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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 20 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.Lots of pumpkins grow this year. What probably happens to pumpkin prices?
  • A.Pumpkins disappear
  • B.They go down
  • C.They go up
2.When water is scarce in summer, what might a city ask people to do?
  • A.Water their lawns less often
  • B.Leave the hoses running
  • C.Fill extra swimming pools
3.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
4.A bakery has only enough flour for 20 loaves. What must the baker decide?
  • A.How to make flour from water
  • B.How to close for a year
  • C.Which loaves to make and who can buy them
5.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
6.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
7.What is scarcity?
  • A.A kind of tax
  • B.Not having enough of something for everyone who wants it
  • C.Having more than anyone needs
8.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

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.3.3-5 · Set 20 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — When Things Are Scarce

Set 20. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.They go down
  2. 2.Water their lawns less often
  3. 3.Diamonds are scarce, while tap water is plentiful
  4. 4.Which loaves to make and who can buy them
  5. 5.Fresh food brought in by truck
  6. 6.It goes up
  7. 7.Not having enough of something for everyone who wants it
  8. 8.It makes fewer goods

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