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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 23 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. Benefit?
  • A.Materials go where destruction was worst rather than where profit is
  • B.Councils build faster
  • C.Bricks cost less
2.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
3.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
4.A newspaper prints letters attacking the programme. Benefit to readers?
  • A.The paper is longer
  • B.Letters are free
  • C.They learn what people outside the official figures are experiencing
5.A council builds upward on cleared land. Benefit?
  • A.More families housed from the same scarce sites
  • B.Bricks are cheaper
  • C.Lists get shorter by themselves
6.A country signs a five-year fixed-price supply deal. Cost?
  • A.It loses its ports
  • B.Timber gets heavier
  • C.If prices fall it is locked into paying more than the market
7.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
8.A country signs a five-year fixed-price supply deal. Benefit?
  • A.It gains a fleet
  • B.It gains territory
  • C.It knows the cost of timber for five years

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.1.3-5 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Costs a Government Chooses

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.