Name: _____________________________________ Date: ______________ Hour: _______
European Exploration Study Guide
Fill in the Blank
1. The Spanish monarchs, _________________________ and ____________________,
financed Columbus’ voyages.
2. The “Old World” includes the continents _________________________,
_____________________, and _____________________.
3. The movement of people, cultures, and ideas between two previously isolated worlds
is referred to as the ________________________ _____________________.
4. ______________________________ was the capital city of the Aztec empire.
5. About [120 million] years ago, geologists believe the landmasses separated,
dividing the Americas from Africa and Eurasia.
6. The conqueror of the Inca Empire was Francisco _____________________________.
7. Hernando ______________________ was the Spaniard credited with defeating the
Aztec empire.
8. Explorers were searching for the ______________________ ___________________, a
western water route to the East.
9. Spanish explorers who settled in the Americas were called _______________________.
10. Marco Polo wrote an account of the marvels of _________________________.
Short Answer – must use complete sentences
11. What was Europe’s primary motive for exploration?
12. What are Leif Ericcson and the Vikings credited with?
13. What areas of the world did Columbus explore in his four voyages across the
Atlantic?
14. Give two reasons why there were so few diseases in the New World.
15. Explain at least two effects of the Columbian Exchange.
Use the map on the previous page to answer the following questions
16. To get to the New World, explorers had to travel across the _____________________
Ocean.
17. Explorers from this country claimed land in the far north of North America.
_________________________________________
18. Coronado explored the southwestern part of North America for this country.
_________________________________________
19. This is the only explorer on the map who explored for two nations – England and
Holland. ______________________________________________
20. This explorer, and not Columbus, was actually the first of the group on the map to see
North America, since Columbus explored islands off the coast of North America.
_________________________________________
Read the passage below. Then answer the questions that follow.
In order to understand the great interest in exploration at the time of Columbus, we need to
know a few things about Europe in 1492.
In Europe, the Renaissance was just beginning. The people of Europe were trading with the
people of China and the Indies. Europeans were beginning to wonder about the rest of the world.
Traders from cities along the Mediterranean Sea traveled to the eastern edge of the
Mediterranean. There, they met caravans that had carried spices, fine cloth, and rare jewels all the
way from the Indian Ocean. The traders loaded these things onto their ships and brought them back
home.
Cities in Italy such as Venice and Genoa were becoming rich because of all this trading.
Naturally, other nations were jealous and wanted some of the business for themselves. For this
reason, both Spain and Portugal became interested in finding a fast and easy way to sail to China
and the Indies.
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It was not until the seventeenth century that the nations of northern Europe
established successful colonies.
In 1665, one thousand soldiers were sent to Quebec and given land to farm. In 1682,
La Salle sailed down the Mississippi River and claimed this huge area for France. French
colony-building was controlled by the French government. Missionaries traveled with
the traders. Jesuit priests built missions throughout New Canada (the area claimed by
the French), hoping to convert local Indians to their faith. Unlike the English colonies,
which were given over mainly to farming, the vast French empire was built on the Indian
fun trade.
The Dutch colony of New Netherland included trading posts at New Amsterdam (New
York City) and upriver at Albany. Like the French, the upriver Dutch were mainly fur
traders. But unlike France, the Netherlands was a republic, ruled by rich merchants and
landowners who wanted to build new centers of trade and commerce.
21. A rebirth of classical art and literature, called the ____________________,
was beginning in Europe in the 1400s. Because of this, Europeans began to
wonder about the rest of the world.
A. Renaissance
B. Reparations
C. Exploration
D. Mediterranean
22. Which two countries became great exploration rivals as they began
searching for a route to Asia?
A. China and India
B. Europe and Africa
C. Spain and Portugal
D. Spain and China
23. When did the nations of northern Europe establish successful colonies in
North America?
A. 1400s
B. 1500s
C. 1600s
D. 1800s
24. Which nation claimed the Mississippi River?
A. Spain
B. France
C. Italy
D. England
25. The French and Dutch were both
A. Missionaries
B. Wealthy
C. Fur traders
D. Democratic