Work through this at your own pace. Tap the vocabulary words, write your answers, and figure out what you think about taxes.
Tap any word to see what it actually means. Try to guess before you peek!
Answer these after reading the book. Write what you actually understood — then reveal the sample answer to check yourself.
🎯 Tip: If you can answer these in your own words, you've got it. Don't try to memorize — just try to explain.
Four activities tied directly to the book. Tap to open any one.
Sweetville's sales tax is 7%. Calculate the tax and total for each Sweet Scoops order below. Use this formula: Tax = Price × 0.07 · Total = Price + Tax
| Order | Price | Tax (7%) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍦 Single scoop | $1.25 | ||
| 🍦🍦 Double scoop | $2.50 | ||
| 🍦🍦🍦 Triple scoop | $3.75 | ||
| 🍨 Giant Sundae | $6.00 |
A shared service is something funded by taxes that anyone in the community can use equally. Tap each item — mark it Yes if taxes pay for it, No if they don't.
Sweetville's town council is deciding what to do with the tax rate. Read both options, then answer honestly.
| Option | What changes | The tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Lower to 4% | Families keep more money every time they shop | Town collects less — some services may shrink |
| Raise to 10% | Town can fund more — expand school, fix more roads | Every purchase costs families more |
| Add income tax | Tax what people earn instead of (or in addition to) what they spend | Some say it discourages earning more; others say it's fairer |
💡 Real talk: Adults in every city and country face these exact choices every election. The fact that you're thinking about tradeoffs already puts you ahead.
Donnie prefers taxes on earning — what comes out of your paycheck. Ellie prefers taxes on spending — you only pay when you choose to buy something.
Drag each tax tile into the matching pile, then tap Check to see how you did.
💡 Quick reminder: Most countries use a mix of both — taxes on spending and taxes on earning. Ellie and Donnie aren't really arguing about getting rid of one. They're arguing about which kind should do more of the work.
Check things off as you finish them. You've got this.
0 of 10 complete
Ten questions. Tap an answer — you'll find out right away if you got it.
Put it all together in your own words. No grades. Just think.
🍦 The book asked one big question: "Who ate my ice cream?" Now you know it was Sweetville's sales tax — 26 cents that went to shared services everyone can use. And you know people disagree about how much tax makes sense, and which kind.
🌟 You're done! Head to the Progress tab and check off your final items. Well done, Sweetville citizen.