Created by Kisha Moody
20 questions
6th Grade
Social studies
Updated Apr 2026
Characteristics of Economic Systems is a Grade 6 Social Studies worksheet that helps students distinguish among market, command, and traditional economies. Through 20 multiple-choice questions, students identify systems from defining features such as individual choice and voluntary trade, competition, private business ownership, government control, customs passed through generations, bartering, and supply and demand. The questions also ask students to connect economic systems with examples, including Mexico, the United Kingdom, Canada, Cuba, North Korea, the former Soviet Union, Amish communities, and villages in Africa and South America. This free printable worksheet supports vocabulary review, independent practice, or a quick check of students’ ability to classify economic characteristics. A complete answer key is included for efficient review and grading.
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WorksheetsAnswer KeyMarket
Market
Traditional
Command
Traditional
Market
Traditional
Market
Command
Command
Traditional
Market
Traditional
Command
Market
True
False
True
True
False
This Grade 6 Social Studies worksheet uses 20 multiple-choice questions to assess whether students can identify market, command, and traditional economic systems from descriptions and examples. Students classify features such as voluntary trade, private ownership, government answers to economic questions, inherited customs, bartering, and supply and demand.
Introduce the three systems with a comparison chart, then have students underline the clue in each multiple-choice prompt that identifies the system. After students complete the worksheet, discuss why clues such as competition and consumer choice point to a market system, while government control or inherited customs point to command or traditional systems.
Students may confuse a market economy’s limited government role and private ownership with a command economy, which is identified here by government leaders answering the three basic economic questions. They may also overlook traditional-economy clues such as customs passed through generations, children doing the same work as their parents, or bartering instead of using currency.
You can assign Characteristics of Economic Systems as a printable PDF or as a digital quiz on Wayground. It includes a complete answer key, and printable student work can be graded by scanning it with the Wayground for Teachers app. The printable format also gives schools an option for reducing screen time.
In the worksheet’s Advanced Settings, adjust font spacing or choose a larger font size to make the 20 multiple-choice items easier to read. You can also enable a dyslexia-friendly font or translate the worksheet into another language while students compare the economic-system clues and examples.
Wayground offers a broad collection of free printable worksheets and practice problems across subjects, with downloadable PDFs and answer keys to support essential skills and concepts. Browse more resources at https://wayground.com/en-us/worksheets.