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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 7 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 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
2.Why are diamonds expensive while tap water is cheap in most places?
  • A.Diamonds are easy to dig up
  • B.Water is harder to find than diamonds
  • C.Diamonds are scarce, while tap water is plentiful
3.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
4.A drought means farmers grow less wheat. What happens to bread prices?
  • A.They rise
  • B.Bread becomes free
  • C.They fall
5.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
6.A frost ruins half the orange crop. What happens to the price of oranges?
  • A.It goes down
  • B.It stays the same
  • C.It goes up
7.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
8.A shortage of computer chips slows car factories. What happens?
  • A.Cars become free
  • B.More cars are made than ever
  • C.Fewer new cars are made, and their prices go up

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.3.3-5 · Set 7 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — When Things Are Scarce

Set 7. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Fresh food brought in by truck
  2. 2.Diamonds are scarce, while tap water is plentiful
  3. 3.It makes fewer goods
  4. 4.They rise
  5. 5.Which loaves to make and who can buy them
  6. 6.It goes up
  7. 7.There is not enough for everyone, so they hurry to get some
  8. 8.Fewer new cars are made, and their prices go up

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