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7th grade Why Europeans sailed, and where they went worksheet

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Why Europeans sailed, and where they went

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Portugal's route around Africa

    Route 1, Bartolomeu Dias: Lisbon, August 1487, south along Africa; passes the southern tip in early 1488; turns back after the Cape, back in Lisbon December 1488. Route 2, Vasco da Gama: Lisbon, July 8, 1497; Cape Verde Islands; around the Cape of Good Hope, November 22, 1497; Malindi, where he hired a pilot; reaches India near Calicut, May 20, 1498. Key: a blue arrow is Dias; a red arrow is da Gama; a star is a place where a pilot joined; a pepper is spices. Below the map: Dias named the cape the Cape of Storms; King John II renamed it the Cape of Good Hope. In 1500, a fleet under Pedro Álvares Cabral, with Dias aboard, reached Brazil.

  2. Where did Vasco da Gama hire a pilot, Noah asks?

    • Lisbon
    • Calicut
    • The Cape Verde Islands
    • Malindi

  3. When did da Gama reach India, Pia asks?

    • July 8, 1497
    • December 1488
    • May 20, 1498
    • November 22, 1497

  4. Which explorer's route turned back after the Cape, Ren asks?

    • Vasco da Gama
    • Pedro Álvares Cabral
    • King John II
    • Bartolomeu Dias

  5. How many years passed between Dias rounding the Cape (1488) and da Gama reaching India (1498), Tala asks?

    • 100 years
    • 1 year
    • 2,986 years
    • 10 years

  6. Which came first, Dias's voyage or Cabral reaching Brazil, Ari asks?

    • Neither one: both are 1600s
    • Dias's voyage
    • Both in the same year
    • Cabral reaching Brazil

  7. What did da Gama's route make possible, Bo asks?

    • Trade by sea, skipping the middlemen
    • An end to the spice trade
    • Trade by land through Venice and Genoa
    • A road across Africa

  8. Why did the king rename the Cape of Storms the Cape of Good Hope, Esme asks?

    • Because Dias asked for it
    • To mark the end of exploring
    • Because the storms stopped for good
    • To encourage travel and trade

  9. Which claim does the map support best, Kira asks?

    • Dias rounded Africa; da Gama reached India
    • Dias reached India first
    • Cabral rounded Africa in 1488
    • Da Gama sailed west across the Pacific to India

  10. Luz's friend says da Gama found the way to India alone. What is the best reply?

    • Disagree: da Gama did not reach India
    • Agree: Dias stayed home
    • Agree: no one else helped
    • Not quite: Dias's route and a pilot helped

  11. The map says Cabral's fleet reached Brazil in 1500. Which claim fits best, Milo asks?

    • Brazil was reached in 1487
    • Da Gama reached Brazil in 1498
    • No one reached Brazil
    • A Portuguese fleet reached Brazil in 1500
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7th grade Why Europeans sailed, and where they went worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Why Europeans sailed, and where they went. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can read a map of the old routes from Asia and explain why Europeans looked for sea routes, and what the caravel and the astrolabe did.
  • I can trace Dias (1487–1488) and da Gama (1497–1498) around Africa to India, with dates and causes.
  • I can trace Columbus (1492) and Magellan's expedition (1519–1522), tell what Columbus believed from what was true, and say who gained and who lost.

Standard: D2.Geo.7.6-8

Common mistakes

Your child read a different route or place. Follow the arrow named in the question.

Your child matched the wrong symbol in the key. Find the symbol first, then read its words.

Your child picked a different date from the map. Find the place, then read its date.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with why europeans sailed, and where they went?

Your child read a different route or place. Follow the arrow named in the question.

Are these 7th grade social studies worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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