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Two Views of the Plains is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on why settlers and Plains nations saw the same land differently, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.His.4.3-5. It prints 8 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 19 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.

Two Views of the Plains

D2.His.4.3-5

NameDate

Choose the best answer.

1.Why did Plains nations see the killing of the bison as a disaster?
  • A.Without the bison, their whole way of life could not go on
  • B.They did not use bison
  • C.They wanted the bison gone
2.Settlers saw the railroad as progress. Why did many Plains nations see it as a threat?
  • A.It took them to their families
  • B.It was too slow
  • C.It brought hunters and settlers onto their lands and drove off the bison
3.Why did a bison hunter in the 1870s see the herds as a way to make money?
  • A.Bison were worth nothing
  • B.He wanted to feed Plains nations
  • C.Hides sold for high prices in eastern cities
4.A US Army officer saw reservations as a way to end fighting. How did many Plains peoples see them?
  • A.As a gift they had asked for
  • B.As a loss of freedom, land and their way of life
  • C.As a summer camp
5.A homesteader saw the prairie as empty land waiting for farms. How did the Lakota see it?
  • A.As land they had never visited
  • B.As their homeland and hunting grounds, already in use
  • C.As a place to build factories
6.Why might two people living at the same time see the same event differently?
  • A.People in the past all thought the same
  • B.They had different needs, beliefs and things to gain or lose
  • C.Only one of them could see
7.Many Plains nations held land in common. How was this different from settlers' ideas?
  • A.Settlers believed land should be owned by single families
  • B.Settlers shared all of their land
  • C.Settlers believed no one should use land
8.Why did settlers want land fenced with barbed wire?
  • A.To protect their crops and mark their own property
  • B.To help the bison herds
  • C.To keep trains off the land

LessonPrint · D2.His.4.3-5 · Set 19 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Two Views of the Plains

Set 19. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Without the bison, their whole way of life could not go on
  2. 2.It brought hunters and settlers onto their lands and drove off the bison
  3. 3.Hides sold for high prices in eastern cities
  4. 4.As a loss of freedom, land and their way of life
  5. 5.As their homeland and hunting grounds, already in use
  6. 6.They had different needs, beliefs and things to gain or lose
  7. 7.Settlers believed land should be owned by single families
  8. 8.To protect their crops and mark their own property

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