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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 17 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 shortage of computer chips slows car factories. What happens?
  • A.More cars are made than ever
  • B.Cars become free
  • C.Fewer new cars are made, and their prices go up
2.Gasoline becomes scarce after a pipeline breaks. What might drivers do?
  • A.Fill up two cars each
  • B.Drive more than before
  • C.Drive less and share rides
3.Lots of pumpkins grow this year. What probably happens to pumpkin prices?
  • A.Pumpkins disappear
  • B.They go down
  • C.They go up
4.A storm closes the roads into a town for a week. What becomes scarce in its stores?
  • A.The town's name
  • B.Fresh food brought in by truck
  • C.Sunshine
5.Why do people sometimes stand in long lines when something is scarce?
  • A.There is too much of it
  • B.Lines make things cheaper
  • C.There is not enough for everyone, so they hurry to get some
6.A frost ruins half the orange crop. What happens to the price of oranges?
  • A.It goes up
  • B.It stays the same
  • C.It goes down
7.Why are diamonds expensive while tap water is cheap in most places?
  • A.Water is harder to find than diamonds
  • B.Diamonds are easy to dig up
  • C.Diamonds are scarce, while tap water is plentiful
8.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

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.3.3-5 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — When Things Are Scarce

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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