1) You were instructed to find an article that discusses the current state of the U.S. economy. Take this article (or one similar to it) and write a two- to three-paragraph summary of the article. In your summary, include any references to GDP or U.S. economic policy. Explain how these relate to what you have learned in this section. Also include an explanation of the writer's opinion of the U.S. economy. Is it growing or declining? What evidence does the writer provide to support this opinion?

Be sure to include information regarding where you found the article (name of publication or website address) and the name of the author of the article as well as the date of the article.

2) Using the Internet or resources from your local library, find a recent article that discusses the current unemployment rate in the economy. Summarize the article in two or more well-developed paragraphs. Be sure to explain the main topics of the article and the information it provides about the current unemployment rate. Then discuss how the unemployment rate in general influences economic performance. 

Provide the title of the article as well as the author's name and date of publication (if from a magazine or newspaper) or provide the website address (if found online).

3) Using the Internet or your local library, look up a recent article about international trade. What is the article about? What countries are involved? What continent are they located on? Review the article

Using the article that you found, answer the following questions. Be sure to include information regarding where you found the article (name of publication or website address) and the name of the author of the article as well as the date of the article.

1. What is the main topic of the article?
2. Provide a well-developed one to two paragraph summary of the article.
3. What countries are discussed in the article?
4. Where are these countries located?
5. What impact does this country's trade have on other countries?
6. What is the importance of international trade? You may answer this question based on what is pointed out in the article.

4) Compare the map shown below and a more detailed map of the world. Choose a country that lies in a middle or low income area (countries located in these areas are considered less developed countries) and research the country using the Internet or your local library. Compose an essay of at least two well-developed paragraphs and answer the following questions about the country you've selected:

• What is the name of the country?
• On which continent is the country located?
• What are the names of some of the countries that border this country?
• What is the population of the country?
• What is the level of education in the country?
• What are the major occupations in the country?
• What is the political system of the country?
• What is the culture of the country like? Provide a brief description.