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Hernando De Soto Exploration Facts

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 10mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

How old was Hernando De Soto when he first came to America?

a)

12-13

b)

14-15

c)

16-17

d)

18-19

2.

What did De Soto do with his riches?

a)

Invested them in new explorations

b)

Took them back to Spain and lived quietly enjoying it

c)

Distributed them among his crew

d)

Buried them in the New World

3.

Where was Hernando De Soto Born?

a)

Spain

b)

Portugal

c)

Italy

d)

France

4.

Once De Soto was in Florida in which direction did he and his men began marching to?

a)

East

b)

West

c)

North

d)

South

5.

What 8 states did De Soto find himself in while traveling?

a)

Georgia, Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee

b)

California, Nevada, Oregon, Texas

c)

South Carolina, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana

d)

New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware

6.

What directions did the Native Americans give De Soto and his men to find gold?

a)

Go farther East for about 10 days

b)

Go farther South for about 10 days

c)

Go farther West or North for about 10 days

d)

Go directly North for about 5 days

7.

What happened in May, 1541?

a)

De Soto and his men became the 1st people to see what the native Americans called the Mississippi river

b)

De Soto discovered the Pacific Ocean for the first time

c)

De Soto established the first European settlement in North America

d)

De Soto signed a peace treaty with local tribes

8.

How many men did De Soto bring with him?

a)

400 men

b)

500 men

c)

600 men

d)

700 men

9.

What did the Native Americans die from?

a)

Diseases left behind from the Spaniards

b)

Starvation due to drought

c)

Conflicts with European settlers

d)

Natural disasters like earthquakes

10.

After sailing to the West Indies where did De Soto sail to?

a)

Florida's west coast

b)

California's coast

c)

New York Harbor

d)

Texas Gulf Coast

11.

In what year did De Soto decide to set out on another expedition for more riches?

a)

1535

b)

1538

c)

1540

d)

1542

12.

How did De Soto and his expedition leader, Francisco Pizarro, become rich?

a)

By exploiting the people and the riches of Peru

b)

By trading with local tribes

c)

By discovering new lands and resources

d)

By receiving royal grants and titles

13.

Why did the Native Americans tell De Soto and his men where to find gold?

a)

Because they were scared of them and wanted peace

b)

Because they wanted to trade for goods

c)

Because they were allies with the Spanish

d)

Because they wanted to lure them into a trap

14.

What things did De Soto bring with him when fighting the Native Americans?

a)

Pigs, Horses, metal tools, guns, armor, & nails

b)

Cows, Bows, wooden shields, & arrows

c)

Sheep, Swords, leather armor, & spears

d)

Chickens, Cannons, silk, & gold

15.

Where did De Soto first sail to?

a)

West Indies

b)

East Indies

c)

South America

d)

North America

16.

What were some of the deadly diseases that killed thousands of Native Americans?

a)

Smallpox, influenza, and measles

b)

Tuberculosis, cholera, and typhoid

c)

Malaria, yellow fever, and rabies

d)

HIV/AIDS, cancer, and heart disease

17.

What Spanish exploration was De Soto apart of in the 1530's?

a)

the one that conquered the Inca empire in Peru

b)

the one that discovered the Mississippi River

c)

the one that colonized Florida

d)

the one that explored the Amazon rainforest

18.

What was De Soto's Rank to the expedition leader

a)

1st to the expedition leader

b)

2nd to the expedition leader

c)

3rd to the expedition leader

d)

4th to the expedition leader

19.

While walking up north what did Hernando de Soto and his men do to the Native American villages?

a)

They established trade relations with them.

b)

They burned them down and forced the Native Americans into slavery.

c)

They built schools for the Native Americans.

d)

They negotiated peace treaties with them.

20.

Why was De Soto ready to use European weapons against the Indians?

a)

Because he wanted to show his strength as a leader.

b)

Because he knew they fought back against the 1st Spanish explorer to discover Florida, Ponce de León.

c)

Because he believed in peaceful negotiations with the natives.

d)

Because he was ordered to do so by the Spanish crown.