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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 19 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 drought means farmers grow less wheat. What happens to bread prices?
  • A.They rise
  • B.Bread becomes free
  • C.They fall
2.A bakery has only enough flour for 20 loaves. What must the baker decide?
  • A.How to make flour from water
  • B.Which loaves to make and who can buy them
  • C.How to close for a year
3.A frost ruins half the orange crop. What happens to the price of oranges?
  • A.It goes up
  • B.It goes down
  • C.It stays the same
4.What is scarcity?
  • A.Having more than anyone needs
  • B.Not having enough of something for everyone who wants it
  • C.A kind of tax
5.Why do people sometimes stand in long lines when something is scarce?
  • A.There is too much of it
  • B.There is not enough for everyone, so they hurry to get some
  • C.Lines make things cheaper
6.A storm closes the roads into a town for a week. What becomes scarce in its stores?
  • A.Sunshine
  • B.The town's name
  • C.Fresh food brought in by truck
7.Why are diamonds expensive while tap water is cheap in most places?
  • A.Diamonds are easy to dig up
  • B.Diamonds are scarce, while tap water is plentiful
  • C.Water is harder to find than diamonds
8.Lots of pumpkins grow this year. What probably happens to pumpkin prices?
  • A.They go down
  • B.They go up
  • C.Pumpkins disappear

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.3.3-5 · Set 19 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — When Things Are Scarce

Set 19. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.They rise
  2. 2.Which loaves to make and who can buy them
  3. 3.It goes up
  4. 4.Not having enough of something for everyone who wants it
  5. 5.There is not enough for everyone, so they hurry to get some
  6. 6.Fresh food brought in by truck
  7. 7.Diamonds are scarce, while tap water is plentiful
  8. 8.They go down

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