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Spain's Conquests in the Americas

Total questions: 18

Worksheet time: 18mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

During the 1400s, accurate maps became readily available to sailors and explorers with the invention of the

a)

astolabe

b)

compass

c)

gunpowder

d)

printing press

2.

The country of ____ led the way in the 1400s in exploring new trade routes to Asia.

a)

England

b)

France

c)

Spain

d)

Portugal

3.

Columbus believed that he had been exploring the coast of ____.

a)

Africa

b)

Asia

c)

Australia

d)

South America

4.

The Treaty of Tordesillas, which was signed in 1494, divided South America between ____ and ____.

(Choose two.)

a)

England

b)

France

c)

Spain

d)

Portugal

5.

Which explorer’s voyage ended up circling the world?

a)

Ferdinand Magellan

b)

Jacques Cartier

c)

Vasco de Gama

d)

Giovanni de Verrazano

6.

Which of the following explorers was first to reach India by sailing around the south of Africa?

a)

Ferdinand Magellan

b)

Jacques Cartier

c)

Vasco de Gama

d)

Giovanni de Verrazano

7.

Which of the following explorers explored and mapped most of the eastern coast of North America?

a)

Ferdinand Magellan

b)

Jacques Cartier

c)

Vasco de Gama

d)

Giovanni de Verrazano

8.

Which of the following explorers claimed much of eastern Canada for France?

a)

Ferdinand Magellan

b)

Jacques Cartier

c)

Vasco de Gama

d)

Giovanni de Verrazano

9.

What is a Spanish soldier who conquered people in other lands?

a)

ally

b)

circumnavigator

c)

conquistador

d)

entrepreneur

10.

Who led the first European expedition to see the Pacific Ocean?

a)

Vasco Núnez de Balboa

b)

Hernán Cortés

c)

Francisco Pizarro

d)

Christopher Columbus

11.

Why did Cortés travel to Mexico?

a)

He was searching for a land route to Asia.

b)

He was trying to locate the Aztec civilization.

c)

He was looking for gold and treasure.

d)

He was following the orders of Prince Henry.

12.

Montezuma II first believed that Cortés was _____ returning to reclaim Mexico.

a)

Atahualpa, an Inca ruler

b)

Montezuma I, his father

c)

Pascal, a Maya ruler

d)

Quetzalcoatl, the sun god

13.

What capital city did Cortés conquer?

a)

Chichen Itza

b)

Cahokia

c)

Machu Pichu

d)

Tenochtitlán

14.

What caused the most Native American deaths in Mexico after the arrival of Cortés?

a)

Spanish weapons

b)

starvation

c)

smallpox

d)

poisoned water

15.

What is Francisco Pizarro known for?

a)

He conquered the Inca Empire.

b)

He was the first European to reach the Mississippi River.

c)

He established a major trading center in central Mexico.

d)

He was the first European to travel around the southern tip of South America.

16.

How was Francisco Pizarro rewarded by the Spanish king for the downfall of the Inca?

a)

The king paid him large amounts of gold and silver.

b)

The king increased the size of his army.

c)

The king made him emperor of the Inca.

d)

The king granted him governorship of Peru.

17.

How did the conquest of Peru affect Spain?

a)

It reduced the country’s power in Europe.

b)

It allowed Spain to gain control of most of North America.

c)

It brought dangerous new diseases to the Spanish population.

d)

It meant that Spain had the first global empire.

18.

How did both Cortés and Pizarro gain an advantage of the Aztec and the Inca?

a)

They captured the native leaders.

b)

They pretended to be native gods.

c)

They brought large armies with many weapons.

d)

They used the element of surprise to attack.