Age of Exploration Quiz
Instructions: Set sail into the era of discovery — when European explorers charted new worlds, oceans, and trade routes from the 15th to 17th centuries.
- 1.
Which Portuguese explorer was the first European to reach India by sea in 1498?
AFerdinand MagellanBPrince Henry the NavigatorCVasco da GamaDBartolomeu Dias - 2.
Who led the first expedition to circumnavigate (sail around) the entire globe?
AJames CookBChristopher ColumbusCFerdinand MagellanDFrancis Drake - 3.
In what year did Christopher Columbus first reach the Americas?
A1492B1488C1502D1498 - 4.
Which two countries signed the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494, dividing the New World between them?
AEngland and FranceBSpain and EnglandCPortugal and the NetherlandsDSpain and Portugal - 5.
What Portuguese prince organized and funded many early voyages of exploration along the African coast?
ABartolomeu DiasBPrince Henry the NavigatorCKing Manuel IDAfonso de Albuquerque - 6.
What was the primary motivation for European exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries?
AEscaping religious warsBFinding new trade routes to Asia for spices and goodsCScientific curiosityDSpreading democracy - 7.
Which explorer first rounded the southern tip of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope, in 1488?
AAmerigo VespucciBBartolomeu DiasCFerdinand MagellanDVasco da Gama - 8.
After whom were the Americas named?
AJohn CabotBChristopher ColumbusCAmerigo VespucciDLeif Erikson - 9.
What deadly consequence did European exploration bring to indigenous peoples of the Americas?
AAdvanced weaponryBNew farming techniquesCNew religionsDWidespread diseases like smallpox - 10.
What type of ship, developed by the Portuguese, was essential to the Age of Exploration?
AGalleonBCaravelCTriremeDLongship - 11.
Which English privateer completed the second circumnavigation of the globe in 1580?
AWalter RaleighBJohn HawkinsCFrancis DrakeDHenry Hudson - 12.
What was the 'Columbian Exchange'?
AThe transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and culture between the Old and New WorldsBA series of diplomatic meetingsCA trade agreement between Spain and PortugalDA type of currency - 13.
Which spice was so valuable during this era that it was sometimes called 'black gold'?
ANutmegBSaffronCCinnamonDPepper - 14.
Which Dutch trading company, founded in 1602, became the world's first multinational corporation?
AThe Hanseatic LeagueBThe Hudson's Bay CompanyCThe Dutch East India Company (VOC)DThe British East India Company - 15.
What navigation instrument, which measures the angle of stars above the horizon, was vital for ocean exploration?
AThe sextantBThe astrolabeCThe chronometerDThe compass