Spain Starts an Empire

This man wrote a book about his adventures in China, which inspired other explorers to look for a new sea route to the "Indies."

• Marco Polo

• Christopher Columbus

• Hernan Cortes

• King Ferdinand

True or False: When Marco Polo's book was published, explorers knew how far west sailors would need to sail to reach Asia.

• True

• False

True or False: Christopher Columbus had his voyage across the Atlantic Ocean sponsored by the King and Queen of England.

• True

• False

Christopher Columbus believed he could reach which of the following by sailing west from Europe?

• India and East Asia

• North America

• South America

• Central America

In a letter, Columbus described the native Taino people as which of the following?

• Suspicious and Reserved

• Trusting and Generous

• Aggressive and Dangerous

• Unwelcoming and Distant

True or False: After making four trips to the Caribbean, Columbus died still believing he had found the Indies.

• True

• False

The Columbian Exchange was the transfer of people, plants, animals, and (a)   back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean.

True or False: The Columbian Exchange brought valuable new world crops such as corn, potatoes, and squash back to Europe, improving the diet of the average European.

• True

• False

True or False: The Columbian Exchange brought domesticated animals like horses, cows, pings and sheep to the Americas.

• True

• False

True or False: The Columbian Exchange also brought germs that led to outbreaks of smallpox and other deadly diseases among European populations in the Old World.

• True

• False