BASIC FACTS
Which ocean did most early explorers sail across?
Answer: The Atlantic Ocean
Who sailed in 1492 and reached the Americas?
Answer: Christopher Columbus
What continent did Columbus mistakenly think he reached?
Answer: Asia
What crop from the Americas became important in Europe?
P
Answer: Potato
Source: Crosby (1972)
What precious metal motivated many Spanish expeditions?
G _ _ _
Answer: Gold
Which country started the Age of Exploration?
Answer: Portugal
Who discovered a sea route to India by sailing around Africa?
Answer: Vasco da Gama
What ocean did Magellan cross after passing South America?
Answer: The Pacific Ocean
What religion did Europeans spread in the Americas?
Christianity
What phrase means “unknown lands” on old maps?
Two words
T _ _ _ _ I _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A
Answer: Terra incognita
What period is known as the Age of Exploration?
Answer: The 15th to 17th centuries
Who was the first person to circumnavigate the Earth?
Answer: Ferdinand Magellan (expedition completed by Elcano)
What sea connected Europe to Asia via the Ottoman Empire?
Answer: Mediterranean Sea
What exchange of goods and diseases occurred after Columbus?
Answer: Columbian Exchange
What material were early maps often drawn on before paper became common?
P _ _ _ _ _ _ _ T (English)
P _ _ _ _ _ _ _ O (Spanish)
Answer: Parchment (animal skin)
Source: Fernández-Armesto (2006)
Who was the Portuguese prince that supported exploration?
Answer: Prince Henry the Navigator
Who conquered the Aztec Empire?
Answer: Hernán Cortés
What line divided Spanish and Portuguese territories?
The Treaty of T
Answer: Treaty of Tordesillas
What economic system grew from global trade?
M
Answer: Mercantilism
What nickname is given to the group of Columbus’s ships?
Answer: The Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María
Source: National Geographic Society (n.d.)
What instrument helped sailors measure latitude?
A
Answer: The astrolabe
Who conquered the Inca Empire?
Answer: Francisco Pizarro
What islands were important for spices?
M
Answer: The Spice Islands (Moluccas)
What deadly disease spread to Native Americans?
S
Answpoxer: Small
What illness caused by lack of vitamin C affected sailors?
S _ _ _ _ Y (English)
Answer: Scurvy
Source: National Geographic Society (n.d.)