European Explorers
Which explorer reached the Caribbean in 1492 while trying to find a sea route to Asia?
Christopher Columbus.
Harlingen and the Rio Grande Valley are in which of the four Texas regions?
Coastal Plains.
Which culture group lived near the Texas coast and used fish and shellfish as important food sources?
Gulf culture group.
What does nomadic mean?
Moving from place to place rather than living permanently in one location, often to find food or other resources.
Which Spanish settlement focused on teaching the Catholic religion: a mission, a presidio, or a rancho?
A mission — Prayer.
Which explorer mapped the Texas coastline in 1519: Pineda, Coronado, or Cortés?
Alonso Álvarez de Pineda.
Which Texas region includes El Paso, deserts, and the state's highest mountains?
Mountains and Basins.
Which culture group in East Texas included settled farming communities such as the Caddo?
Southeastern culture group.
What three crops are often called the Three Sisters?
Corn, beans, and squash. Require all three.
Match the other two P's: Which place helped PROTECT settlements, and which place helped PROVIDE livestock and food?
Presidio — Protect; rancho — Provide. Require both matches.
Coronado searched for Cíbola, the rumored cities of gold. Which motivation best explains his search: God, Gold, or Glory? Explain your choice.
Gold, because he hoped to find wealth and treasure.
Much of the Texas Panhandle has wide, flat land and grasslands. Which region is this, and what is one economic activity suited to that land?
Great Plains; cattle ranching or farming. Require the region and one activity.
A community in far West Texas builds adobe homes and grows crops near a river. Which culture group best fits these clues?
Puebloan culture group.
A buffalo could provide much more than food. Name two other ways some Plains peoples used it.
Accept two: hides for clothing, blankets, or shelter; bones for tools; sinew for thread or bowstrings; horns for utensils.
Why was El Camino Real important to Spanish missions and settlements in Texas? Give two ways it helped them.
It linked settlements with one another and with places farther south in New Spain. Accept two: moving supplies, carrying messages, transporting soldiers, supporting trade, or bringing settlers and missionaries.
Cabeza de Vaca survived a shipwreck on the Texas coast and later wrote about his experiences. How could his account help Europeans learn about Texas?
It described Native peoples, places, and ways of life that most Europeans had never seen. Accept an explanation that his writing shared information from his travels.
A traveler is west of Fort Worth but east of the Great Plains. The land has rolling plains, grasslands, and ranches. Which region is the traveler in? Name one clue.
North Central Plains. Accept the location between Fort Worth and the Great Plains or the rolling plains as a supporting clue. Require the region and one clue.
Some communities in this culture group followed buffalo herds and used homes they could move. Identify the culture group and explain why movable homes helped.
Plains culture group. Movable homes allowed people to follow buffalo herds for food and other resources. Require the group and explanation.
Why would a farming community be more likely to stay in one place than a community that followed animal herds?
Farmers needed to plant, care for, and harvest crops in their fields. Communities following herds needed to move when the animals moved. Require a connection between food sources and movement.
A mission needs water, food, and protection. Explain how a nearby river, rancho, and presidio could each help it survive.
River: water for people and crops. Rancho: livestock for food and other supplies. Presidio: soldiers for protection. Require all three connections.
La Salle established a French settlement in territory Spain claimed. Why would this push Spain to build more settlements in Texas?
Spain feared losing control of the land to France. More Spanish settlements could strengthen Spain's claim and presence in Texas. Require both the French threat and Spain's response.
Why would a farmer in the dry Mountains and Basins region face a bigger water challenge than a farmer in wetter East Texas? Explain one way the western farmer could adapt.
The Mountains and Basins receive less rainfall, so crops have less natural water. The farmer could irrigate using an available water source or grow crops that need less water. Require the rainfall comparison and one adaptation.
One community farms in the wetter forests of East Texas. Another farms near a river in dry far West Texas. Name both culture groups and explain why their environments required different farming choices.
Southeastern in East Texas and Puebloan in far West Texas. The wetter east offered more rainfall, while the dry west made access to river water especially important. Require both groups and the water comparison.
A student says, “All Native Texans lived the same way.” Use examples from two culture groups to explain why that claim is incorrect.
Answers must accurately compare two groups. Example: Gulf communities used coastal foods such as fish and shellfish, while Southeastern communities grew crops in settled villages. Different environments and traditions supported different ways of life.
A Spanish official claims, “Missions helped every Native person.” Give one possible benefit and one harmful effect that show why this claim is too simple.
Possible benefits included access to some food, shelter, livestock, tools, or new skills. Harms included forced labor, punishment, restrictions on freedom, pressure to abandon religious traditions, and exposure to disease. Require one of each; experiences differed, and benefits did not erase harm.