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Who Pays for the Roads? is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on how government pays for what it provides, aligned to Common Core standard D2.Eco.12.3-5. 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 pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 15 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.

Who Pays for the Roads?

D2.Eco.12.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Why might a ratepayer object to a school in another village?
  • A.He cannot read
  • B.Schools are noisy
  • C.He pays rates towards something his own children will not use
2.'Your rates should be spent where you live.' What are rates?
  • A.A fare
  • B.A charge on property that pays for what the council provides
  • C.A toll
3.Why can a council not simply build every school a village asks for?
  • A.The rates it collects are limited, so it must choose
  • B.Schools are illegal
  • C.Villages must build their own
4.What is the difference between a toll and a tax?
  • A.A toll is larger
  • B.A toll is paid only by users; a tax is paid whether you use it or not
  • C.A tax is voluntary
5.The workhouse is paid for out of the rates. What does that mean?
  • A.It costs nothing
  • B.Ratepayers across the county fund relief for those with no work
  • C.The poor pay for it
6.Where does a county council get the money to repair roads?
  • A.From the railway company
  • B.From rates paid by households and businesses in the county
  • C.From selling tickets
7.How does a national government pay for what it provides?
  • A.From selling land only
  • B.From donations only
  • C.Mainly from taxes collected across the whole country
8.Why is that objection answered by saying the county gains?
  • A.Schools are cheap
  • B.Educated children raise what the whole county can do and earn
  • C.Rates will fall

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.12.3-5 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Who Pays for the Roads?

Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.He pays rates towards something his own children will not use
  2. 2.A charge on property that pays for what the council provides
  3. 3.The rates it collects are limited, so it must choose
  4. 4.A toll is paid only by users; a tax is paid whether you use it or not
  5. 5.Ratepayers across the county fund relief for those with no work
  6. 6.From rates paid by households and businesses in the county
  7. 7.Mainly from taxes collected across the whole country
  8. 8.Educated children raise what the whole county can do and earn

More practice for D2.Eco.12.3-5

Explain where the government gets the money for what it provides.

Teaching this next? Who Pays for What Government Provides is the 45-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 to Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Eco.12.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.