WorksheetsColumbus: Hero or Villain?
Total questions: 15
Worksheet time: 8mins
Why does Professor Anna Craig describe Columbus as “ambitious”?
He wanted to become a king
He worked hard to succeed despite his background
He disliked life on ships
He wanted to stay in Europe
According to the first historian, what made Columbus’s journey brave?
He traveled with many maps
He sailed to a place he already knew
He trusted his instincts without a map
He followed another explorer’s route
Why does Craig mention that Columbus came from a poor family?
To show he did not deserve success
To explain why he stayed in Europe
To highlight how difficult his road to success was
To suggest he didn’t enjoy sailing
What does Craig believe Columbus achieved by connecting the Old and New Worlds?
He created more wars
He started an exchange of cultures and ideas
He stopped trade between continents
He discovered new metal mines
Why does Craig say some people criticize Columbus?
He never reached the Caribbean
He ignored orders from Spain
He treated native people cruelly
He refused to work with sailors
Why does Craig defend Columbus’s actions by mentioning slavery in the 15th century?
To show Columbus invented slavery
To explain that slavery was considered normal at the time
To prove Columbus didn’t use enslaved people
To criticize European laws
According to Craig, why is Columbus a hero?
He became rich from gold
He created a new age of exchange and ideas
He fought in many battles
He wrote famous books
What is Dr. Delgado’s first argument against Columbus being a hero?
Columbus was the first explorer in history
People already lived in the Americas before he arrived
Columbus didn’t know how to navigate
Columbus never returned to Spain
Why does Delgado mention Leif Erikson?
To show someone had reached the Americas earlier
To prove Columbus was friends with Vikings
To explain why Columbus didn’t stay in Spain
To show how maps were made in the 1400s
What does Delgado mean when he says Columbus was “ruthlessly” making people slaves?
Columbus was kind but strict
Columbus treated people harshly to gain profit
Columbus only enslaved animals
Columbus freed many enslaved people
According to Delgado, why did Columbus really want to explore?
To learn about new animals
To be a hero for children
To gain wealth and power
To improve maps of the world
How does Delgado describe the results of the exchange between the Old and New Worlds?
Only the New World benefitted
Both sides got new things, but diseases caused deaths
There was no exchange of animals or plants
People stopped traveling between continents
What does Delgado say about celebrating Columbus Day?
It honors a kind leader
It celebrates science
It honors someone he considers a villain
It celebrates the first map of America
How do the two historians differ in their view of Columbus?
One thinks he was lost; the other thinks he never sailed
One sees him as a hero; the other sees him as harmful
Both consider him a villain
Both think he made no discoveries
What is the main purpose of the text?
To teach students how to navigate ships
To compare two historians’ opinions about Columbus
To show how maps changed over time
To explain how Europeans built ships
