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Ch. 2 Lesson 1: Why did the Spanish Explore the Americas?

Total questions: 26

Worksheet time: 15mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What navigation tool helped European sailors know how far they had sailed from the equator?

a)

magnetic compass

b)

astrolabe

c)

telescope

d)

maps

2.

Which navigation tool helped European sailors know which direction they were going?

a)

astrolabe

b)

magnetic compass

c)

maps

d)

none of them

3.

Who started a Portuguese navigation school around 1419?

a)

Leif Ericsson

b)

Vasco de Gama

c)

Prince Henry

d)

Bartolomeu Diaz

4.

Why did the king and queen of Spain agree to fund Columbus's voyage?

a)

They wanted to profit from trade and spread Christianity.

b)

They wanted to move to an island in the Caribbean Sea.

c)

They were hoping to invade other Asian countries.

d)

They wanted to trade with Native Americans

5.

Which direction did Columbus sail in his attempt to reach Asia?

a)

north

b)

south

c)

east

d)

west

6.

What did Columbus name the area where he landed on his first voyage?

a)

America

b)

New Spain

c)

Taino

d)

West Indies

7.

Why did Cortes take Moctezuma prisoner?

a)

Moctezuma had not welcomed Cortes and his men.

b)

He wanted to conquer the Aztecs.

c)

He was afraid of the Aztecs' superior weapons.

d)

He wanted to take Moctezuma back to Spain.

8.

What item from the Columbian Exchange MOST helped the Native Americans?

a)

corn and potatoes

b)

gold and silver

c)

horses

d)

bananas and sugar cane

9.

How did mapmakers help European sailors improve their navigation?

a)

They made more accurate maps.

b)

They taught the sailors how to operate the new caravel ship.

c)

Their maps showed the dangerous areas of land routes.

d)

They could tell them how fast their shop was going.

10.

Which explorer's expedition was the first to circumnavigate the earth?

a)

Columbus

b)

Magellan

c)

Cortes

d)

Ponce de Leon

11.

Early European explorers landed in North and South America. The explorers were really looking for a faster way to get to.....

a)

Atlantis

b)

Africa

c)

Asia

d)

Australia

12.

Why were explorers like Columbus able to claim land and resources in North and South America for the Europeans even though it was inhabited by Native Americans?

a)

The King and Queen offered to sail the Native Americans back to Europe if the Native Americans would let the white explorers use their land and natural resources.

b)

The Native Americans were virtually defenseless against the Europeans advanced technology and weapons.

c)

The Europeans promised to give the Native Americans food and shelter in exchange for their land.

d)

The Native Americans thought the Europeans were gods and worshiped them.

13.

Which statement best summarizes the reason the early Europeans decided to explore the world?

a)

Kings and queens would journey across the see to get the natural resources their people needed.

b)

European Kings and Queens were searching for allies from other countries.

c)

Europeans monarchs and explorers wanted to share their natural resources with other countries.

d)

There was a scarcity of natural resources in Europe. The explorers were willing to take a risk and travel by land or sea to Asia to meet the supply and demand for goods. The explorers were also trying to get rich and profit from trading.

14.
Which country funded Christopher Columbus' voyage to the "New World."
a)
Portugal
b)
Spain
c)
Italy
d)
England
15.
What does circumnavigate mean?
a)
To move the sails in a circular motion
b)
To use circles to locate key areas on a map.
c)
To travel in a circle from one area and back
d)
To travel completely around the earth
16.
What early explorers were most interested in finding?
a)
Water routes to the New World
b)
Water routes to Africa's west coast
c)
Water routes to Asia
d)
Water routes to the Middle East
17.
These were all reasons that Europeans set out to explore EXCEPT:
a)
curiosity
b)
adventure
c)
glory for their country
d)
to help native Americans
18.

Why is the Western Hemisphere referred to as the New World.

a)

It was created after the Eastern Hemisphere

b)

The ideas of the Westerners were were new to the Eastern Hemisphere

c)

The Eastern Hemisphere did not even know this existed before the Age of Exploration

d)

The Western Hemisphere was a new opportunity for many.

19.
Which explorer was born in Italy but sailed for Spain? 
a)
Ferdinand Magellan 
b)
Christopher Columbus 
20.

Which is a result of Europeans exploring the Americas?

a)

A new and faster water route to Asia for European merchants to buy and sell goods.

b)

An exchange of resources like plants and animals as well as diseases an idea between Europe and the Americas.

c)

All Native Americans died from diseases the Europeans brought to the Americas when they arrived.

d)

50% of the Europeans died from diseases explorers contracted while in the Americas.

21.

A Spanish explorer who came to the Americas in the 1500s and claimed large areas of land for Spain was called a

a)

conquistador

b)

colony

c)

pilgrim

d)

pioneer

22.

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

23.
What is Francisco Pizarro most known for?
a)
Exploring the South Pacific Ocean
b)
Founding the island of Hispaniola
c)
Conquering the Inca Empire
d)
Being the first Spanish conquistador 
24.

Balboa is known for two important reasons:

a)

He was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean.

b)

He set up colonies in South America.

c)

He discovered Asia.

d)

He was the first European to go on an expedition for Spain.

25.
What were the three G's that motivated most people to come to the "new world"?
a)
Gold, God, and Glory
b)
Gifts, Gadgets, and Generosity
c)
Gratitude, Guidance, and Goodwill
d)
Goodness, Grace, and Growth
26.
Who do historians believe was the first European to reach North America?
a)
Christopher Columbus
b)
Leif Eriksson
c)
Robert LaSalle
d)
Ferdinand Magellan