Social SciencesFreePrintable

Resource Allocation Choices

A free social sciences worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Resource Allocation Choices

A train station has a limited budget. Read the information, then make and explain fair choices. Use evidence from the station plan and price list. There may be more than one reasonable decision.

Station plan and price list

Hudson, Dylan and Oliver are helping a community panel decide how to use $12,000 to improve a busy train station. The budget cannot cover every idea. The panel wants to help passengers, keep the station safe and consider different needs.

Idea

Cost

What it could do

A. Add a covered waiting area

$7,000

Shelter passengers from sun and rain

B. Improve step-free access

$8,000

Make it easier for wheelchair users and people with prams to reach the platform

C. Install brighter platform lights

$5,000

Help people see signs and the platform edge in the evening

D. Add a drinking-water refill tap

$3,000

Let passengers refill reusable bottles

1.The panel has $12,000, but the four upgrades together cost more than that. What economic problem does this show?

Scarcity: there are not enough resources to meet every want
Surplus: there is more money than the panel can use
Trade: passengers exchange tickets for services
Profit: the panel earns money from upgrades

2.Which pair of upgrades costs exactly $12,000?

A and B
A and C
B and D
C and D

3.The panel chooses upgrades B and D. How much money is left, and what opportunity has been given up by not choosing another upgrade?

4.Which upgrade most directly improves access for wheelchair users and people with prams?

A. Covered waiting area
B. Step-free access
C. Brighter lights
D. Water refill tap

5.Match each piece of evidence to the factor it could help the panel consider.

A. A contractor’s quote says the ramp will cost $8,000.
B. A survey finds many passengers wait in the sun.
C. A safety inspection recommends better lighting at night.
D. A count shows many passengers use wheelchairs or prams.

2. Cost
4. Access
1. Passenger need
3. Safety

6.True or false: If one upgrade is the cheapest, it is automatically the fairest choice for everyone. Explain your answer.

7.The panel wants to compare ideas fairly before deciding. Name two useful sources of information it could gather and say what each would show.

8.Dylan says, “Choose A and D.” Check his choice. How much would they cost, and how much budget would remain?

9.Choose a combination of upgrades that stays within $12,000. State the total cost and explain whose needs your choice would support. There can be more than one sensible answer.

10.Complete the idea: When a community must choose between projects, it should allocate limited resources by considering , and .