Explorers and Conquistadors of the Americas

Who was the first known European to explore North America?

• Christopher Columbus

• Leif Erikson

• Amerigo Vespucci

• Erik the Red

In what year did Christopher Columbus first sail to the Americas?

• 1000

• 1492

• 1507

• 1513

The continent of America was named after which explorer?

• Christopher Columbus

• Ferdinand Magellan

• Amerigo Vespucci

• Juan Ponce de León

Who was the first European to reach the Pacific Ocean by crossing the Isthmus of Panama?

• Ferdinand Magellan

• Juan Ponce de León

• Vasco Núñez de Balboa

• Hernando Cortes

Which Spanish conquistador conquered the Aztec Empire?

• Francisco Pizarro

• Hernando Cortes

• Vasco Núñez de Balboa

• Ferdinand Magellan

Who was the Spanish explorer who founded a colony in present-day Buenos Aires, Argentina, between 1535 and 1536?

• Pedro de Mendoza

• Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca

• Francisco Vázquez de Coronado

• Hernando de Soto

Which French explorer sailed up the East Coast of North America in 1524, describing it as "densely populated"?

• Jacques Cartier

• Samuel de Champlain

• Giovanni da Verrazzano

• Jean Ribault

What was the estimated percentage of Native Americans who died from European diseases like smallpox by the 1600s?

• 20%

• 50%

• 75%

• 95%

What was the primary source of wealth for French explorers in New France, unlike the precious metals sought by the Spanish?

• Gold mining

• Fur trade

• Spice trade

• Timber harvesting

Which explorer led an expedition for the Dutch East India Company in 1609, claiming areas along the Hudson River and Hudson Bay?

• John Cabot

• Henry Hudson

• Leif Erikson

• Samuel de Champlain