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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 24 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.It had the frames, the skill and the power, and traded for the cotton
  • B.Growing was forbidden
  • C.Cotton grows in mills
2.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
3.The region imported 22,000 tons of grain. What does that show?
  • A.Farmers were idle
  • B.It specialised away from growing its own food
  • C.Grain will not grow
4.Why did the harbour district handle cargo rather than make cloth?
  • A.Cloth is heavy
  • B.It had deep water, so moving goods was what it did best
  • C.Harbours cannot weave
5.Why does a mason emigrate rather than take mill work?
  • A.His skill is worth more where building is going on
  • B.Mills refuse masons
  • C.Masons dislike cotton
6.Why does specialising need a harbour or a railway?
  • A.Rails are modern
  • B.Ships are pleasant
  • C.Because what you do not make must be brought in
7.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
8.What is the risk the region took by specialising in cotton?
  • A.When cotton grew dear, the whole district's wages fell
  • B.Cotton is flammable
  • C.Frames wear out

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.4.3-5 · Set 24 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — A District That Does One Thing

Set 24. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.