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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 17 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.
  • Turquoise
  • Dentalium shells
  • Copper
  • Macaw feathers
  • A.Mines in what is now New Mexico
  • B.Birds traded north from Mexico to the Southwest
  • C.The Lake Superior region
  • D.The Pacific coast near Vancouver Island
2.What was Plains Indian Sign Language used for?
  • A.Writing laws on paper
  • B.Talking with people of other nations who spoke different languages
  • C.Sending messages by telegraph
3.The Hopewell people of the Ohio Valley traded over huge distances. Which shows this?
  • A.Copper, shells and obsidian from far-off places were found at their sites
  • B.They built the first railroad
  • C.They left no objects at all
4.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
5.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
6.Before horses arrived, how did most trade goods travel?
  • A.On foot and by canoe along rivers
  • B.By steamship
  • C.By truck
7.What did many coastal peoples specialize in making to trade?
  • A.Glass windows
  • B.Iron tools
  • C.Shell beads

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.4.3-5 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Trading Across a Continent

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Turquoise — A (Mines in what is now New Mexico) 2. Dentalium shells — D (The Pacific coast near Vancouver Island) 3. Copper — C (The Lake Superior region) 4. Macaw feathers — B (Birds traded north from Mexico to the Southwest)
  2. 2.Talking with people of other nations who spoke different languages
  3. 3.Copper, shells and obsidian from far-off places were found at their sites
  4. 4.It was rare there and made very sharp tools
  5. 5.Canoes could carry goods long distances on the water
  6. 6.On foot and by canoe along rivers
  7. 7.Shell beads

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