The Wealth of Nations

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/the-wealth-of-nations

1. Who wrote The Wealth of Nations?
2. What is the publication date?
3. What is the original title?
4. What is "The Wealth of Nations" about?
5. Why did Adam Smith say that a country's wealth comes from people working, not from gold?

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. Who wrote The Wealth of Nations?Adam Smith
2. What is the publication date?March 9, 1776
3. What is the original title?An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations
4. What is "The Wealth of Nations" about?It is a book by Adam Smith that explains how money, jobs, and countries work, focusing on ideas like specialization, the invisible hand, and free trade.
5. Why did Adam Smith say that a country's wealth comes from people working, not from gold?He believed that the real wealth is the work and products people create each year, not just the amount of gold a country has.

Mercantilism: An economic theory focused on accumulating national wealth through trade surpluses and government control.
Laissez-faire: An economic doctrine advocating for minimal government intervention in the economy.
Comparative Advantage: The ability of a country to produce a good or service at a lower opportunity cost than other countries.