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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 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.

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.
  • Flint for tools
  • Turquoise
  • Conch and whelk shells
  • Obsidian, a black volcanic glass
  • A.The Yellowstone area of the Rocky Mountains
  • B.The southern coasts near Florida
  • C.Quarries such as Flint Ridge in Ohio
  • D.Mines in what is now New Mexico
2.What did many coastal peoples specialize in making to trade?
  • A.Glass windows
  • B.Iron tools
  • C.Shell beads
3.At trading gatherings on the Columbia River, what was one important good?
  • A.Cotton cloth from England
  • B.Gold coins
  • C.Dried salmon
4.Why did nations trade goods with peoples far away?
  • A.Trade was required by a king
  • B.Every region had exactly the same resources
  • C.Each region had resources that others did not
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.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
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 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Trading Across a Continent

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Flint for tools — C (Quarries such as Flint Ridge in Ohio) 2. Turquoise — D (Mines in what is now New Mexico) 3. Conch and whelk shells — B (The southern coasts near Florida) 4. Obsidian, a black volcanic glass — A (The Yellowstone area of the Rocky Mountains)
  2. 2.Shell beads
  3. 3.Dried salmon
  4. 4.Each region had resources that others did not
  5. 5.Canoes could carry goods long distances on the water
  6. 6.Talking with people of other nations who spoke different languages
  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.