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Early Explorers

Total questions: 41

Worksheet time: 19mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

This explorer was the first to reach the Pacific Ocean. He was the first to see it.

a)

Christopher Columbus

b)

Vasco Nunez de Balboa

c)

Amerigo Vespuci

d)

John Cabot

2.

His crew was the first to successfully sail around the entire world. He died in a battle in the Philippine Islands though.

a)

John Cabot

b)

Ferdinand Magellan

c)

Christopher Columbus

d)

Amerigo Vespucci

3.

He was a Spanish explorer who claimed land for Spain that is now the state of Florida. He was looking for the Fountain of Youth. He became the first Spanish explorer to set foot on land that became part of the United States.

a)

Juan Ponce de Leon

b)

Vasco Nunez de Balboa

c)

John Cabot

d)

Ferdinand Magellan

4.

His name was eventually used in naming the continents North and South America. He was the man who finally figured out they were not in Asia. He sailed down the coast of South America.

a)

John Cabot

b)

Juan Ponce de Leon

c)

Amerigo Vespucci

d)

Christopher Columbus

5.

This man wrote about riches and gold in Asia. He is one of the main reasons so many countries and people wanted to find a route to Asia.

a)

Christopher Columbus

b)

Marco Polo

c)

Amerigo Vespucci

d)

Juan Ponce de Leon

6.

He was credited with finding America, but really didn't land in America. Wanted to find the East by sailing West. He was in search of finding Asia.

a)

Ferdinand Magellan

b)

Christopher Columbus

c)

Amerigo Vespucci

d)

Marco Polo

7.

A navigational tool that early explorers used.

a)

Compass

b)

Pencil and Paper

c)

Ipad

d)

Computer

8.

He was trying to find the Northwest Passage but got stuck in the frozen ice and snow. His crew mutinied against him by sending him out on a boat with 8 other crew members and he was never seen again.

a)

Christopher Columbus

b)

Henry Hudson

c)

Juan Ponce de Leon

d)

Hernando Cortez

9.

These people were warriors, farmers, and loved telling stories. They discovered Iceland and Greenland.

a)

Vikings

b)

Marco Polo

c)

Ferdinand Magellan

d)

Henry Hudson

10.

Explorers were trying to find a shortcut to _____________.

a)

Europe

b)

Africa

c)

Asia

d)

Antarctica

11.

The ocean that Christopher Columbus crossed on his voyage.

a)

Atlantic

b)

Pacific

c)

Indian

d)

Arctic

12.
Who opened a school to help explorers learn better ways to explore?
a)
Prince William
b)
Prince James
c)
Prince Henry
d)
Columbus
13.
What nation sponsored Columbus´s expedition in 1492?
a)
Spain
b)
France
c)
Italy
d)
England
14.
Why did Columbus sail west from Europe?
a)
to find his lost dog
b)
to find new lands
c)
to find the Northwest passage
d)
to find a faster route to Asia
15.
Who was the leader of the first expedition around the world?
a)
Henry Hudson
b)
Columbus
c)
Cortes
d)
Magellan
16.
What is the name of a Spanish explorer/soldier? 
a)
conquistador
b)
viking
c)
warrior
d)
super hero
17.
What conquistador defeated the Aztecs in Mexico?
a)
Henry Hudson
b)
Columbus
c)
Cortes
d)
Ponce de Leon
18.
When Ponce de Leon was searching for the Fountain of Youth, he ended up exploring
a)
Arizona
b)
Florida
c)
Texas
d)
New Mexico
19.
What were Verrazano, Cartier, and Hudson searching for in North America?
a)
the City of Gold
b)
the Fountain of Youth
c)
the Northwest passage to Asia
d)
all of the above
20.
What is a benefit of exploring?
a)
gold
b)
spread of religion
c)
new land and products
d)
all of the choices
21.

Some early explorers hoped to gain wealth by controlling the new trade routes.

a)

True

b)

False

22.

What did Coronado hope to find in Texas?

a)

7 cities of gold (Cibola)

b)

Buffalo herds

c)

Ice bridge

d)

An all water route to New England

23.

Which European explored the most western part of the Americas?

a)

Coronado

b)

Onate

c)

Cabeza de Vaca

d)

Pineda

24.

In what direction did Cabeza de Vaca journey ultimately take him?

a)

North

b)

North East

c)

East

d)

South

25.
Why was it difficult for people to travel across the oceans in the 1400s? 
a)
No electricity 
b)
Navigation tools were not accurate
c)
No one wanted to
d)
They already knew what was there
26.
Where did La Salle explore?
a)
13 colonies
b)
Texas 
c)
Louisiana 
d)
Florida
27.
This explorer's ships would intercept Spanish ships and rob them. The Queen of England knighted him for his accomplishments (1577)
a)
Henry Hudson
b)
Sir Francis Drake
c)
Juan Ponce de Leon
d)
John Cabot
28.
This French fur trader, mapper, and explorer came to “New France” and established a fort and was a friend to the natives.
a)
Samuel de Champlain 
b)
Henry Husdon
c)
Jacques Cartier
d)
Ferdinand Magellan 
29.
Europeans were eager to trade with Asia because they wanted 
a)
silk, spices, and gold
b)
wood, sea shells, and silver
c)
clocks, mirrors, and beads
d)
vegetables, spices, and fruit
30.
I crossed the Isthmus of Panama and found the Pacific Ocean as I climbed over a mountaintop.
a)
Balboa
b)
Vespucci
c)
Magellan
d)
Cabot
31.
Christopher Columbus thought he had reached India, but he had really landed in______.
a)
Florida
b)
Canada
c)
the Bahamas
d)
Hudson Bay
32.
To go all the way around the Earth by ship or plane is to...
a)
circumnavigate
b)
equate
c)
latitudinate
d)
circulate
33.
North and South America were named in honor of the explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
a)
True
b)
False
34.
Magellan's crew circumnavigated the globe and gave Spain an all-water route to China.
a)
True
b)
False
35.
Is there a Northwest Passage that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean?
a)
Yes
b)
No
36.

Which slogan tell the 3 main reasons men wanted to explore the world?

a)

"Family, friends, and fun"

b)

"God, gold, and glory"

c)

"Money, minerals, and mischief"

d)

"Salvation, service, and security"

37.
There are stories that ___ sailed to Vinland (Canada) in 1001A.D.
a)
Ferdinand Magellan
b)
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
c)
Christopher Columbus
d)
Leif Erikson
38.
The passage Magellan found sailing through the tip of South America is called ___.
a)
the Strait of Magellan
b)
the Magellan Canal
c)
the Magellan Passage
d)
the Sea of Magellan
39.
Who is the explorer who traveled to Asia from Europe on the Silk Road and wrotea book about his travels?
a)
Christopher Columbus
b)
Lief Eriksson
c)
Marco Polo
d)
Hernando de Soto
40.
Who was the first explorer to sail around the tip of Africa to India?
a)
Hernando de Solo
b)
Vasco de Gama
c)
John Cabot
d)
Robert La Salle
41.
Who was known as the “Father of New France,” because he brought settlersto Quebec, Canada?
a)
Samuel de Chaplain
b)
Robert La Salle
c)
John Cabot
d)
Henry Hudson