Age of Exploration Vocabulary: European Exploration and Imperial

What does Northwest Passage mean?

• a water route between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans along the northern coast of North America
• a narrow strip of land connecting two continents
• a trade route across the Sahara Desert
• a river system linking Europe to Asia

Which definition best matches caravel?

• a flat-bottomed boat designed for river travel

• a large warship used only by Spain in the 1700s
• a fast, light ship first used by Portuguese explorers

• a cargo wagon used on overland trade routes

In this unit, what is the meaning of circumnavigate?

• to settle permanently in a colony

• to sail only along a coastline
• to map a river valley
• to travel all the way around Earth

Choose the correct meaning of colony/colonize.

• a territory ruled only through trade agreements

• land claimed for a nation by establishing settlements

• an independent city-state formed by merchants
• a military alliance between neighboring kingdoms

Which answer tells what a conquistador was?

• a French fur trader working in Canada

• a Portuguese missionary who translated Christian texts
• a Spanish soldier who conquered Mexico, Peru, and other parts of America in the 16th century

• an English navigator searching for Australia

How is imperialism defined on this page?

• increasing power, influence and control over other areas; building an empire
• a belief that all colonies should become independent at once
• the exchange of goods between cities in the same country
• a policy of refusing to explore new lands

What does the term indigenous refer to?

• people who recently moved into a place

• earliest people to live in a place

• leaders appointed by a colonial governor
• workers brought from another continent

Which option correctly defines smallpox?

• a highly contagious and deadly viral disease, responsible for killing Native Americans
• a crop disease that damaged corn harvests in Europe
• a mild fever spread by contaminated water
• a bacterial infection common only among sailors

What is a strait?

• a man-made canal for irrigation

• a deep valley between two mountain ranges
• a sheltered harbor used by trading ships
• a narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water

Select the best definition of fauna.

• the plant life in an area or time period

• the mineral resources found in a region
• the animal life in an area or time period

• the weather patterns of a climate zone