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Life in North America Before 1492 is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on how nations lived and traded before Europeans arrived, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Geo.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 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 18 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.

Life in North America Before 1492

D2.Geo.4.3-5

NameDate

Choose the best answer.

1.Which crop, first grown by people in Mexico, spread across much of North America?
  • A.Corn, also called maize
  • B.Rice
  • C.Wheat
2.Why did nations in different regions live in such different homes?
  • A.They all lived in the same kind of home
  • B.One ruler told them all what to build
  • C.Each used the materials and climate of its own land
3.Before Europeans brought horses, how did Plains peoples hunt bison?
  • A.From trains
  • B.On foot, sometimes driving herds over cliffs
  • C.On horseback with rifles
4.What did the people of Cahokia build out of earth?
  • A.Huge mounds, including Monks Mound
  • B.Brick towers
  • C.Stone castles with moats
5.Why did many nations in the East grow corn, beans and squash together?
  • A.They needed no water or sun
  • B.The plants help each other grow, and together they make a healthy diet
  • C.They were the only plants allowed by law
6.About how many people may have lived in Cahokia at its largest?
  • A.Perhaps 10,000 to 20,000
  • B.About 10 million
  • C.About 50
7.How did peoples of the Pacific Northwest use their forests and rivers?
  • A.They herded cattle and horses
  • B.They built adobe pueblos
  • C.They built cedar plank houses and fished for salmon
8.Before horses came, what did dogs pull for Plains peoples?
  • A.Wagons on iron rails
  • B.Mail carts
  • C.Loads on wooden frames called travois

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.4.3-5 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Life in North America Before 1492

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Corn, also called maize
  2. 2.Each used the materials and climate of its own land
  3. 3.On foot, sometimes driving herds over cliffs
  4. 4.Huge mounds, including Monks Mound
  5. 5.The plants help each other grow, and together they make a healthy diet
  6. 6.Perhaps 10,000 to 20,000
  7. 7.They built cedar plank houses and fished for salmon
  8. 8.Loads on wooden frames called travois

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Geo.4.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.