This page shows questions in the NAFTA public release module at MSDE. American Government
"NAFTA"
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A student is researching the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and its economic impacts on the United States. The student has located four sources to answer the following question:
Has the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) been beneficial for the United States?
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The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was implemented in 1994 as a trade alliance between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. This agreement was intended to promote free trade, expand trade markets, and foster friendship and cooperation among the nations.
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SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau
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Today, Americans consume twice as much fruit, and three times as many vegetables, from both Mexico and Canada as we did two decades ago. . . . A parade of greenhouse tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers now come down, often by truck, from Canada. From Mexico, we've seen huge increases in imports of seasonal fruit.
Mexican berries are an obvious example, but 20% of the imported watermelon we consumed in 2010–2012 also came from Mexico, compared with 5% in 1991–1993. As for imported avocados, 49% now come from Mexico, up from zero in 1991–1993. Lots more tomatoes and papaya are coming from south of the border, too. . . .
While Mexico is now the largest market for American apples and pears, U.S. meat exports to Mexico have doubled in the last two decades. Our exports of feed corn for livestock also now account for nearly one-third of the country's supply — meaning that even when Mexicans eat domestic meat, it's often been fed on American corn.
—McMillan, Tracie. "How NAFTA Changed American (And Mexican) Food Forever." National Public Radio (NPR), February 13, 2015. [accessed 11/05/2018]
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SOURCE: Lane, Mike. "Labor Day Blues." Political Cartoon. The Sun Newspaper. From caglecartoons.com. August 27, 2003.
Labor Day is a day set aside to pay tribute to working men and women. It has been celebrated as a national holiday in the United States since 1894.
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Selected Pros of NAFTA | Selected Cons of NAFTA |
| The average American has benefitted from lower prices on products. | The U.S. auto industry lost approximately 350,000 jobs from 1994–2016. Many of those jobs were taken by workers in Mexico. The auto industry in Mexico added over 400,000 jobs during the same period. |
| NAFTA has resulted in the creation of 200,000 export-related jobs annually in the United States. Those new jobs pay between 15–20% more than the manufacturing jobs lost after NAFTA was implemented. | Wages for American workers, in jobs that do not require a college degree, have decreased. Low wages in Mexico have forced American wages down. |
SOURCE: Josephson, Amelia. "The Pros and Cons of NAFTA." SmartAsset, 3 Feb. 2017.
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Claim: NAFTA has changed the export patterns of U.S. agricultural products.
Which change described in Source B supports this claim?
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Author of Source C, Mike Lane, is a political cartoonist who worked from 1972–2009. Lane's cartoons usually attacked political greed and corruption.
Mike Lane most likely believed that NAFTA was
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How does Source B corroborate the information in Source A?
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Source B author Tracie McMillan wrote the article after the release of a U.S. Department of Agriculture report on the effect of NAFTA from 1994 to 2014. The article was written for National Public Radio (NPR). NPR is a media source funded partially by the federal government.
How might the context provided for this article have influenced NPR’s decision to publish it?
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Which piece of information from Source D supports the point of view in Source C?
This is a test question that allows you to enter extended text in your response.
Assume that the information provided in Sources A, B, C and D is credible. Complete the following extended response question: Has the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) been beneficial for the United States?
- Develop a claim in response to the question.
- Cite evidence from the provided sources to support your claim.
- Use your knowledge of government in your response.