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Costs a Government Chooses is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on comparing the benefits and costs of a public choice, aligned to Common Core standard D2.Eco.1.3-5. 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 pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 10 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.

Costs a Government Chooses

D2.Eco.1.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.The government builds through councils rather than firms. Cost?
  • A.It loses the timber
  • B.It loses whatever speed competing firms might have brought
  • C.It loses the land
2.A minister publishes figures that show a shortfall. Cost?
  • A.Figures take long to add
  • B.Radio time is expensive
  • C.The failure is on the record for opponents to use
3.A minister publishes figures that show a shortfall. Benefit?
  • A.More homes get built
  • B.Bricks arrive faster
  • C.The public can judge progress rather than take his word
4.A country signs a five-year fixed-price supply deal. Benefit?
  • A.It gains territory
  • B.It knows the cost of timber for five years
  • C.It gains a fleet
5.The government builds through councils rather than firms. Benefit?
  • A.Councils build faster
  • B.Bricks cost less
  • C.Materials go where destruction was worst rather than where profit is
6.A newspaper prints letters attacking the programme. Benefit to readers?
  • A.Letters are free
  • B.They learn what people outside the official figures are experiencing
  • C.The paper is longer
7.A council builds upward on cleared land. Cost?
  • A.Waiting lists lengthen
  • B.Higher building costs more per home and changes the street entirely
  • C.Land runs out sooner
8.A family waits seven years for a council home. What is the cost to them?
  • A.The size of the home
  • B.The rent they will pay
  • C.Seven years living in whatever they can get instead

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.1.3-5 · Set 10 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Costs a Government Chooses

Set 10. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.It loses whatever speed competing firms might have brought
  2. 2.The failure is on the record for opponents to use
  3. 3.The public can judge progress rather than take his word
  4. 4.It knows the cost of timber for five years
  5. 5.Materials go where destruction was worst rather than where profit is
  6. 6.They learn what people outside the official figures are experiencing
  7. 7.Higher building costs more per home and changes the street entirely
  8. 8.Seven years living in whatever they can get instead

More practice for D2.Eco.1.3-5

Weigh up what a choice gains against what it costs.

Teaching this next? Costs a Government Chooses is the 55-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 to Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Eco.1.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.