Age of Exploration Quiz

What was the main motive for European interest in world exploration during the 15th century?

• To find new trade routes to Asia

• To discover new continents

• To spread Christianity

• To establish new colonies

What was the Renaissance period known for?

• Inward spiritual focus

• Decline of trade

• Lack of interest in geography

• Rediscovery of ancient civilizations

Who founded a school of navigation near the European continent's tip to teach new methods of seafaring?

• Henry the Navigator

• Ferdinand Magellan

• Christopher Columbus

• Amerigo Vespucci

What was one of the most unfortunate consequences of the early Portuguese explorations?

• Rebirth of the slave trade

• Discovery of new continents

• Spread of Christianity

• Establishment of new trade routes

Who was the first European to reach the new world?

• Christopher Columbus

• Ferdinand Magellan

• Amerigo Vespucci

• John Cabot

What did Amerigo Vespucci come to believe after his explorations along the coast of the Caribbean Sea?

• He had failed in his explorations

• He had discovered a new continent

• He had reached Asia

• He had found a new trade route

What did Ferdinand Magellan name the ocean he discovered after passing through the Straits of Mela?

• Indian Ocean

• Atlantic Ocean

• Arctic Ocean

• Pacific Ocean

What did Christopher Columbus believe he had reached after his long journey from Spain?

• Africa

• Asia

• South America

• North America

What was one of the main sources of Portugal's wealth during the 15th century?

• Trade in Asian luxury items

• Exploration of new continents

• Establishment of new colonies

• Spread of Christianity

Who was the Italian merchant who came to believe that the shoreline he was seeing did not belong to Asia but was part of a previously unknown continent?

• John Cabot

• Ferdinand Magellan

• Christopher Columbus

• Amerigo Vespucci