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When Things Are Scarce is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on how scarcity affects production and price, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Eco.3.3-5. 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 students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 12 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.

When Things Are Scarce

D2.Eco.3.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.A storm closes the roads into a town for a week. What becomes scarce in its stores?
  • A.The town's name
  • B.Sunshine
  • C.Fresh food brought in by truck
2.Lots of pumpkins grow this year. What probably happens to pumpkin prices?
  • A.They go up
  • B.They go down
  • C.Pumpkins disappear
3.A frost ruins half the orange crop. What happens to the price of oranges?
  • A.It stays the same
  • B.It goes down
  • C.It goes up
4.When water is scarce in summer, what might a city ask people to do?
  • A.Fill extra swimming pools
  • B.Water their lawns less often
  • C.Leave the hoses running
5.A factory runs short of workers. What happens to how much it can make?
  • A.It makes fewer goods
  • B.It makes more goods
  • C.It makes exactly the same
6.Why are diamonds expensive while tap water is cheap in most places?
  • A.Diamonds are easy to dig up
  • B.Water is harder to find than diamonds
  • C.Diamonds are scarce, while tap water is plentiful
7.Why do people sometimes stand in long lines when something is scarce?
  • A.There is not enough for everyone, so they hurry to get some
  • B.Lines make things cheaper
  • C.There is too much of it
8.A shortage of computer chips slows car factories. What happens?
  • A.Fewer new cars are made, and their prices go up
  • B.More cars are made than ever
  • C.Cars become free

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.3.3-5 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — When Things Are Scarce

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Fresh food brought in by truck
  2. 2.They go down
  3. 3.It goes up
  4. 4.Water their lawns less often
  5. 5.It makes fewer goods
  6. 6.Diamonds are scarce, while tap water is plentiful
  7. 7.There is not enough for everyone, so they hurry to get some
  8. 8.Fewer new cars are made, and their prices go up

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Eco.3.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.