Name:
Age of Exploration Practice
1. One reason Spain sponsored the first voyage of
Columbus to the west was to
A)
B)
C)
D)
find a more direct trade route to Asia
obtain military technology
make contact with the Empire of Benin
trade in established ports in the Americas
2. Why is the year 1492 considered a turning point in
history?
A) The Spanish established an exchange between
Europe and the Americas.
B) The Ming dynasty launched expeditions to the east
coast of Africa.
C) Muslim Arab armies succeeded in conquering
Egypt and Syria.
D) The British established control over new territories
in India.
3. The encomienda system, the latifundia form of land
ownership, and the office of viceroy are all closely
associated with
A)
B)
C)
D)
Spanish rule in Latin America
pre-Columbian practices of Native Americans
attempts to halt the drug trade in South America
reduction of trade barriers in the Western
Hemisphere
4. ". . . (It) brought the potato, the pineapple, the turkey,
dahlias, sunflowers, magnolias, maize, chillies and
chocolate across the Atlantic. On the other hand, tens of
millions died in the pandemics of the 16th century,
victims of smallpox, measles and the other diseases
brought by Europeans (and don't forget that the African
slave trade was begun by the Europeans, to replace the
work force they had decimated).". . . — Michael Wood,
BBC History (adapted)
Which historical development is being described in this
quotation?
A)
B)
C)
D)
establishment of the line of Demarcation
creation of the Hanseatic League
Columbian exchange
Glorious Revolution
5. What was one reason the Spanish conquistadors were
able to conquer the Aztec Empire?
A) The Spanish soldiers made effective use of their
military technology against the Aztecs.
B) Aztec religious beliefs promoted nonviolence.
C) Spain joined the Incas in their fight against the
Aztecs.
D) The Spanish cavalry outnumbered the Aztec
warriors.
6. The encomienda system in Latin America was a direct
result of the
A) Crusades
C) Reformation
B) Age of Exploration
D) Age of Reason
7. The expeditions of Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro
resulted in the
A)
B)
C)
D)
destruction of the Aztec and Inca empires
capture of Brazil by Portugal
colonization of North America by Portugal
exploration of the Philippines and East Indies
8. Base your answer to the following question on the map below and on your knowledge of social studies.
What was a result of the explorers' voyages illustrated on this map?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Europe became increasingly isolated.
European trade with Africa and South America increased.
Southeast Asia became Europe's greatest trading partner.
European nations created colonial governments throughout central Asia.
9. Which statement explains the long-term significance of
the travels of Christopher Columbus?
A) His interactions with the indigenous peoples served
as a model for fair treatment of minorities.
B) His ships were the first to complete an
around-the-world voyage and prove the earth was
round.
C) His calculations of the distance between Europe and
Asia became the basis for our modern maps.
D) His voyages started a vast cultural exchange
between the two hemispheres.
10. A major reason for the end of the Aztec Empire was
A)
B)
C)
D)
the refusal of the people to obey their leaders
a conflict with the Inca Empire
the technology of the Spanish conquistadors
political corruption and an unstable government
11. The purpose of the encomienda system in Latin
America was to
A) control overpopulation in urban centers
B) convert native peoples to Protestantism
C) obtain labor and taxes from the native peoples in
the Spanish colonies
D) introduce political ideas into the colonies
gradually
12. Base your answer to the following question on the
illustration below and on your knowledge of social
studies.
14. A major goal of the conquistadors in Latin America
was to
A)
B)
C)
D)
establish religious freedom
promote democracy
increase the wealth of Spain
introduce a laissez-faire economic system
15. The Age of Exploration led directly to the
A)
B)
C)
D)
establishment of European colonies
start of the Puritan Revolution
invention of the magnetic compass
failure of the Congress of Vienna
16. Which statement describes an impact that the
Columbian Exchange had on the lives of Europeans?
A) The transfer of new products and ideas encouraged
economic growth.
B) New diseases were brought to Europe and resulted
in massive deaths caused by a plague.
C) Native Americans immigrated to Europe and
competed with Europeans for jobs.
D) Cross-cultural contacts between South America
and Asia declined.
Which explanation for the Spanish conquest of the
Aztec Empire is best supported by this illustration?
A) The Aztec religion encouraged nonviolence.
B) The nations of Europe allied with the Spanish
against the Aztec rulers.
C) The conquistadors were defending their homeland.
D) Spanish technology was a major factor in the
defeat of the Aztecs.
13. Which of these events during the Age of Exploration
was a cause of the other three?
A) Europeans brought food, animals, and ideas from
one continent to another.
B) European diseases had an adverse effect on the
native populations of new territories.
C) Warfare increased as European nations competed
for land and power.
D) Advances in learning and technology made long
ocean voyages possible.
17. Base your answer to the following question on the map
below.
18. Base your answer to the following question on the
passage below and on your knowledge of social studies.
"I was immediately handled and tossed up to see if I
were sound, by some of the crew, and I was now
persuaded that I had gotten into a world of bad spirits,
and that they were going to kill me. Their complexions,
too, differing so much from ours, their long hair, and
the language they spoke . . . united to confirm me in this
belief. . . . The closeness of the place and the heat of the
climate, added to the number in the ship, which was so
crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself,
almost suffocated us."
Which event is described in this passage?
A)
B)
C)
D)
the Aztec invasion of Mayan cities
the Ottoman invasion of Hungary
immigration from Europe to the New World
the transatlantic slave trade
19. In the 1600s, the interest of Europeans in Africa was
based mainly on Europe's need to
A)
B)
C)
D)
market its surplus agricultural products
obtain workers for its colonies in the Americas
establish collective security arrangements
settle its surplus population on new lands
20. Which statement about the European partitioning of
Africa in the 1800s is most accurate?
Which conclusion regarding early European settlements
is best supported by the information on the map?
A) Portugal became the dominant colonial power in
South America by 1600.
B) Geography made the interior of South America
easy to explore.
C) Neither the Spanish nor the Portuguese developed
major urban centers in Latin America.
D) In 1600, most of the land in South America was
not settled by Europeans.
A) Europeans drew colonial borders based on African
tribal boundaries.
B) The African Continent was divided equally among
the colonial powers.
C) European control did much to improve the
economies of most tribal groups.
D) African cultural and ethnic traditions were often
ignored by colonial governments.
21. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Dutch interest in the
islands of Southeast Asia was mainly based on the
A)
B)
C)
D)
spice trade
large numbers of Christian converts
rich deposits of gold and silver
development of manufacturing sites
22. The Columbian exchange is most closely associated
with the beginnings of
A) mercantilism
C) mass production
B) humanism
D) scientific socialism
23. What was one result of the European Commercial
Revolution?
A)
B)
C)
D)
a decline in the spice trade
the destruction of the papacy
the development of capitalism
an increased reliance on bartering
29. Base your answer to the following question on the
speakers' statements below and on your knowledge of
social studies.
24. Which idea is most closely associated with the
economic concept of mercantilism?
A) Colonies exist to provide raw materials and
markets for a colonial power.
B) Wealth and power are based on land exchanged
between nobles.
C) Goods and services are traded without government
interference.
D) Property is owned collectively and administered
by the state.
25. A key objective of a mercantilist policy was to
A)
B)
C)
D)
establish colonies for trade benefits
promote warfare throughout Europe
develop assembly lines in factories
support the spread of communist ideas
26. • Spain mines silver in the Americas.
• The Dutch establish a colony in Southeast Asia.
• The English East India Company controls tea
plantations in India.
Which policy is most closely associated with these
events?
A) pacifism
C) nonalignment
B) mercantilism
D) containment
27. Prices in Spain rose as colonies supplied large amounts
of gold and silver. This suggests that Spanish imports
of gold and silver led to
A) food shortages
C) inflation
B) unemployment
D) self-sufficiency
28. According to the European policy of mercantilism,
colonies should
A)
B)
C)
D)
benefit the mother country
trade openly with various countries
be left alone to manage their own affairs
attempt to gain independence as soon as possible
Which two speakers would most likely support
mercantilism?
A) A and B
C) B and D
B) A and C
D) C and D
30. Base your answer to the following question on the illustration below and on your knowledge of social
studies.
Which policy is portrayed in this illustration?
A) nonalignment
C) perestroika
B) laissez-faire capitalism
D) mercantilism
31. What was one goal of mercantilism?
A)
B)
C)
D)
removal of trade barriers
elimination of private property
establishment of subsistence agriculture
creation of a favorable balance of trade
32. Which statement best describes the concept of
mercantilism?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Universal suffrage leads to educated citizens.
Controlling trade is a key to increasing power.
Only the fittest deserve to survive.
Strict social control prevents revolutions.
33. Base your answer to the following question on the map below and on your knowledge of social studies.
The routes shown on the map reflect Atlantic trade during the
A) Hellenistic Period
C) Early Middle Ages
B) Roman Empire
D) Age of Mercantilism
34. "In three or four months . . . more than seven thousand
children died of hunger, their fathers and mothers have
been taken to the mines. . . . Thus they [Spaniards]
ruined and depopulated all this island [Cuba]."
— Bartolome de Las Casas, 1552,
The Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies
The event described in the quotation illustrates
A) a result of the "Encounter"
B) the forced migration of Native Americans to Spain
C) the dangerous effects of mining without proper
equipment
D) an impact of Enlightenment philosophers
35. Base your answer to the following question on the time line below and on your knowledge of social
studies.
The events illustrated in this time line show the effects of European
A) isolationism
B) imperialism
C) socialism
D) fundamentalism
36.
Which economic system is shown in this diagram?
A) socialism
C) laissez-faire capitalism
B) manorialism
D) mercantilism
37. Which country is responsible for the extensive colonial
use of the encomienda labor system?
A) England
C) the Netherlands
B) France
D) Spain
38. In colonial Spanish America, which system was
developed by the Spanish to support plantation
agriculture?
A) barter
C) domestic
B) encomienda
D) guild
39. Which region's colonial class structure included
peninsulares, creoles, and mestizos?
A) western Europe
C) East Asia
B) sub-Saharan Africa
D) Latin America
40. The Spanish encomienda system in the Americas
resulted in
A)
B)
C)
D)
the strengthening of indigenous cultures
political independence for the colonies
the exploitation of natives
religious freedom for the majority of peasants
41. Base your answer to the following question on the
42. Which diagram shows the correct social hierarchy of
diagram below and on your knowledge of social studies.
Spain’s colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere?
A)
B)
C)
D)
43. Which statement about the Columbian exchange is a
fact rather than an opinion?
A) The Columbian exchange had a positive effect on
the Americas.
B) The Columbian exchange benefited Europe more
than it benefited the Americas.
C) The Columbian exchange brought new foods and
products to Europe and the Americas.
D) The Columbian exchange created a modern
Europe.
44. The hacienda system in Latin America was similar to
the manorial system in medieval Europe in that each
Which conclusion about Spanish colonialism in the
Americas can be drawn from this diagram?
A) The fewest people in the population had the
greatest power.
B) Africans and Native Americans were politically
powerful.
C) The peninsulares made up the majority of the
population.
D) Mestizos and mulattoes controlled the most land in
the colonies.
A)
B)
C)
D)
supported a prosperous urban middle class
required the labor of a peasant class
relied on a capitalist economy
depended on a strong central government
45. In colonial Latin America, the main purpose of the
encomienda system was to
A)
B)
C)
D)
insure that the Indians were humanely treated
provide a steady labor supply for early colonists
prevent slavery in Spain's New World colonies
build and maintain forts to repel foreign invaders
46. Base your answer to the following question on the
diagram below and on your knowledge of social studies.
Which characteristic of colonial Latin American society
is best illustrated in this diagram?
A) social mobility
C) interdependence
B) rigid class system
D) cultural diffusion