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Changes on the Great Plains is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on how the Plains changed for the nations who lived there, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Geo.5.3-5. It prints 6 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 23 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.

Changes on the Great Plains

D2.Geo.5.3-5

NameDate

Number the events in order. Then choose the best answers.

1.Number these events from earliest to latest.
  • Cowboys drive cattle north to railheads in Kansas (1867)
  • The long cattle drives come to an end (late 1880s)
  • Railroads carry the cattle to cities in the East
  • Barbed wire fences block the cattle trails (1880s)
2.How did windmills help Plains farmers?
  • A.They kept the wind away
  • B.They ground bison bones into flour
  • C.They pumped water up from deep underground
3.How did the railroad change the Plains?
  • A.It ran only from north to south
  • B.It made the Plains empty of people
  • C.It brought settlers and carried crops and cattle to markets
4.How did barbed wire change the Plains?
  • A.It let farmers fence land cheaply and closed the open range
  • B.It made the bison herds grow
  • C.It carried messages across the Plains
5.What new kind of plow helped farmers break the thick prairie sod?
  • A.A steel plow
  • B.A paddle wheel
  • C.A wooden spoon
6.Which is true of Plains nations today?
  • A.Many, such as the Lakota and Cheyenne, keep their governments and traditions
  • B.None of them still exist
  • C.They all live in Europe

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.5.3-5 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Changes on the Great Plains

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Correct order: 1, 3, 4, 2
  2. 2.They pumped water up from deep underground
  3. 3.It brought settlers and carried crops and cattle to markets
  4. 4.It let farmers fence land cheaply and closed the open range
  5. 5.A steel plow
  6. 6.Many, such as the Lakota and Cheyenne, keep their governments and traditions

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Geo.5.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.