Public Investment Has Trade-Offs

Supplied materials

• Paper and pencil; drawing or spoken answers are welcome.
• Topic notes: Initial cost: resources required to start or build the project. Maintenance: resources needed to keep the project functioning. Access: who can reach or use the stated service. Expected use: a forecast of service use rather than completed use.
• Original exercise cards: Fictional park plan lists construction expenses. / Fictional park plan includes annual repairs. / Fictional park plan considers a step-free entrance. / Fictional park plan estimates future visitors. / A fictional library plan includes future upkeep. / A fictional library plan considers travel distance. / A fictional library plan forecasts future borrowers. / A fictional library plan lists the purchase price of shelves.

Learn the idea

Public investment uses shared resources for infrastructure or services. A budget can compare initial cost, ongoing maintenance, access and expected use. Choosing one project can defer another. These fictional criteria need evidence, and a proposed benefit is not automatically an observed outcome.

Initial cost: resources required to start or build the project. Maintenance: resources needed to keep the project functioning. Access: who can reach or use the stated service. Expected use: a forecast of service use rather than completed use.

Find whether the plan names a starting cost, upkeep, access or forecast use. A forecast is not a record of completed use. Read the notes and the word cards. You can write, draw or say your answer.

1. Read the four notes. Find the words Initial cost, Maintenance, Access, Expected use.
2. Find whether the plan names a starting cost, upkeep, access or forecast use. A forecast is not a record of completed use.
3. Read the worked answer. Then try the other cards and explain which words helped you choose.
4. Choose two different examples: one for Initial cost and one for Maintenance. Explain how their clues differ.

Check your reasoning

Your answer is temporary and is not saved to an account. Download your current answer before leaving or reloading. Written work on paper or in another app stays in your own file.

Take it further

New card: “A fictional library plan lists the purchase price of shelves.” Match it with a note, then point to or say the words that helped. Check: The card says: “A fictional library plan lists the purchase price of shelves.” That matches Initial cost. Initial cost is resources required to start or build the project.

Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. The answer download includes your current choice and any checked feedback. It does not include choices from the separate More practice section. Download that section separately.