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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 16 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 minister publishes figures that show a shortfall. Benefit?
  • A.Bricks arrive faster
  • B.More homes get built
  • C.The public can judge progress rather than take his word
2.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
3.A council builds upward on cleared land. Benefit?
  • A.Bricks are cheaper
  • B.More families housed from the same scarce sites
  • C.Lists get shorter by themselves
4.A country signs a five-year fixed-price supply deal. Cost?
  • A.Timber gets heavier
  • B.If prices fall it is locked into paying more than the market
  • C.It loses its ports
5.A family waits seven years for a council home. What is the cost to them?
  • A.The size of the home
  • B.Seven years living in whatever they can get instead
  • C.The rent they will pay
6.A minister publishes figures that show a shortfall. Cost?
  • A.The failure is on the record for opponents to use
  • B.Radio time is expensive
  • C.Figures take long to add
7.A council builds upward on cleared land. Cost?
  • A.Waiting lists lengthen
  • B.Land runs out sooner
  • C.Higher building costs more per home and changes the street entirely
8.The government builds through councils rather than firms. Benefit?
  • A.Materials go where destruction was worst rather than where profit is
  • B.Councils build faster
  • C.Bricks cost less

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.1.3-5 · Set 16 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Costs a Government Chooses

Set 16. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The public can judge progress rather than take his word
  2. 2.It loses whatever speed competing firms might have brought
  3. 3.More families housed from the same scarce sites
  4. 4.If prices fall it is locked into paying more than the market
  5. 5.Seven years living in whatever they can get instead
  6. 6.The failure is on the record for opponents to use
  7. 7.Higher building costs more per home and changes the street entirely
  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.