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

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

Answer key — A District That Does One Thing

Set 5. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.It specialised away from growing its own food
  2. 2.It had the frames, the skill and the power, and traded for the cotton
  3. 3.It had no way to move enough of one thing to a market
  4. 4.When cotton grew dear, the whole district's wages fell
  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.It had deep water, so moving goods was what it did best

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.