The Columbian Exchange Reading Comprehension

What was a shared belief among many indigenous tribes in the Americas?

• Only humans are alive and important

• Nature should be controlled by people

• Everything in the environment was alive and treated with respect

• Only animals are alive

Why did Europeans try to change the native peoples in the Americas?

• To learn new customs

• To trade goods

• To make them like Europeans and convert them to Christianity

• To help them keep their beliefs

What was the main purpose of the Atlantic triangular trade?

• To explore new lands

• To bring enslaved people from Africa to the Americas

• To spread Christianity

• To exchange goods like sugar and tobacco

Which crops were grown on plantations that required a lot of work?

• Sugarcane, tobacco, and cotton

• Corn and wheat

• Apples and grapes

• Rice and barley

How did enslaved people live on plantations?

• They had freedom to move and live as they wished

• They worked long hours and lived in bad conditions

• They were paid fairly for their work

• They owned the plantations

Why were many indigenous peoples not enslaved during the Columbian Exchange?

• They all left the Americas

• Only a small number were enslaved compared to Africans

• They were protected by Europeans

• They fought back and won every battle

Which diseases did Europeans bring to the Americas?

• Smallpox, measles, and influenza

• Tuberculosis and cholera

• Malaria and yellow fever

• Polio and scarlet fever

Why were these diseases deadly to native peoples?

• They had strong immunity

• They lived far apart from each other

• They had no immunity and diseases spread quickly

• They already had vaccines

How did indigenous peoples respond to European beliefs and practices?

• They resisted and often fought back

• They converted immediately

• They accepted them without question

• They moved to Europe

What did Europeans consider enslaved people to be?

• Workers with rights

• Free citizens

• Property to be bought and sold

• Visitors