Motivations
What was a major reason European powers wanted to explore North America?
A. To make peace with Indigenous peoples
B. To escape European wars
C. To find new trade routes to Asia
D. To build democratic governments
Answer: C. To find new trade routes to Asia
Which European country was the first to send explorers to the Americas?
a) Netherlands
b) England
c) France
d) Spain
Answer: D. Spain
The Treaty of Tordesillas gave land to:
A. England and France
B. Spain and Portugal
C. The Dutch and the French
D. Russia and the U.S.
Answer: B. Spain and Portugal
What were the driving forces of European exploration? (Choose 3)
a) curiosity about other cultures
b) desire for gold
c) desire for cheaper spices
d) spread Catholicism
e) need for new places to live
f) need for land
B C D
Which European explorer mapped the Gulf Coast region for the first time?
a) Alonso Álvarez de Pineda
b) Christopher Columbus
c) Hernando de Soto
d) Juan de Oñate
Answer: A. Alonso Álvarez de Pineda
In which present-day location was the first permanent European settlement in North America?
a) Florida
b) Canada
c) Virginia
d) Massachusetts
Answer: A. Florida
What was one result of Spanish exploration and colonization in South America and the Caribbean?
a) Native peoples grew wealthy from Spanish trade
b) Other European nations tried to conquer Spain
c) Spain replaced Asia as the center of the spice trade
d) Other European nations sought land and wealth in the Americas
Answer: D. Other European nations sought land and wealth in the Americas
What was Hernando de Soto the first European explorer to do?
a) see the Mississippi River
b) find the Northwest Passage
c) claim land in North America
d) make contact with Indigenous people in North America
Answer: A. see the Mississippi River
What industry was developed by the French as a result of Jacques Cartier’s claims around the Gulf of St. Lawrence?
a) fur trade
b) agriculture
c) gold mining
d) manufacturing
Answer: A. fur trade
“European settlement impacted Indigenous peoples in a mostly negative way.” What evidence best supports this claim?
A. Colonists created trade posts for Indigenous groups
B. Russians shared hunting methods
C. Europeans fought for land, causing conflict
D. Swedish built peaceful relations with Lenape
C. Europeans fought for land, causing conflict
Where was the land that Henry Hudson claimed for the Netherlands?
a) northeastern United States and southeastern Canada
b) southern and southeastern United States
c) along the Mississippi River
d) around the Gulf of Mexico
Answer: A. northeastern United States and southeastern Canada
Which cities were founded by the French? (Choose 2)
a) New Amsterdam
b) St. Augustine
c) New Orleans
d) Quebec
e) Albany
Answer: C. New Orleans, D. Quebec
Indigenous peoples were impacted by European exploration. Select three reasons why.
A. Lost their land
B. Were enslaved or forced to work
C. Exposed to deadly diseases
D. Europeans helped build large cities & gave voting rights
E. Europeans let tribes govern freely
Answer: They lost their land, they were often enslaved or forced to work, they were exposed to deadly diseases
Use the excerpt from “The Mississippi Voyage of Jolliet and Marquette (1673).” What conclusion is supported?
a) European explorers sometimes misunderstood the Native Americans they encountered
b) European explorers were usually hostile to the Native Americans they encountered
c) Native Americans were usually hostile to the Europeans they encountered
d) Native Americans were not interested in trade with the Europeans they encountered
Answer: A. European explorers sometimes misunderstood the Native Americans they encountered
Hariot wrote: “They shall have cause both to fear and love us…” What attitude does this show?
A. Europeans believed they should learn from and be ruled by Indigenous leaders
B. Europeans saw Indigenous peoples as equals deserving of mutual respect and shared power
C. Europeans thought they needed to dominate Indigenous peoples while also gaining their admiration
D. Europeans wanted to remain completely separate from Indigenous peoples and avoid interaction
C. Europeans thought they needed to dominate Indigenous peoples while also gaining their admiration