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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 12 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.A council builds upward on cleared land. Cost?
  • A.Higher building costs more per home and changes the street entirely
  • B.Waiting lists lengthen
  • C.Land runs out sooner
2.A minister publishes figures that show a shortfall. Benefit?
  • A.More homes get built
  • B.The public can judge progress rather than take his word
  • C.Bricks arrive faster
3.A country signs a five-year fixed-price supply deal. Cost?
  • A.It loses its ports
  • B.If prices fall it is locked into paying more than the market
  • C.Timber gets heavier
4.The government builds through councils rather than firms. Cost?
  • A.It loses whatever speed competing firms might have brought
  • B.It loses the land
  • C.It loses the timber
5.A newspaper prints letters attacking the programme. Benefit to readers?
  • A.Letters are free
  • B.The paper is longer
  • C.They learn what people outside the official figures are experiencing
6.A family waits seven years for a council home. What is the cost to them?
  • A.The rent they will pay
  • B.The size of the home
  • C.Seven years living in whatever they can get instead
7.A council builds upward on cleared land. Benefit?
  • A.Bricks are cheaper
  • B.Lists get shorter by themselves
  • C.More families housed from the same scarce sites
8.The government builds through councils rather than firms. Benefit?
  • A.Councils build faster
  • B.Materials go where destruction was worst rather than where profit is
  • C.Bricks cost less

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.1.3-5 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Costs a Government Chooses

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Higher building costs more per home and changes the street entirely
  2. 2.The public can judge progress rather than take his word
  3. 3.If prices fall it is locked into paying more than the market
  4. 4.It loses whatever speed competing firms might have brought
  5. 5.They learn what people outside the official figures are experiencing
  6. 6.Seven years living in whatever they can get instead
  7. 7.More families housed from the same scarce sites
  8. 8.Materials go where destruction was worst rather than where profit is

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.