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

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.12.3-5 · Set 16 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Who Pays for the Roads?

Set 16. Prints on its own sheet.

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