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Doing One Thing Well is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on why people specialise and then trade, aligned to Common Core standard D2.Eco.4.3-5. 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 25 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.

Doing One Thing Well

D2.Eco.4.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Why did the miller not also make the barrels?
  • A.The cooper had the tools and skill, so the miller bought barrels instead
  • B.Barrels are heavy
  • C.Millers work at night
2.Why does the blacksmith not also grow his own corn?
  • A.He earns more in the hours he spends at the forge than at the plough
  • B.Corn is illegal
  • C.He dislikes fields
3.What does specialising need before it can work?
  • A.A way to trade what you made for what you did not
  • B.Good weather
  • C.A large family
4.What is the risk of specialising in one thing?
  • A.If demand for that one thing falls, you have nothing else to sell
  • B.Your tools rust
  • C.You get bored
5.Why did the valley send corn to the town and get manufactured goods back?
  • A.Corn will not keep
  • B.Each place made what it was better placed to make and traded the rest
  • C.The town had no fields
6.The wharf labourers specialised in canal cargo. What happened in 1846?
  • A.The railway took the cargo and their one skill lost its market
  • B.They became farmers at once
  • C.The canal was filled in
7.Why does the farmer not shoe his own horses?
  • A.Farmers cannot lift hammers
  • B.The blacksmith does it faster and better, so trading is cheaper for both
  • C.Horses object
8.Why did the railway make specialising easier in the valley?
  • A.Trains carry corn only
  • B.Farmers worked harder
  • C.Goods could reach a wider market in one hour instead of a day

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.4.3-5 · Set 25 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Doing One Thing Well

Set 25. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The cooper had the tools and skill, so the miller bought barrels instead
  2. 2.He earns more in the hours he spends at the forge than at the plough
  3. 3.A way to trade what you made for what you did not
  4. 4.If demand for that one thing falls, you have nothing else to sell
  5. 5.Each place made what it was better placed to make and traded the rest
  6. 6.The railway took the cargo and their one skill lost its market
  7. 7.The blacksmith does it faster and better, so trading is cheaper for both
  8. 8.Goods could reach a wider market in one hour instead of a day

More practice for D2.Eco.4.3-5

Explain why people and businesses each do one thing and then trade.

Teaching this next? Doing One Thing, Trading for the Rest is the 45-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 to Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Eco.4.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.