5th Exploring the Americas

Why did Europeans look to the sea for new trade routes?

• Thieves were a danger along the Silk Road.

• The Ottoman Empire cut off their access to land routes.

• The Catholic Church began taxing trade along land routes.

• Climate change made it difficult to move their goods on the Silk Road.

How did the astrolabe help European explorers?

• It made their ships easier to steer.

• It helped with many types of calculations.

• It helped them to determine wind direction.

• It allowed them to determine their longitude.

Why did Coronado travel from Mexico to present-day Kansas?

• to map the Colorado River

• to map the Mississippi River

• to find the Northwest Passage

• to find the Seven Golden Cities of Cibola

Which explorer’s voyage took the greatest length of time?

• Magellan

• Vespucci

• Columbus

• Ponce de León

What did European explorers want from their travels? Choose the three correct answers.

• adventure

• fame

• wealth

• cattle

• horses

Match each country below with the lands it claimed on the map. Write the correct number from the map in the space provided for Britain.

Match each country below with the lands it claimed on the map. Write the correct number from the map in the space provided for France.

Match each country below with the lands it claimed on the map. Write the correct number from the map in the space provided for Portugal.

Match each country below with the lands it claimed on the map. Write the correct number from the map in the space provided for Spain.

Which of the following was improved with the invention of the sextant?

• The Musket

• The Compass

• The Astrolabe

• The Chronometer