1
2. Making cars in a factory is an example of a secondary sector job.
Answer: True
The secondary sector makes and manufactures goods, such as building cars in a factory.
Fill the blankLevel 1
3. Jobs that provide services to people, such as teaching, nursing and selling in shops, are in the ____ sector.
- tertiarycorrect
- primary
- secondary
- underground
The tertiary sector provides services rather than raw materials or manufactured goods.
Multiple choiceLevel 1
4. Jobs that collect raw materials from the land or sea, like farming, fishing and mining, belong to which sector?
- Primarycorrect
- Secondary
- Tertiary
- Quaternary
The primary sector gathers raw materials directly from nature, such as through farming, fishing and mining.
Guess the numberLevel 2
5. How many stages are there in Rostow's model of economic growth?
Answer: 5 stages
Rostow's model has five stages, from traditional society to high mass consumption.
Build the sentenceLevel 3
6. Build the sentence describing the tertiary sector.
Answer: the tertiary sector provides services
The tertiary sector provides services such as retail, healthcare, education and transport.

Global Trade

Build the sentenceLevel 1
7. Arrange the words to explain what trade is.
Answer: Trade is buying and selling goods between countries
Trade is the buying and selling of goods between countries.
Fill the blankLevel 1
8. Goods that a country sells to other countries are called ____.
- exportscorrect
- imports
- deserts
- lakes
Exports are goods and services a country sells to other countries.
Multiple choiceLevel 1
9. Goods that a country buys in from other countries are called its what?
- Importscorrect
- Exports
- Mountains
- Capitals
Imports are goods and services bought in from other countries.
Fact or fibLevel 2
10. Under Fairtrade, the extra 'premium' paid on top of the minimum price is meant to be invested in community projects such as schools or clean water.
Answer: True
The Fairtrade premium is a communal fund that producer groups spend on local development.
Choose all that applyLevel 3
11. Which of these are commonly cited disadvantages of foreign aid? (Choose all that apply.)
- It can create dependency rather than self-reliancecorrect
- Funds may be lost to corruptioncorrect
- Conditions can serve the donor's interestscorrect
- It always removes a country's international debt
Aid is criticised for fostering dependency, being vulnerable to corruption and coming with strings that suit donors; it does not automatically cancel debt.
Match the pairsLevel 3
12. Match each type of aid to its description.
Answer: Multilateral aid = Given through organisations like the World Bank; Tied aid = Comes with conditions to buy from the donor; Emergency aid = Short-term help after a disaster; Development aid = Long-term projects like schools and clinics
Aid takes many forms, from long-term development projects to short-term disaster relief, each with different aims.

Globalisation

Build the sentenceLevel 1
13. Arrange the words to describe globalisation.
Answer: Globalisation makes the world more connected
Globalisation makes the world more connected as countries trade and share ideas.
Fill the blankLevel 2
14. A large company that has offices or factories in many countries is called a ____ company.
- multinationalcorrect
- tiny
- local
- single
Multinational companies operate in several countries, which is a key part of globalisation.
Guess the numberLevel 2
15. Roughly how many countries are there in the world today?
Answer: 195 countries
There are around 195 countries in the world, and globalisation links their economies together.
Choose all that applyLevel 3
16. How can a transnational corporation benefit a country where it builds a factory? (Choose all that apply.)
- It creates jobs and pays wagescorrect
- It can bring investment, technology and skills
- It may improve local infrastructurecorrect
- It guarantees that all profits stay in the host country
TNCs can bring jobs, investment and know-how, but a large share of profits is often sent back to the home country.
Fact or fibLevel 3
17. Globalisation can widen inequality, as some regions attract investment and jobs while others are left behind.
Answer: True
The benefits of globalisation are unevenly spread, boosting some places while others miss out, which can deepen the development gap.
Match the pairsLevel 3
18. Match each well-known transnational corporation to its home country.
Answer: Toyota = Japan; Samsung = South Korea; Nestle = Switzerland; Volkswagen = Germany
Many of the largest TNCs are headquartered in high-income countries but produce and sell around the world.

Inequality

Fill the blankLevel 1
19. Help such as money, food or medicine given by richer countries to poorer countries is called ____.
- aidcorrect
- trade
- rent
- tax
Aid is support given to poorer countries, often to help after disasters or to fund development.
Multiple choiceLevel 1
20. What do we call the difference in wealth between rich countries and poor countries?
- The development gapcorrect
- The equator
- The time zone
- The water cycle
The development gap is the difference in wealth and quality of life between richer and poorer countries.
Build the sentenceLevel 2
21. Build a sentence explaining microfinance.
Answer: Small loans help poor people start businesses
Microfinance gives small loans that help poor people start their own small businesses.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
22. Why are some countries richer than others? Choose all that apply.
- They have valuable natural resourcescorrect
- Good education and healthcarecorrect
- A stable governmentcorrect
- They are always sunny
Natural resources, good education and healthcare, and stable government can all help a country grow wealthier.
Fact or fibLevel 2
23. Fair trade means farmers and workers are paid a fair price for the goods they produce.
Answer: True
Fair trade aims to give producers a fair, stable price so they can earn a decent living.
Odd one outLevel 2
24. Three of these can help a country become wealthier. Which one usually does NOT?
- War and conflictcorrect
- Good education
- Natural resources
- A stable government
War and conflict usually damage a country's economy, unlike education, resources or a stable government.

Measuring Development

Guess the numberLevel 1
25. In a highly developed country, about how many years is the average life expectancy?
Answer: 80 years
In many highly developed countries people live to around 80 years old on average.
Multiple choiceLevel 1
26. Development describes how wealthy a country is and how good life is for its people. What does a more developed country usually have?
- Higher wealth and better healthcarecorrect
- No schools at all
- Less clean water
- A shorter life expectancy
More developed countries tend to have higher average wealth, better healthcare and better schools.
Fill the blankLevel 2
27. A country's total wealth shared out equally for each person is called GDP per ____.
- personcorrect
- mountain
- ocean
- river
GDP per person (also called GDP per capita) shows the average wealth for each person in a country.
Match the pairsLevel 2
28. Match each development measure with what it tells us.
Answer: Life expectancy = How long people live; Literacy rate = How many can read and write; GDP per person = Average wealth of each person; Infant mortality = How many babies die young
Development is measured using indicators like life expectancy, literacy, GDP per person and infant mortality.
Odd one outLevel 2
29. Three of these are used to measure a country's development. Which one is NOT?
- Favourite colourcorrect
- Life expectancy
- Literacy rate
- Average income
A favourite colour tells us nothing about development, unlike life expectancy, literacy or average income.
Choose all that applyLevel 3
30. Which measures are combined to calculate the Human Development Index (HDI)? (Choose all that apply.)
- GNI per capitacorrect
- Life expectancy at birthcorrect
- Years of schoolingcorrect
- Total military spending
The HDI blends a long and healthy life (life expectancy), knowledge (years of schooling) and a decent standard of living (GNI per capita).

Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.

How you practise

This unit mixes 17 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.

Build the sentence
Choose all that apply
Fact or fib
Fill the blank
Guess the number
Listen and choose
Match the pairs
Multiple choice
Odd one out
Picture question
Put in order
Sequence recall
Sort into groups
Spell it
Tap the pairs
True or false
Type the answer

Practise Development and the Economy

120 questions across 20 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.

Play this unit

More units in Geography

See all 18 units in Geography →