The Cobra Effect

What is the cobra effect?

• It is when a solution to a problem makes the problem worse.

• It is when a solution to a problem completely solves it.

• It is when a solution to a problem has no effect.

• It is when a solution to a problem is ignored.

Why did the British government start paying a bounty for dead cobras in Delhi?

• To reduce the number of venomous cobras that were killing colonists.

• To encourage people to keep cobras as pets for safety.

• To make cobras a protected species in India.

• To increase the population of cobras for research.

What unintended consequence occurred after the British ended the cobra bounty program?

• Breeders released pet cobras into the wild, increasing the wild cobra population.

• Colonists stopped hunting cobras, and the population stayed the same.

• The British government started a new program to protect cobras.

• Cobras became extinct in Delhi.

How did retailers in Chicago respond to the tax on lightweight plastic bags?

• They made their bags much thicker so they would not be taxed.

• They stopped using plastic bags completely.

• They reused lightweight bags to avoid the tax.

• They made their bags thinner to save money.

According to the passage, what is a similarity between the British cobra bounty and the Chicago plastic bag tax?

• Both were well-intentioned solutions that ended up making the original problem worse.

• Both were successful in solving the problem they targeted.

• Both were ignored by the people affected.

• Both were designed to increase the population of animals.

Which of the following best describes why the cobra effect can happen?

• People may change their behavior in unexpected ways when a new rule or incentive is introduced.

• People always follow the rules exactly as intended.

• Solutions to problems are always carefully planned and tested.

• Problems never get worse when solutions are applied.

Based on the passage, what lesson can be learned from the cobra effect?

• Actions to solve problems can have unexpected and sometimes negative consequences.

• All solutions to problems work as planned.

• It is best not to try to solve problems at all.

• Only government actions can cause the cobra effect.

Which best defines the word colonize as used in the FIRST paragraph?

• To destroy or ruin a foreign land

• To trade or do business with other people

• To inhabit and rule a foreign land

• To do battle or fight with another group of people

Which conclusion can be supported with text from the passage?

• India had more poisonous snakes than the UK.

• India had fewer poisonous snakes than the UK.

• India had the same amount of poisonous snakes as the UK.

• India DID NOT have poisonous snakes.

Which event happened LAST?

• The number of snakes decreased.

• The government began paying a bounty for dead snakes.

• The snake breeders released their cobras into the wild.

• People started breeding snakes.