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A District That Does One Thing is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on why places specialise and then trade, aligned to Common Core standard D2.Eco.4.3-5. 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 20 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.

A District That Does One Thing

D2.Eco.4.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Why did the mill district spin cotton it could not grow?
  • A.Growing was forbidden
  • B.It had the frames, the skill and the power, and traded for the cotton
  • C.Cotton grows in mills
2.The region imported 22,000 tons of grain. What does that show?
  • A.Grain will not grow
  • B.Farmers were idle
  • C.It specialised away from growing its own food
3.What is the risk the region took by specialising in cotton?
  • A.When cotton grew dear, the whole district's wages fell
  • B.Frames wear out
  • C.Cotton is flammable
4.Why does specialising need a harbour or a railway?
  • A.Because what you do not make must be brought in
  • B.Ships are pleasant
  • C.Rails are modern
5.What must exist before a district can live by one trade?
  • A.A large population
  • B.A reliable way to trade for everything else it needs
  • C.Good weather
6.Why did the harbour district handle cargo rather than make cloth?
  • A.Harbours cannot weave
  • B.It had deep water, so moving goods was what it did best
  • C.Cloth is heavy
7.Why did the uplands not specialise successfully?
  • A.It had no way to move enough of one thing to a market
  • B.Uplands are cold
  • C.Nobody tried
8.Why does a mason emigrate rather than take mill work?
  • A.His skill is worth more where building is going on
  • B.Masons dislike cotton
  • C.Mills refuse masons

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.4.3-5 · Set 20 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — A District That Does One Thing

Set 20. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.It had the frames, the skill and the power, and traded for the cotton
  2. 2.It specialised away from growing its own food
  3. 3.When cotton grew dear, the whole district's wages fell
  4. 4.Because what you do not make must be brought in
  5. 5.A reliable way to trade for everything else it needs
  6. 6.It had deep water, so moving goods was what it did best
  7. 7.It had no way to move enough of one thing to a market
  8. 8.His skill is worth more where building is going on

More practice for D2.Eco.4.3-5

Explain why people and businesses each do one thing and then trade.

Teaching this next? A District That Does One Thing is the 50-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.4.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.