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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 6 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.Fewer new cars are made, and their prices go up
  • C.Cars become free
2.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
3.Why do people sometimes stand in long lines when something is scarce?
  • A.There is not enough for everyone, so they hurry to get some
  • B.There is too much of it
  • C.Lines make things cheaper
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.Lots of pumpkins grow this year. What probably happens to pumpkin prices?
  • A.They go up
  • B.They go down
  • C.Pumpkins disappear
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.A drought means farmers grow less wheat. What happens to bread prices?
  • A.Bread becomes free
  • B.They rise
  • C.They fall
8.What is scarcity?
  • A.Not having enough of something for everyone who wants it
  • B.A kind of tax
  • C.Having more than anyone needs

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.3.3-5 · Set 6 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — When Things Are Scarce

Set 6. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Fewer new cars are made, and their prices go up
  2. 2.Which loaves to make and who can buy them
  3. 3.There is not enough for everyone, so they hurry to get some
  4. 4.Drive less and share rides
  5. 5.They go down
  6. 6.Fresh food brought in by truck
  7. 7.They rise
  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.