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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 6 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.
  • The long cattle drives come to an end (late 1880s)
  • Barbed wire fences block the cattle trails (1880s)
  • Cowboys drive cattle north to railheads in Kansas (1867)
  • Railroads carry the cattle to cities in the East
2.What new kind of plow helped farmers break the thick prairie sod?
  • A.A paddle wheel
  • B.A wooden spoon
  • C.A steel plow
3.What did the Homestead Act of 1862 offer?
  • A.160 acres of land to settlers who lived on it and farmed it
  • B.Gold to anyone who found it
  • C.Free train tickets to California
4.Why did many settlers on the Plains build houses from sod?
  • A.Sod was the law
  • B.There were few trees on the prairie for lumber
  • C.Wood was too light
5.Why did the bison almost disappear from the Plains?
  • A.One long winter froze them all
  • B.The bison all moved to Europe
  • C.Hunters killed millions of them for their hides and for sport
6.How did windmills help Plains farmers?
  • A.They kept the wind away
  • B.They pumped water up from deep underground
  • C.They ground bison bones into flour

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.5.3-5 · Set 6 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Changes on the Great Plains

Set 6. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Correct order: 3, 4, 2, 1
  2. 2.A steel plow
  3. 3.160 acres of land to settlers who lived on it and farmed it
  4. 4.There were few trees on the prairie for lumber
  5. 5.Hunters killed millions of them for their hides and for sport
  6. 6.They pumped water up from deep underground

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