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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 23 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.What is scarcity?
  • A.Not having enough of something for everyone who wants it
  • B.Having more than anyone needs
  • C.A kind of tax
2.A factory runs short of workers. What happens to how much it can make?
  • A.It makes more goods
  • B.It makes fewer goods
  • C.It makes exactly the same
3.Why do people sometimes stand in long lines when something is scarce?
  • A.Lines make things cheaper
  • B.There is not enough for everyone, so they hurry to get some
  • C.There is too much of it
4.A shortage of computer chips slows car factories. What happens?
  • A.Cars become free
  • B.Fewer new cars are made, and their prices go up
  • C.More cars are made than ever
5.Lots of pumpkins grow this year. What probably happens to pumpkin prices?
  • A.They go down
  • B.Pumpkins disappear
  • C.They go up
6.Gasoline becomes scarce after a pipeline breaks. What might drivers do?
  • A.Drive less and share rides
  • B.Drive more than before
  • C.Fill up two cars each
7.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
8.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

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.3.3-5 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — When Things Are Scarce

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Not having enough of something for everyone who wants it
  2. 2.It makes fewer goods
  3. 3.There is not enough for everyone, so they hurry to get some
  4. 4.Fewer new cars are made, and their prices go up
  5. 5.They go down
  6. 6.Drive less and share rides
  7. 7.Fresh food brought in by truck
  8. 8.It goes up

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