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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 20 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.
  • Macaw feathers
  • Flint for tools
  • Pipestone
  • Obsidian, a black volcanic glass
  • A.A quarry in what is now Minnesota
  • B.The Yellowstone area of the Rocky Mountains
  • C.Birds traded north from Mexico to the Southwest
  • D.Quarries such as Flint Ridge in Ohio
2.Why was obsidian valuable far from where it was found?
  • A.It was rare there and made very sharp tools
  • B.It glowed in the dark
  • C.It was soft enough to eat
3.What did many coastal peoples specialize in making to trade?
  • A.Shell beads
  • B.Iron tools
  • C.Glass windows
4.Why did farming peoples and hunting peoples trade with each other?
  • A.Neither had anything to trade
  • B.Both had exactly the same goods
  • C.Farmers had corn to spare and hunters had meat and hides
5.What was Plains Indian Sign Language used for?
  • A.Talking with people of other nations who spoke different languages
  • B.Sending messages by telegraph
  • C.Writing laws on paper
6.Why did nations trade goods with peoples far away?
  • A.Every region had exactly the same resources
  • B.Each region had resources that others did not
  • C.Trade was required by a king
7.At trading gatherings on the Columbia River, what was one important good?
  • A.Gold coins
  • B.Dried salmon
  • C.Cotton cloth from England

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.4.3-5 · Set 20 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Trading Across a Continent

Set 20. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Macaw feathers — C (Birds traded north from Mexico to the Southwest) 2. Flint for tools — D (Quarries such as Flint Ridge in Ohio) 3. Pipestone — A (A quarry in what is now Minnesota) 4. Obsidian, a black volcanic glass — B (The Yellowstone area of the Rocky Mountains)
  2. 2.It was rare there and made very sharp tools
  3. 3.Shell beads
  4. 4.Farmers had corn to spare and hunters had meat and hides
  5. 5.Talking with people of other nations who spoke different languages
  6. 6.Each region had resources that others did not
  7. 7.Dried salmon

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