Show:
Vocabulary
Early Explorers and Rulers
More Explorers
Technology
Voyages Around the World
100
What is a merchant?
A merchant is someone who buys and sells goods to earn money.
100
Who was Marco Polo and what is one invention he saw?
Marco Polo was a merchant from Venice who traveled to China in 1271. He saw many inventions, such as paper, printing, and gunpowder.
100
On Columbus's first journey, what country did he think he found? What was the real name of the country?
Columbus thought he found the Indies, but he really found the Bahamas. He landed in San Salvador.
100
What is technology?
Technology is the use of scientific knowledge and tools to do things better and more rapidly.
100
On Columbus' first voyage, how many men did he bring on his crew? What were his ship's names?
Columbus brought 90 men on his first voyage. His ships names were the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
200
What is circumnavigate?
Circumnavigate is to sail completely around something.
200
Who was Mansa Musa? What was great about Timbuktu when he returned?
Mansa Musa was a Muslim ruler who was Mali's greatest king. He made Timbuktu a center for learning, art, and trade.
200
Who was Ferdinand Magellan? Did he accomplish his goal?
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese sailor who thought it would be possible to sail west, go around South America, cross the Pacific Ocean, and end up back in Spain. His crew accomplished his goal; he died during the voyage.
200
What is navigation?
Navigation is the science of planning and controlling the direction of a ship.
200
On Columbus' first voyage, he met a group of people. What did he name these people? What did the people call themselves?
Columbus named the people Indians since he thought he landed in the West Indies. The people called themselves the Taino.
300
What is a colony?
A colony is an area of land ruled by another country.
300
What was Vasco da Gama's main accomplishment?
Vasco da Gama led the first Portuguese voyage to reach the Indian port of Calicut.
300
Who was Hernan Cortes? What is an accomplishment of Cortes?
Hernan Cortes was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who led an expedition to Mexico in 1519. Cortes conquered the Aztecs and controlled their empire.
300
What is the difference between an astrolabe and a compass?
An astrolabe is a tool that measures the height of the sun or a star above the horizon. A compass is a tool with a magnetic needle which always points North.
300
On Columbus' second voyage, how many more men did he bring with him? What happened to the men already colonizing the island?
On Columbus' second voyage, he brought 1,000 men with him. The men he left on the island to colonize it had mistreated the natives and had been killed. Columbus then started a new colony named Isabela in Northern Hispanola.
400
What is slavery?
Slavery is a cruel system in which people are bought and sold and made to work without pay.
400
Who was Bartolomeu Dias?
Bartolomeu Dias was a Portuguese explorer who proved it was possible to sail around Africa and reach its east coast.
400
Who was the first Spanish conquistador to reach the present-day United States?
Juan Ponce de Leon
400
Who developed the printing press in 1454?
Johannes Gutenberg
400
What was the Columbian Exchange?
The Columbian Exchange was the movement of plants, animals, and people between the Eastern and Western Hemisphere.
500
What is an epidemic? What is an example of an epidemic today?
An epidemic is an outbreak of disease that spreads quickly and affects many people. An example is the Swine Flu.
500
What did King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella hope to gain from Columbus's journey?
They wanted to make money from the Asian gold and spices they hoped he would find; they also wanted to spread Roman Catholicism.
500
What did Coronado and his soldiers hope to find?
Coronado and his soldiers hoped to find the cities of gold he and other explorers had heard about.
500
What did Prince Henry of Portugal's school change about the sails on ships? What did the old sails look like?
The school improved sails by creating triangular sails which could sail into the wind. The old sails were rectangular.
500
In what ways was the arrival of Europeans in the West harmful?
Europeans cut down rain forests on Caribbean islands; many American plants and animals were destroyed; many Taino died from diseases that the Europeans brought over.