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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.

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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
  • Conch and whelk shells
  • Macaw feathers
  • Pipestone
  • A.The southern coasts near Florida
  • B.Birds traded north from Mexico to the Southwest
  • C.A quarry in what is now Minnesota
  • D.Mines in what is now New Mexico
2.Why did farming peoples and hunting peoples trade with each other?
  • A.Farmers had corn to spare and hunters had meat and hides
  • B.Both had exactly the same goods
  • C.Neither had anything to trade
3.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
4.Why was obsidian valuable far from where it was found?
  • A.It glowed in the dark
  • B.It was soft enough to eat
  • C.It was rare there and made very sharp tools
5.At trading gatherings on the Columbia River, what was one important good?
  • A.Cotton cloth from England
  • B.Gold coins
  • C.Dried salmon
6.Why did the Mississippi River and its branches help trade?
  • A.The river was frozen all year
  • B.Roads ran under the river
  • C.Canoes could carry goods long distances on the water
7.What did many coastal peoples specialize in making to trade?
  • A.Glass windows
  • B.Shell beads
  • C.Iron tools

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.4.3-5 · Set 25 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Trading Across a Continent

Set 25. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Turquoise — D (Mines in what is now New Mexico) 2. Conch and whelk shells — A (The southern coasts near Florida) 3. Macaw feathers — B (Birds traded north from Mexico to the Southwest) 4. Pipestone — C (A quarry in what is now Minnesota)
  2. 2.Farmers had corn to spare and hunters had meat and hides
  3. 3.Talking with people of other nations who spoke different languages
  4. 4.It was rare there and made very sharp tools
  5. 5.Dried salmon
  6. 6.Canoes could carry goods long distances on the water
  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.