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Power Words: Vocabulary of Exploration

Total questions: 29

Worksheet time: 15mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

During which historical time did many changes lead toward exploration in Europe?

a)

Future Age

b)

Stone Age

c)

Space Age

d)

Middle Ages

2.

What is a colony?

a)

A machine used to tell time

b)

A settlement ruled by a distant country

c)

A storm that sinks wooden ships

d)

A cave where animals sleep

3.

On a timeline, events placed farther to the right usually represent what?

a)

Places on a world map

b)

Later times in history

c)

Events with more importance

d)

Earlier times in history

4.

Where was Marco Polo born?

a)

Beijing, China

b)

Venice, Italy

c)

Cairo, Egypt

d)

Delhi, India

5.

What was the title of Marco Polo’s book that shared his travels?

a)

Journeys of the Atlantic

b)

Roads to the New World

c)

The Description of the World

d)

Maps of Ancient Europe

6.

Even though they failed, what did explorers gain from Northwest Passage searches?

a)

New ideas and technology

b)

Free land for farms

c)

A new alphabet system

d)

A safe winter home

7.

Which year is linked to John Cabot’s first North American landfall?

a)

1620 with the Pilgrims

b)

1776 in the Revolution

c)

1540 during Coronado

d)

1497 during his voyage

8.

What skill improved as explorers traveled even without success?

a)

Navigation and mapping

b)

Cooking and sewing

c)

Poetry and music

d)

Farming and weaving

9.

Who are the Songhai in world history?

a)

A team of builders from ancient Rome

b)

A group of sailors from icy islands

c)

A people living mainly in Niger and Mali

d)

A band of traders from the Andes

10.

Where was gunpowder first invented?

a)

By Spanish sailors in the 15th century

b)

By Roman engineers in the 1st century

c)

By Viking explorers in the 10th century

d)

By Chinese alchemists in the 9th century

11.

What was the Spanish Reconquista mainly about?

a)

Spreading and restoring Catholicism in Spain

b)

Finding a new route to India by sea

c)

Trading gold and salt across deserts

d)

Teaching astronomy to young sailors

12.

Which tool helped sailors find positions using the sky?

a)

Astrolabe for star and sun positions

b)

Thermometer for hot and cold air

c)

Periscope for undersea viewing

d)

Barometer for air pressure changes

13.

Which term names people who buy and sell to earn a living?

a)

Artists carving wooden masks

b)

Farmers planting spring wheat

c)

Captains steering tall ships

d)

Merchants trading goods daily

14.

Which statement about Vikings is a key timeline fact?

a)

They invented the astrolabe for sailors to use

b)

They reached North America earlier than Columbus

c)

They built the first caravel used by Portugal

d)

They created the Silk Road across Europe

15.

Travelers on the Silk Road also exchanged what besides goods?

a)

Soccer scores and jokes

b)

Stories, religion, and inventions

c)

Rainwater and snowballs

d)

Tickets and parade confetti

16.

Who did Marco Polo meet while traveling in Asia?

a)

Genghis Khan in Europe

b)

Julius Caesar in Rome

c)

Queen Elizabeth in London

d)

Kublai Khan in China

17.

What happened to Marco Polo that led to his book being written?

a)

He was imprisoned and dictated it

b)

He sang it as a sea song

c)

He carved it on stone tablets

d)

He typed it on computers

18.

Which ocean must sailors cross to go from Europe to the Americas on early voyages like Cabot’s?

a)

Indian Ocean to the east

b)

Arctic Ocean to the north

c)

Pacific Ocean to the south

d)

Atlantic Ocean to the west

19.

Trade began to grow from the Silk Road during which years on the timeline?

a)

1600–1664 stayed the same

b)

1200–1204 stopped suddenly

c)

1400–1464 grew exponentially

d)

1000–1064 ended forever

20.

Which continent do the Silk Road paths mainly cross on the map?

a)

Asia from west to east

b)

North America north to south

c)

Australia from coast to coast

d)

Antarctica around the ice

21.

Which statement matches Prince Henry’s contribution?

a)

Started a navigation school

b)

Led a march across deserts

c)

Built the first steam ship

d)

Invented paper money trade

22.

The octant is mainly used for what purpose?

a)

Measuring angles in navigation

b)

Finding deep ocean trenches

c)

Cooking aboard ships

d)

Sending long-distance signals

23.

What is one title of Marco Polo’s book?

a)

The Age of Steam

b)

The Description of the World

c)

Across the Atlantic Ocean

d)

Voyage of the Beagle

24.

How did Marco Polo’s book impact Europe?

a)

It started wars in Europe

b)

It stopped the Silk Road forever

c)

It ended all trade with Africa

d)

It sparked interest in exploring Asia

25.

What subjects were shared in Timbuktu’s culture center?

a)

Drama and ballet

b)

Skiing and skating

c)

Mining and drilling

d)

Math and astronomy

26.

Between which years did Zheng He’s voyages take place?

a)

1320–1340

b)

1405–1433

c)

1500–1512

d)

1205–1215

27.

Which two goods were especially valuable in Songhai?

a)

Iron and coal

b)

Fish and lumber

c)

Wheat and corn

d)

Salt and gold

28.

What did explorers gain while failing to find the Northwest Passage?

a)

Maps to underground caverns

b)

Large farms and new palace cities

c)

Gold and jewels from Asian markets

d)

New places, ideas, technology, and resources

29.

Which areas did Verrazzano explore while searching?

a)

From Iceland to Ireland

b)

From Alaska to Hawaii

c)

From Cuba to Argentina

d)

From the Carolinas to Canada