School Improvement in Maryland

Public Release Item: Public Release items have appeared on HSA forms and then are released for public viewing and use. Releasing items is one step to ensuring that schools, districts, and other stakeholders understand how the core learning goals are assessed on the HSA.

Goal 3 Geography

Expectation 3.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship of cultural and physical geographic factors in the development of government policy.

Indicator 3.1.3 The student will analyze the roles and relationships of regions on the formation and implementation of government policy.

Assessment Limits:

  • International, national, state, and/or regional interests that may shape government policy.
  • Patterns, trends and projections of population growth in regions and how these may affect the environment, society and government policy.
  • Examples of the criteria used to define a region include economic development, natural resources, population, religion and climate. Regional means different areas within Maryland (e.g. Eastern Shore, mining region, Piedmont Plateau), the United States (e.g., Northeast, sunbelt, mid-Atlantic regions) and the world.

Selected Response Item - Released in 2005

Read the news article excerpt below. Then answer the following:

Which of these is most likely a result of the action described in the news article?

  1. Travelers will save time on the road.
  2. Maryland will use more employees to take tolls.
  3. The number of people using highways will decrease.
  4. Other states will charge less for out-of-state travelers.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2005_313_gov24.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2005

Read the news article excerpt below. Then answer the following:

Which of these does the news article describe?

  1. rising costs in the travel industry
  2. regional cooperation among states
  3. involvement of the federal government in state concerns
  4. private industry taking over government responsibilities
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2005_313_gov25.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item - Released in 2004

Arizona, California, and Colorado all claim the right to use the water from the Colorado River for their water needs.

The most effective way to resolve the water rights dispute would be for

  1. the three states to sign a treaty with Mexico
  2. the three states to create a regional agreement
  3. each state to build dams on its portion of the river
  4. each state to take as much water from the river as possible
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2004_313_gov01.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item - Released in 2004

Which of these actions is least likely to involve cooperation between neighboring state governments?

  1. planning railroad routes
  2. controlling agricultural pests
  3. decreasing pollution of major rivers
  4. reducing class size in primary schools
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2004_313_gov47.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2009

The Tri-County Council for Western Maryland helps local businesses export their products overseas.

What is a purpose of this program?

  1. to assist businesses in relocating
  2. to encourage competition from foreign companies
  3. to increase opportunities for businesses in the region
  4. to regulate trade between businesses and foreign countries
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2009_313_gov18.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Selected Response Item - Released in 2009

Agriculture is a major part of the Midwest’s economy.

Which of these would provide the most immediate improvement to the region’s economy?

  1. providing government relief to struggling farmers
  2. funding research on farming techniques
  3. offering vocational training to farmers
  4. giving loans to establish new farms
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2009_313_gov33.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2009

Which of these would require regional cooperation?

  1. expanding city recreational facilities
  2. providing neighborhood trash removal
  3. determining voter qualifications
  4. maintaining an interstate highway
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2009_313_gov78.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2007

Read the news article excerpt below.

The government action in the news article is an example of

  1. state government cooperation in regional issues
  2. federal intervention in states’ rights issues
  3. the government’s role in a free market economy
  4. the improved condition of polluted waterways
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2007_313_gov42.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Brief Constructed Response (BCR) Item - Released in 2007

Read the information below and use it to answer the BRIEF CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE that follows.

The Baltimore Metropolitan Council represents the governments of five neighboring counties. The Council oversees air and water quality programs and helps operate a regional rideshare program.

  • Describe the advantages and disadvantages of this type of regional cooperation.
  • Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Explain why or why not.
  • Include details and examples to support your answer.

Write your answer on the lines in your Answer Book.

/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2007_313_gov45.xml

View Scoring Information

Selected Response Item - Released in 2007

Which of these actions best describes regional cooperation?

  1. A state park expands its treeplanting program.
  2. Maryland increases pay for state employees.
  3. The state capitol and other public buildings are opened to visitors.
  4. State governors meet to plan interstate highways.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2007_313_gov53.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2008

Which of these would not require regional cooperation by local governments?

  1. raising the property tax in Baltimore City
  2. maintaining the water quality in the Chesapeake Bay
  3. building a transportation system from Baltimore to Annapolis
  4. solving traffic congestion problems in metropolitan Washington, D.C.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2008_313_gov24.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2008

The Baltimore Metropolitan Council and the Maryland Department of Transportation administer a grant program that helps area businesses establish ways that employees can work from home.

Which of these is most likely the purpose of this program?

  1. to improve public roads
  2. to decrease urban sprawl
  3. to reduce traffic congestion
  4. to provide computer training
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2008_313_gov34.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Brief Constructed Response (BCR) Item - Released in 2008

Study the maps below and use them to answer the BRIEF CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE that follows.

Question Image

  • Explain how the problems faced by local governments in the metropolitan areas of Maryland differ from those in other regions of the state.
  • Which problem is most critical? Explain why.
  • Include details and examples to support your answer.

Write your answer on the lines in your Answer Book.

/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2008_313_gov49.xml

View Scoring Information

Selected Response Item - Released in 2006

The Susquehanna River flows through New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

Which of these is the most effective way to resolve disputes over the use and protection of the river?

  1. turn over control of the river to one state
  2. hire a private company to manage actions related to the river
  3. encourage each state to develop and enforce its own policies
  4. create a regional organization to develop policies regarding the river
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2006_313_gov23.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2006

The states of Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware joined together during the 1980s and 1990s in an effort to reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. This is an example of a government policy being shaped by

  1. regional interests
  2. national interests
  3. community interests
  4. international interests
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2006_313_gov48.xml

Correct Answer:
A