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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.
  • Mica, a shiny mineral that splits into sheets
  • Turquoise
  • Pipestone
  • Flint for tools
  • A.Quarries such as Flint Ridge in Ohio
  • B.Mines in what is now New Mexico
  • C.A quarry in what is now Minnesota
  • D.The southern Appalachian Mountains
2.What was Plains Indian Sign Language used for?
  • A.Sending messages by telegraph
  • B.Writing laws on paper
  • C.Talking with people of other nations who spoke different languages
3.At trading gatherings on the Columbia River, what was one important good?
  • A.Gold coins
  • B.Cotton cloth from England
  • C.Dried salmon
4.The Hopewell people of the Ohio Valley traded over huge distances. Which shows this?
  • A.They left no objects at all
  • B.They built the first railroad
  • C.Copper, shells and obsidian from far-off places were found at their sites
5.Why did nations trade goods with peoples far away?
  • A.Trade was required by a king
  • B.Each region had resources that others did not
  • C.Every region had exactly the same resources
6.What does it mean to specialize?
  • A.To stop trading
  • B.To make what you are best placed to make and trade for the rest
  • C.To make everything yourself
7.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

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.4.3-5 · Set 6 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Trading Across a Continent

Set 6. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Mica, a shiny mineral that splits into sheets — D (The southern Appalachian Mountains) 2. Turquoise — B (Mines in what is now New Mexico) 3. Pipestone — C (A quarry in what is now Minnesota) 4. Flint for tools — A (Quarries such as Flint Ridge in Ohio)
  2. 2.Talking with people of other nations who spoke different languages
  3. 3.Dried salmon
  4. 4.Copper, shells and obsidian from far-off places were found at their sites
  5. 5.Each region had resources that others did not
  6. 6.To make what you are best placed to make and trade for the rest
  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.