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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 15 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
  • Mica, a shiny mineral that splits into sheets
  • Dentalium shells
  • Copper
  • A.The Lake Superior region
  • B.The southern coasts near Florida
  • C.The Pacific coast near Vancouver Island
  • D.The southern Appalachian Mountains
2.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
3.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
4.Before horses arrived, how did most trade goods travel?
  • A.On foot and by canoe along rivers
  • B.By steamship
  • C.By truck
5.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
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.What was Plains Indian Sign Language used for?
  • A.Sending messages by telegraph
  • B.Talking with people of other nations who spoke different languages
  • C.Writing laws on paper

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.4.3-5 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Trading Across a Continent

Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Conch and whelk shells — B (The southern coasts near Florida) 2. Mica, a shiny mineral that splits into sheets — D (The southern Appalachian Mountains) 3. Dentalium shells — C (The Pacific coast near Vancouver Island) 4. Copper — A (The Lake Superior region)
  2. 2.Copper, shells and obsidian from far-off places were found at their sites
  3. 3.Each region had resources that others did not
  4. 4.On foot and by canoe along rivers
  5. 5.Farmers had corn to spare and hunters had meat and hides
  6. 6.It was rare there and made very sharp tools
  7. 7.Talking with people of other nations who spoke different languages

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