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Worksheets

Age of Exploration

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 27mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Why is Christopher Columbus such an important historical figure?

a)

He proved once and for all that the earth is round

b)

His discovery led to the colonization of the Americas

c)

He opened up a new trade route to Asia

d)

He was the greatest mapmaker of his time

2.

What was Columbus's primary motivation for his voyage across the Atlantic?

a)

The desire for riches and power

b)

Devotion to the Spanish King and Queen

c)

His interest in geography

d)

The chance to explore new territories

3.
To sail around the globe is called
a)
circumstance
b)
circumnavigate
c)
circumference
d)
circumven
4.
What country sponsored John Cabot's expedition?
a)
Spain
b)
Italy
c)
England
d)
America
5.

Where was Prince Henry the Navigator from?

a)

Spain

b)

Portugal

c)

France

d)

England

6.

Why was Prince Henry known as “the Navigator?”

a)

Henry owned a globe when many people thought the world was flat.

b)

helped unlock the secrets of Africa

c)

he helped make it possible for the first Europeans to explore Africa.

d)

Henry believed that Africa was not infinite and that if his sailors could circumnavigate the continent;

7.

Bartholomeu Dias proved that it was possible to

a)

find a water route to India.

b)

travel from Portugal to India.

c)

circumnavigate Africa when he reached the southern tip of the continent, now known as the “Cape of Good Hope.”

d)

create the most sophisticated maps of their time.

8.

Which country sponsored Christopher Columbus's voyage to America?

a)

Spain

b)

France

c)

England

d)

Portugal

9.

Which explorer conquered the Aztec Empire?

a)

Cortez

b)

Pizarro

c)

Balboa

d)

Magellan

10.
What was the trade route between China and Eastern Europe that Marco Polo traveled on called?
a)
The Desert Road
b)
The Spice Trail
c)
The Eastern Path
d)
The Silk Road
11.

The red continent is...

a)

North America

b)

Africa

c)

Europe

d)

Asia

12.

Name this device used by explorers.

a)

An astrolabe

b)

A compass

c)

Telescope

d)

A sandglass timer

13.

In the 1400s, the first Portuguese explorers sailed along the coast of Africa. What was the main purpose of their voyages?

a)

finding a water route to India’s spices

b)

finding natives who would trade with them

c)

finding slaves who could be sold in other lands

d)

finding a new world that no European had ever seen

14.

Who was the Portuguese explorer that FIRST sailed around Africa in order to make it to Asia by water?

a)

Francisco Pizarro

b)

Christopher Columbus

c)

Henry Hudson

d)

Vasco de Gama

15.

A new type of ship that was strong, maneuverable, and able to sail against the wind

a)

Pirate Ship

b)

Caravel

c)

Canoe

d)

Viking Boat 

16.

This Chinese explorer led seven voyages of exploration to places such as Southeast Asia, India, Arabia and eastern Africa.

a)

Kangxi

b)

Yonglo

c)

Zheng He

d)

Hongwu

17.

- Invention of the compass and astrolabe

- European dependence on spices from Asia

- Rise of nation-states in Europe

These developments influenced the start of the

a)

Crusades

b)

Renaissance

c)

Age of Exploration

d)

Reformation

18.

Why did Europeans begin to explore?

a)

They wanted a new route instead of the Silk Road

b)

a sea route to Asia would make purchasing goods easier and cheaper

c)

Europeans wanted to spread Christianity

d)

all of the above

19.

The journeys of Vasco da Gama, Bartholomeu Dias, and Christopher Columbus became possible in the late 1400s because of the

a)

support of exploration by the English government

b)

trade connections established by Ibn Battuta

c)

effects of the Atlantic slave trade

d)

development of new navigational instruments and technology

20.

The combined usage of the caravel, compass, and astrolabe in the late 1400s helped bring about the

a)

migration of the Bantu

b)

exploration of the Americas

c)

introduction of Buddhism to East Asia

d)

voyages of Zheng He