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Why the Town Changed is a free printable Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies worksheet on possible reasons for a past event, aligned to Common Core standard D2.His.14.K-2. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 3 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Why the Town Changed

D2.His.14.K-2

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.The mill closed in the end. Why might that be?
  • A.The river dried
  • B.Cloth could be made more cheaply elsewhere
  • C.Nobody wore cloth
2.The Shaw family kept the shuttle for decades. Why might that be?
  • A.It came from work that shaped their family's life
  • B.It was valuable
  • C.They forgot they had it
3.The council promised a higher river wall in 1912. Why might that be?
  • A.The flood had reached the houses and people demanded action
  • B.Walls were fashionable
  • C.The river asked
4.Bridge Mill was built beside the river. Why might that be?
  • A.Land was free there
  • B.Rivers are pretty
  • C.The falling water could drive the machinery
5.Houses on Mill Row were close to the mill. Why might that be?
  • A.The river demanded it
  • B.The land was cheap only there
  • C.Workers had to walk to work when the bell rang
6.The market has been on Tuesday for centuries. Why might that be?
  • A.It fitted the days of markets in nearby towns
  • B.The Square is free then
  • C.Tuesday is lucky
7.The town built a reservoir above itself. Why might that be?
  • A.The view is better
  • B.Valleys are wasted otherwise
  • C.Water flows downhill without pumping
8.Children worked at the mill in 1871. Why might that be?
  • A.Children liked the noise
  • B.Families needed the wages and the law allowed it
  • C.Adults refused to work

LessonPrint · D2.His.14.K-2 · Set 3 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why the Town Changed

Set 3. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Cloth could be made more cheaply elsewhere
  2. 2.It came from work that shaped their family's life
  3. 3.The flood had reached the houses and people demanded action
  4. 4.The falling water could drive the machinery
  5. 5.Workers had to walk to work when the bell rang
  6. 6.It fitted the days of markets in nearby towns
  7. 7.Water flows downhill without pumping
  8. 8.Families needed the wages and the law allowed it

More practice for D2.His.14.K-2

Suggest reasons something happened in the past.

Teaching this next? Why the Town Changed is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Kindergarten to Grade 2 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.14.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.