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Trading Across a Continent is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on trade networks among Native nations before 1492, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Eco.4.3-5. It prints 7 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 13 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.

Trading Across a Continent

D2.Eco.4.3-5

NameDate

Draw a line from each trade good to where it came from. Then choose the best answers.

1.Draw a line from each one to its match.
  • Copper
  • Macaw feathers
  • Conch and whelk shells
  • Mica, a shiny mineral that splits into sheets
  • A.Birds traded north from Mexico to the Southwest
  • B.The southern coasts near Florida
  • C.The southern Appalachian Mountains
  • D.The Lake Superior region
2.Why did nations trade goods with peoples far away?
  • A.Each region had resources that others did not
  • B.Trade was required by a king
  • C.Every region had exactly the same resources
3.Why did farming peoples and hunting peoples trade with each other?
  • A.Farmers had corn to spare and hunters had meat and hides
  • B.Neither had anything to trade
  • C.Both had exactly the same goods
4.The Hopewell people of the Ohio Valley traded over huge distances. Which shows this?
  • A.They built the first railroad
  • B.Copper, shells and obsidian from far-off places were found at their sites
  • C.They left no objects at all
5.Why did the Mississippi River and its branches help trade?
  • A.The river was frozen all year
  • B.Roads ran under the river
  • C.Canoes could carry goods long distances on the water
6.At trading gatherings on the Columbia River, what was one important good?
  • A.Cotton cloth from England
  • B.Dried salmon
  • C.Gold coins
7.Why was obsidian valuable far from where it was found?
  • A.It was soft enough to eat
  • B.It glowed in the dark
  • C.It was rare there and made very sharp tools

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.4.3-5 · Set 13 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Trading Across a Continent

Set 13. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Copper — D (The Lake Superior region) 2. Macaw feathers — A (Birds traded north from Mexico to the Southwest) 3. Conch and whelk shells — B (The southern coasts near Florida) 4. Mica, a shiny mineral that splits into sheets — C (The southern Appalachian Mountains)
  2. 2.Each region had resources that others did not
  3. 3.Farmers had corn to spare and hunters had meat and hides
  4. 4.Copper, shells and obsidian from far-off places were found at their sites
  5. 5.Canoes could carry goods long distances on the water
  6. 6.Dried salmon
  7. 7.It was rare there and made very sharp tools

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