Minimum wage

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/minimum-wage

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the labor market price floor?A legally mandated minimum hourly rate that employers must pay their workers
2. What is the historical motivation?Originated from efforts to combat worker exploitation in sweatshop conditions
3. Why was the minimum wage created?It was created to stop workers in factories and sweatshops from earning almost nothing and to make sure they could buy food and a home.
4. Who decides how much the minimum wage is?In many places, a government law sets the minimum wage, but sometimes local governments or special wage boards that include workers, bosses, and officials decide the amount.

Price Floor: A government- or group-imposed limit on how low a price can be charged for a product or service.
Sweatshop: A workplace where employees work long hours for very low pay in poor conditions.
Monopsony: A market situation where there is only one buyer for a particular good or service, giving them significant power.