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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 9 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.Lots of pumpkins grow this year. What probably happens to pumpkin prices?
  • A.They go down
  • B.Pumpkins disappear
  • C.They go up
2.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
3.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
4.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
5.A factory runs short of workers. What happens to how much it can make?
  • A.It makes exactly the same
  • B.It makes more goods
  • C.It makes fewer goods
6.A bakery has only enough flour for 20 loaves. What must the baker decide?
  • A.How to make flour from water
  • B.Which loaves to make and who can buy them
  • C.How to close for a year
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.Lines make things cheaper
  • C.There is too much of it
8.Why are diamonds expensive while tap water is cheap in most places?
  • A.Diamonds are easy to dig up
  • B.Diamonds are scarce, while tap water is plentiful
  • C.Water is harder to find than diamonds

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.3.3-5 · Set 9 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — When Things Are Scarce

Set 9. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.They go down
  2. 2.Not having enough of something for everyone who wants it
  3. 3.Fewer new cars are made, and their prices go up
  4. 4.It goes up
  5. 5.It makes fewer goods
  6. 6.Which loaves to make and who can buy them
  7. 7.There is not enough for everyone, so they hurry to get some
  8. 8.Diamonds are scarce, while tap water is plentiful

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