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Why Climate Differs Across the US is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on why climate differs across US regions, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Geo.10.3-5. 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 2 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.

Why Climate Differs Across the US

D2.Geo.10.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Why does Hawaii stay warm all year?
  • A.It is in the tropics and surrounded by warm ocean
  • B.It is near the North Pole
  • C.It is covered in ice
2.Why did the western Great Plains have grass but few trees before settlers came?
  • A.Trees there grew too tall to count
  • B.There was not enough rain for most trees to grow
  • C.Too much rain drowned the trees
3.Why is the Pacific Northwest so rainy?
  • A.It has no mountains to stop the clouds
  • B.It is the closest region to the equator
  • C.Moist air from the Pacific rises over the mountains and drops rain
4.Why does the Gulf Coast get hurricanes?
  • A.Cold mountain air causes them
  • B.These storms form over warm ocean water
  • C.Hurricanes form only over deserts
5.Why are the tops of the Rocky Mountains cold even in summer?
  • A.Air is colder at higher elevations
  • B.The Rockies are under the ocean
  • C.The mountains are near the equator
6.Why is the Great Basin so dry?
  • A.The Sierra Nevada blocks moist air from the Pacific
  • B.It rains there every day
  • C.It sits right beside the Atlantic Ocean
7.Why do the Great Plains get so many tornadoes?
  • A.The Plains are covered by thick forest
  • B.Warm, moist air from the Gulf meets cool, dry air from the north and west
  • C.Tornadoes form only near the ocean
8.Why do summers stay cool along the coast near San Francisco?
  • A.The city is in the far north of Alaska
  • B.A cold ocean current cools the air near the shore
  • C.The sun never shines there

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.10.3-5 · Set 2 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why Climate Differs Across the US

Set 2. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.It is in the tropics and surrounded by warm ocean
  2. 2.There was not enough rain for most trees to grow
  3. 3.Moist air from the Pacific rises over the mountains and drops rain
  4. 4.These storms form over warm ocean water
  5. 5.Air is colder at higher elevations
  6. 6.The Sierra Nevada blocks moist air from the Pacific
  7. 7.Warm, moist air from the Gulf meets cool, dry air from the north and west
  8. 8.A cold ocean current cools the air near the shore

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Geo.10.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.