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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 14 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.
  • Conch and whelk shells
  • Dentalium shells
  • Pipestone
  • Obsidian, a black volcanic glass
  • A.The Yellowstone area of the Rocky Mountains
  • B.The southern coasts near Florida
  • C.The Pacific coast near Vancouver Island
  • D.A quarry in what is now Minnesota
2.What did many coastal peoples specialize in making to trade?
  • A.Shell beads
  • B.Glass windows
  • C.Iron tools
3.Why did farming peoples and hunting peoples trade with each other?
  • A.Both had exactly the same goods
  • B.Farmers had corn to spare and hunters had meat and hides
  • C.Neither had anything to trade
4.Why did the Mississippi River and its branches help trade?
  • A.Roads ran under the river
  • B.The river was frozen all year
  • C.Canoes could carry goods long distances on the water
5.At trading gatherings on the Columbia River, what was one important good?
  • A.Cotton cloth from England
  • B.Dried salmon
  • C.Gold coins
6.Why was obsidian valuable far from where it was found?
  • A.It glowed in the dark
  • B.It was rare there and made very sharp tools
  • C.It was soft enough to eat
7.Before horses arrived, how did most trade goods travel?
  • A.On foot and by canoe along rivers
  • B.By truck
  • C.By steamship

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.4.3-5 · Set 14 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Trading Across a Continent

Set 14. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Conch and whelk shells — B (The southern coasts near Florida) 2. Dentalium shells — C (The Pacific coast near Vancouver Island) 3. Pipestone — D (A quarry in what is now Minnesota) 4. Obsidian, a black volcanic glass — A (The Yellowstone area of the Rocky Mountains)
  2. 2.Shell beads
  3. 3.Farmers had corn to spare and hunters had meat and hides
  4. 4.Canoes could carry goods long distances on the water
  5. 5.Dried salmon
  6. 6.It was rare there and made very sharp tools
  7. 7.On foot and by canoe along rivers

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