Chapter 3 – The Portuguese Explorers: Multiple-Choice Questions

Why did the Portuguese launch voyages of exploration?

• To find gold in North America

• To set up new trade routes, spread Christianity, and gain knowledge

• To escape war in Europe

• To explore the North Pole

Why was Portugal’s Prince Henry called “the Navigator,” even though he never went on an expedition?

• He invented the compass

• He built ships for fishing

• He supported exploration by funding shipbuilding, mapmaking, and navigation tools

• He traveled secretly under another name

How did the Portuguese become the first Europeans involved in the slave trade?

• They traded African gold for spices

• In 1441, they brought Africans back to Europe to be sold as slaves

• They freed slaves in Africa

• They sent Europeans to work in Africa

What were Bartolomeu Dias and his fleet the first to do?

• Cross the Atlantic Ocean

• Find a route to the Indian Ocean

• Reach India

• Discover the Americas

When did Dias move from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean?

• When he crossed the Equator

• When he passed the southern tip of Africa

• When he reached India

• When he sailed near Portugal again

How did Dias and his crew realize that they had drifted onto a different ocean?

• They saw new kinds of fish

• The water turned a different color

• They spotted land to their west instead of their east

• The temperature suddenly dropped

How did Vasco da Gama and his men know they could reach India by rounding the southern tip of Africa?

• Prince Henry told them

• Bartolomeu Dias had already proven it could be done

• A map from China showed them

• A storm pushed them there

What became Portugal’s main goal after da Gama’s expedition to India?

• To find gold in Africa

• To colonize the Spice Islands

• To seize control of trade along the eastern coast of Africa

• To explore the Americas

What country did Bartolomeu Dias sail for, and where did he sail?

• Spain; he sailed to South America

• Portugal; he sailed along the western coast of Africa

• England; he sailed around the world

• Italy; he sailed through the Mediterranean Sea

What did Dias call the land he saw, and what do we call it today?

• The Cape of Hope; now the Cape of Dreams

• The Cape of Storms; now the Cape of Good Hope

• The Cape of Gold; now the Cape of Africa

• The Cape of Winds; now the Cape of Peace