Age of Exploration Test #1

NAME _____________________________

PART ONE: Multiple-choice (2 points each; 20 points total)

1. All of the following were reasons for the
successes of the European explorers
except:
a. use of navigation instruments like
the compass and the astrolabe.
b. the development of detailed and
accurate maps.
c. seaworthy caravels with
triangular sails that could tack into
the wind.
d. their respect for non-European
people and cultures.
2. Major motivations for European
exploration of the world's oceans
included all of the following except
a. the search for wealth and glory.
b. the desire to spread democracy.
c. an interest in trading directly with
Asian markets for spices and other
goods.
d. the urge to convert non-Europeans
to Christianity.
3. Christopher Columbus believed that by
sailing west 2,500 nautical miles he
would
a. reach the edge of the earth.
b. find a direct and profitable route
to Asia.
c. discover a new continent and lost
city of gold.
d. find a quick passage around
Africa.
4. The Portuguese sailor who sailed around
the Cape of Good Hope and reached the
Indian port of Calicut was
a. Christopher Columbus
b. Vasco da Gama
c. Bartholemeu Dias
d. Ferdinand Magellan
5. Razor-sharp Aztec blades were made of
a. bronze
b. bone.
c. obsidian.
d. iron.

6. In the Treaty of Tordesillas, Pope

Alexander VI issued the Line of
Demarcation, which
a. established boundaries between
Europeans and Native America
b. divided the world between
Portugal and Spain.
c. separated the church's land and
the emperor's land.
d. drew a line between English and
French colonies.
7. The bloodthirsty Aztec god of the sun
was called
a. Huitzilopochtli
b. Yikyak
c. Quetzalcoatl
d. Tlaloc
8. In contrast to the Aztecs, the Inca built
their empire largely through
a. brutal conquest and tribute.
b. negotiation and diplomacy.
c. the expansion of trade.
d. ritual sacrifice.
9. Citizens of the Inca Empire were
required to give tribute as mita, which
was
a. a measurement of gold.
b. a form of currency based on
knotted strings.
c. a measurement of grain.
d. mandatory labor in public service.
10. The main use of the vast Inca road
system was
a. imperial communication.
b. trade and commerce.
c. to allow military movement.
d. All of the above

Age of Exploration Test #1

NAME _____________________________

PART TWO: Map Work (15 points)

Identify the three major oceans (write directly on the map).
Then put number from the map next to the correct place name, below:
_____ Portugal
_____ Spain
_____ Cape of Good Hope
_____ Calicut (India)
_____ Spice Islands or Moluccas (Indonesia)
_____ Hispaniola (where Columbus reached)
_____ The Strait of Hormuz
_____ Mombasa
_____ Mayan heartland
_____ Inca Empire
_____ Aztec Empire
_____ Brazil

PART THREE: Identifications

Choose THREE of the following choices and write an informative paragraph for each. Answer on
a separate sheet (10 points each).
Please do not repeat information!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Caravel
Quipu
Quetzalcoatl
Prince Henry the Navigator
Tenochtitlan
The East India Company
Pachacuti

PART FOUR: Short Essay

Choose ONE of the following choices and write a brief essay on that topic. Be sure to include
specific detail and examples. Answer on a separate sheet (35 points).
Please do not repeat information included in your identifications section!
1. To serve God and His Majesty, to give light to those who were in darkness, and to grow
rich as all men desire to do. [Bartolomeu Dias] How does this quote summarize
European motives for overseas exploration? Which took precedence?
2. What was the role of religion in the Aztec Empire? How did the worship of
Huitzilopochtli and human sacrifice contribute to the fall of the Aztec Empire?
3. What methods did the Inca use to create unity and rule their empire? To what extent was
the Inca Empire similar to a modern socialist or welfare state?