Age of Exploration Quiz

Grade 6 · Social Studies · Quiz

Test your knowledge of European exploration — key explorers, motivations, ships, and global impact.

Questions

1. Which country funded Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage?

   1. Portugal
   2. England
   3. Spain
   4. Italy
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   Answer: Spain

   Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain funded Columbus's expedition after Portugal had rejected his proposal.

2. Vasco da Gama was the first European to find a sea route to India.

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   Answer: True

   Vasco da Gama reached Calicut, India in 1498, opening a direct sea trade route from Europe to Asia around Africa.

3. What type of ship did Portugal develop for ocean exploration?

   1. Galleon
   2. Caravel
   3. Trireme
   4. Longship
   Show answer

   Answer: Caravel

   The Portuguese caravel had lateen (triangular) sails that could sail at angles to the wind, making it ideal for ocean exploration.

4. The Spanish conquerors who overthrew the Aztec and Inca empires are called ___.

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   Answer: conquistadors

   Spanish conquistadors ('conquerors') like Cortés and Pizarro defeated large indigenous empires using a combination of weapons, horses, alliances with rival groups, and disease.

5. What does 'circumnavigation' mean?

   1. Exploring a coastline
   2. Sailing around the entire world
   3. Mapping an unknown continent
   4. Trading across the Pacific Ocean
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   Answer: Sailing around the entire world

   Circumnavigation means sailing completely around the globe. Magellan's expedition (1519–1522) was the first to accomplish this.

6. Columbus knew he had found a continent previously unknown to Europeans.

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   Answer: False

   Columbus died in 1506 still believing he had reached islands near Asia. Amerigo Vespucci was among the first to argue the Americas were entirely new continents.

7. Hernán Cortés is known for conquering which empire?

   1. Inca Empire
   2. Maya Empire
   3. Aztec Empire
   4. Songhai Empire
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   Answer: Aztec Empire

   Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire (centered in modern Mexico) in 1521 with 500 soldiers, indigenous allies, and the catastrophic help of smallpox.

8. Bartolomeu Dias was the first European to sail around the southern tip of ___ in 1488.

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   Answer: Africa

   Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1488, proving ships could sail from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean — opening the way for Vasco da Gama's India route.

9. Why were spices so valuable to European merchants?

   1. They could be used as currency
   2. They were needed to preserve food and flavor it before refrigeration
   3. They were used to make medicines
   4. They were required for religious rituals
   Show answer

   Answer: They were needed to preserve food and flavor it before refrigeration

   Before refrigeration, spices preserved meat, masked spoilage, and flavored bland diets. Pepper was so valuable it was sometimes used as currency.

10. The Age of Exploration had devastating consequences for many indigenous peoples.

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    Answer: True

    European exploration brought diseases, forced labor, and violence that devastated indigenous populations — some estimates suggest 50-90% population decline in some regions.

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