Subsistence and Economy

Part 1: Discuss and compare the costs and benefits of the two different subsistence patterns of hunter gatherers and agriculture, addressing the following questions in full:

1. Identify the benefits of both subsistence patterns. (10 pts)
Hunter gatherers benefits- ample and banalanced diets by being able to rome the land,leisure time, food sharing
Agriculture benefits-build more permanent dwellings, make storage containers, more control over types of food made available

2. Identify the costs (or disadvantages) of both subsistence patterns. (10 pts)
Hunter gatherer disadvantages- limited materials, living by the essentials, must stay near water, small group size to ensure the carrying capacity of land
Agriculture disadvantages-requires more work, more monotonous, less secure, more easily ruined by unexpected weather or disaster

3. Which subsistence pattern provides a healthier diet? Explain. (5 pts)

I think that they would both be able to provide a fairly balanced diet. Hunter gatherers are able to hunt for their protein by following and killing animals needed. They are able to gather grains and vegetables and fruits that they are able to find off the land. Agricultural societies are able to grow crops of their own food and domesticate animals for slaughter and consumption.
I suppose if I had to choose one I would say the hunter gatherers have a healthier diet if only because they have more variety in what they eat dependent on what is available.

4. Discuss why you think some human populations made the transition into agriculture? (5 pts)

I believe it is just a matter of reward. People would move from place to place looking for a bountiful harvest. So when a certain area of land provided them what they needed more consistently than other places, they stayed there longer periods of time and got more comfortable with that way of life, developing it into a permanent place to live by learning how to control the environment.

Part 2: Economics and Trade:

1. There is a direct relationship between the availability of surplus and the ability to trade. Explain the meaning of this statement. (5 pts)
What this statement means is that a certain amount of goods are produced in order to cover the amount needed by the person or group producing it, and the surplus gives them the  ability, the currency, to exchange for other goods.

2. Identify and describe two (2) social benefits of trade. (5 pts)
One social benefit of trade is that it connects two different people or groups by mutual understanding and need of the others goods. So it develops a certain amount of trust in order to exchange goods.
Another benefit is the connection between two differing societies. It can teach people about others and make them appreciate the differences between them.

3. Identify and describe two (2) negative social results of the development of trade. (5 pts)
It could harbor the development of resentment or anger towards somebody else, in an unfair trade or in the attempt to manipulate the other side.
It could amplify the difference between the poor and the rich. The more surplus one person has, the more of others goods they would be able to accumulate, accentuating the differences between what they have and what somebody who has less possesses.

4. Given your answer in the question #1, explain the relationship between the development of agriculture and the development of trade. (5 pts)

With the development of agriculture, people were able to control the production of their food. If they had the resources, they were able to produce more goods or a certain good than was needed. With the differences in skills and food developed, they were able to see that others could produce different goods which created a mutual need and developed the need for trade.