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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 8 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.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
2.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
3.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
4.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
5.Why are diamonds expensive while tap water is cheap in most places?
  • A.Diamonds are scarce, while tap water is plentiful
  • B.Diamonds are easy to dig up
  • C.Water is harder to find than diamonds
6.Gasoline becomes scarce after a pipeline breaks. What might drivers do?
  • A.Drive more than before
  • B.Fill up two cars each
  • C.Drive less and share rides
7.A drought means farmers grow less wheat. What happens to bread prices?
  • A.They rise
  • B.Bread becomes free
  • C.They fall
8.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

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.3.3-5 · Set 8 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — When Things Are Scarce

Set 8. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Water their lawns less often
  2. 2.It makes fewer goods
  3. 3.Not having enough of something for everyone who wants it
  4. 4.There is not enough for everyone, so they hurry to get some
  5. 5.Diamonds are scarce, while tap water is plentiful
  6. 6.Drive less and share rides
  7. 7.They rise
  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.