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Why They Settled There is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on why population is distributed as it is, aligned to Common Core standard D2.Geo.6.3-5. 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 2 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.

Why They Settled There

D2.Geo.6.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Why did the wharf houses empty after 1850?
  • A.The houses fell down
  • B.The canal was filled
  • C.The work that had kept those families there had moved to the railway
2.Why did a village grow beside the coalfield?
  • A.The land was flat
  • B.There was work at the pits and coal to burn
  • C.It was quiet
3.Two valleys have the same soil; one has far more people. What might explain it?
  • A.One has a route through it and the other does not
  • B.One is greener
  • C.One is older
4.Why did people settle at the river crossing rather than a mile upstream?
  • A.The water tasted better
  • B.The sun rose earlier
  • C.Everybody travelling had to pass there, so trade gathered
5.Why do few people live high on the moor?
  • A.It is too flat
  • B.Thin soil and hard weather make a living difficult there
  • C.The view is poor
6.Why does a market town hold more people than the villages round it?
  • A.Villages are illegal
  • B.It offers trades and services the villages come to use
  • C.It has better weather
7.Why do people settle on flat river meadow despite floods?
  • A.Floods are useful
  • B.The soil is rich and produces good crops
  • C.Rivers are warm
8.Why did houses appear near the station after 1846?
  • A.There was new work there and a way to travel from it
  • B.Land was free
  • C.Trains are pretty

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.6.3-5 · Set 2 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why They Settled There

Set 2. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The work that had kept those families there had moved to the railway
  2. 2.There was work at the pits and coal to burn
  3. 3.One has a route through it and the other does not
  4. 4.Everybody travelling had to pass there, so trade gathered
  5. 5.Thin soil and hard weather make a living difficult there
  6. 6.It offers trades and services the villages come to use
  7. 7.The soil is rich and produces good crops
  8. 8.There was new work there and a way to travel from it

More practice for D2.Geo.6.3-5

Describe why people live where they live.

Teaching this next? Why They Settled Where They Did 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.Geo.6.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.