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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 24 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 factory runs short of workers. What happens to how much it can make?
  • A.It makes more goods
  • B.It makes exactly the same
  • C.It makes fewer goods
2.A drought means farmers grow less wheat. What happens to bread prices?
  • A.Bread becomes free
  • B.They rise
  • C.They fall
3.A storm closes the roads into a town for a week. What becomes scarce in its stores?
  • A.Sunshine
  • B.Fresh food brought in by truck
  • C.The town's name
4.Gasoline becomes scarce after a pipeline breaks. What might drivers do?
  • A.Fill up two cars each
  • B.Drive less and share rides
  • C.Drive more than before
5.When water is scarce in summer, what might a city ask people to do?
  • A.Leave the hoses running
  • B.Fill extra swimming pools
  • C.Water their lawns less often
6.A bakery has only enough flour for 20 loaves. What must the baker decide?
  • A.How to close for a year
  • B.Which loaves to make and who can buy them
  • C.How to make flour from water
7.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
8.What is scarcity?
  • A.A kind of tax
  • B.Having more than anyone needs
  • C.Not having enough of something for everyone who wants it

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.3.3-5 · Set 24 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — When Things Are Scarce

Set 24. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.It makes fewer goods
  2. 2.They rise
  3. 3.Fresh food brought in by truck
  4. 4.Drive less and share rides
  5. 5.Water their lawns less often
  6. 6.Which loaves to make and who can buy them
  7. 7.It goes up
  8. 8.Not having enough of something for everyone who wants it

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