Exploration Narrative

For which of these reasons did most of the European explorers of the Americas record their experiences? 

• They were great scholars. 
• Writing was a way to pass the time. 
• They wanted to report their experiences to those at home. 
• They wanted to sell their stories as published works. 

How did explorers usually seek to impress readers of their narratives? 

• by emphasizing the ease of their travels
• by describing their day-to-day experiences
• by using vivid poetic language
• by stressing the difficulties they faced and the discoveries they made 

What is the main reason that readers need to be careful in assessing the accuracy of exploration narratives?

• What the explorers saw was usually very difficult for them to describe. 
• The explorers wrote down their experiences years after they took place. 
• The narratives are very odd.
• The explorers saw their experiences from their own perspectives. 

In "A Journey Through Texas," what body of water do Cabeza de Vaca and his party encounter? 

• the Gulf of Mexico
• the Atlantic Ocean
• the Pacific Ocean
• The Mississippi River 

Why do the natives in "A Journey Through Texas" send women with advance messages that the Spanish are coming? 

• Only women can travel safely between enemy groups.
• The women are the only ones available for the journey. 
• The Spanish fear the men will attack them and demand that only women go. 
• The women know the terrain better than the men do. 

Why are the Spanish overjoyed to learn that the native peoples they will meet have permanent houses and evidently have ample food stocks? 

• They will be able to learn more about how the Native Americans live. 
• They will be able to secure provisions for their journey. 
• They will be able to bring food to the ill natives they have left behind. 
• They will be able to stay indefinitely in the houses. 

According to Cabeza de Vaca, why do some of the natives request that the Spanish ask Heaven to send down rain? 

• They feel the Spanish have a special relationship with the heavenly powers. 
• They are desperate for rain and will seek help from any source. 
• They believe that the Spanish secretly have the knowledge to create rain. 
• They are attempting to flatter the Spanish. 

According to Cabeza de Vaca, why do the native peoples greet the explorers with great ceremonies? 

• To the natives, the Spanish seem like heavenly beings and command great respect. 
• The natives are accustomed to greeting all visitors with lavish ceremonies. 
• The natives place great stock in complicated rituals. 
• The natives hope to make the Spanish allies against their enemies. 

What is López de Cárdenas's purpose in "Boulders Taller Than the Great Tower of Seville"? 

• to meet other groups of natives
• to explore a river system
• to create a Spanish colony
• to see a canyon 

According to some explorers in "Boulders Taller Than the Great Tower....," the boulders in the canyon are "taller than the great tower of Seville." What does this comparison suggest about the men?

• They were homesick for Seville.
• They had never seen boulders so large.
• They had never seen boulders so old. 
• They frequently exaggerated.