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3rd Grade Scarcity and Choice worksheets

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Scarcity and Choice

Grade 3 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the answer.

  1. A town has $800. A new slide costs $500. Park benches cost $400. Can it buy both?

    • Yes, together they cost $700.
    • Yes, together they cost $800.
    • No, together they cost $900.
    • No, together they cost $1,000.
  2. A town has $800. It buys a $500 slide. Benches cost $400. How much more money does it need for the benches?

    • $900
    • $100
    • $300
    • $400
  3. There are 3 library copies for 20 readers. The class makes a checkout list. What happens to most readers?

    • They never read the book.
    • They wait for a turn.
    • They get a copy right away.
    • They each buy a copy.
  4. A town can build a pool or a playground, not both. It picks the pool. What is the trade-off?

    • Kids get a playground but no pool.
    • Kids get a pool and a playground.
    • Kids get a pool but no new playground.
    • Kids get neither one.
  5. In a dry summer, a town has little water. Which plan helps the most people?

    • water the golf course every day
    • fill every swimming pool first
    • limit lawn watering so homes have water
    • let each home use as much as it wants
  6. Kai has $10. A book costs $6 and a cap costs $7. Why can't he buy both?

    • The cap costs more than $10.
    • Together they cost $13, more than $10.
    • Together they cost $1.
    • Together they cost $10, all he has.
  7. Why does every town face scarcity?

    • Some towns can buy everything they want.
    • Every town wants more than it can pay for.
    • Scarcity happens only in deserts.
    • Only small towns ever have to choose.
  8. Three teams share 1 field. Each team practices alone on the field for 1 hour. The field is open 2 hours a day. What happens?

    • Each team practices for 2 hours.
    • One team cannot practice each day.
    • All three teams practice every day.
    • Two teams cannot practice each day.
  9. A family can fix the car or take a trip, not both. Why might they fix the car?

    • They can do both with the same money.
    • The car is a want, not a need.
    • They need it to get to work.
    • The trip costs nothing.
  10. A class has 1 garden hose for 8 beds. It waters the driest beds first. Why is this a good choice?

    • It uses two hoses instead of one.
    • Every bed gets water at the same time.
    • Plants that need water most get it first.
    • The wettest beds get the most water.
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3rd Grade Scarcity and Choice worksheet 1 – printable PDF
Download PDF: 123456

About this worksheet

Scarcity and choice explain why people make decisions when resources, time, money, or space are limited helps third graders connect civic, geographic, historical, economic, and cultural ideas to evidence from everyday communities. Students may identify what people want but miss what they give up because they cannot choose every option at once. This worksheet uses short, concrete situations instead of broad recall questions. Students identify scarce resources, choose reasonable decisions, explain what people give up when they choose, and connect needs and wants to tradeoffs.

Support versions use familiar school and neighborhood examples. Standard and challenge versions add closer distractors and require more careful comparison. Encourage your child to read the situation first, name the social studies idea being tested, and then choose the answer that fits the evidence. If an answer sounds reasonable but does not match the title skill or the details in the prompt, it is a distractor. That habit builds stronger reasoning for maps, timelines, sources, communities, and economic choices.

What your child will learn

  • Identify scarcity
  • Make choices with limited resources
  • Explain what people give up when they choose
  • Compare needs and wants

C3 Framework standard: D2.Eco.1.3-5

Worked example

If a class has 1 garden hose for 8 garden beds, watering the driest beds first means other beds wait.

Common mistake

Thinking scarcity only means having no resources at all.

Helpful hint

Scarcity means there is not enough for every use at the same time.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with scarcity and choice?

Thinking scarcity only means having no resources at all.

How can I help my child with scarcity and choice?

Scarcity means there is not enough for every use at the same time.

Are these 3rd grade social studies worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions on this page are free to download and print, with no account needed.

Similar: Wants and Needs · Goods and Services

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