Grade 5 Social Studies Practice Test: European Explorers and the Columbian Exchange
- Explorers and the Columbian Exchange
- 10 questions
- 13 minutes
These questions cover the explorers who sailed for Spain, France and England and what changed when the Eastern and Western Hemispheres met. Tip: link each explorer to the country he sailed for and the place he reached.
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
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Question 1
Ferdinand Magellan's expedition (1519-1522) is famous because it
Correct answer: B
Magellan died in the Philippines, but his crew finished the trip and became the first to circle the globe. The sea route around Africa to India was found earlier by Vasco da Gama.
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Question 2
Explorers such as Henry Hudson searched for a "Northwest Passage." What were they hoping to find?
Correct answer: D
Europeans wanted a shortcut by water through or around North America to reach the riches of Asia. No practical passage was found in that era.
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Question 3
Which of these traveled from the Americas to Europe as part of the Columbian Exchange?
Correct answer: A
Potatoes were first grown in South America and spread to Europe after 1492. Horses, wheat and cattle went the other way, from Europe to the Americas.
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Question 4
Which part of the Columbian Exchange caused the greatest loss of life among Native Americans?
Correct answer: C
Native Americans had no immunity to European diseases like smallpox and measles, and millions died. Crops, horses and tools changed Native life but did not cause this huge death toll.
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Question 5
Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés is best known for
Correct answer: B
Cortés defeated the Aztecs and took their capital, Tenochtitlan, in 1521. The Inca Empire was conquered by Francisco Pizarro.
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Question 6
Which explorer founded the city of Quebec in 1608, helping start the colony of New France?
Correct answer: A
Champlain founded Quebec on the St. Lawrence River and is called the "Father of New France." Coronado and Ponce de León sailed for Spain, and Cabot sailed for England.
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Question 7
In 1540-1542, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado explored the American Southwest searching for
Correct answer: D
Coronado marched through the Southwest looking for the rich cities of Cíbola but found only Native villages. The fountain-of-youth legend is linked to Ponce de León.
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Question 8
Why did European rulers pay for voyages of exploration?
Correct answer: C
Kings and queens hoped explorers would bring back gold, claim new lands and find faster routes to Asian spices and silk. They wanted more trade with Asia, not less.
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Question 9
Which tool used a magnetized needle to help sailors know which direction they were heading?
Correct answer: A
A compass needle points north, so sailors could keep a steady course. The astrolabe measured the angle of the sun or stars to find latitude.
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Question 10
In 1513, the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León reached and named which present-day state?
Correct answer: B
Ponce de León landed on the Florida coast and named it "La Florida." He was one of the first Europeans to reach what is now the mainland United States.
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