Why Europeans sailed, and where they went
Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
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.
When did da Gama reach India, Pia asks?
- December 1488
- July 8, 1497
- November 22, 1497
- May 20, 1498
Which explorer's route turned back after the Cape, Ren asks?
- King John II
- Pedro Álvares Cabral
- Bartolomeu Dias
- Vasco da Gama
How many years passed between Dias rounding the Cape (1488) and da Gama reaching India (1498), Tala asks?
- 2,986 years
- 1 year
- 10 years
- 100 years
About how long did da Gama's trip from Lisbon to India take, Zee asks?
- About 10 months
- About 10 days
- About 10 years
- About 1 month at sea
Which came first, Dias's voyage or Cabral reaching Brazil, Ari asks?
- Dias's voyage
- Neither one: both are 1600s
- Both in the same year
- Cabral reaching Brazil
What did da Gama's route make possible, Bo asks?
- A road across Africa
- Trade by land through Venice and Genoa
- Trade by sea, skipping the middlemen
- An end to the spice trade
Why did the king rename the Cape of Storms the Cape of Good Hope, Esme asks?
- To encourage travel and trade
- To mark the end of exploring
- Because Dias asked for it
- Because the storms stopped for good
Which claim does the map support best, Kira asks?
- Da Gama sailed west across the Pacific to India
- Dias rounded Africa; da Gama reached India
- Cabral rounded Africa in 1488
- Dias reached India first
Luz's friend says da Gama found the way to India alone. What is the best reply?
- Agree: Dias stayed home
- Not quite: Dias's route and a pilot helped
- Disagree: da Gama did not reach India
- Agree: no one else helped
The map says Cabral's fleet reached Brazil in 1500. Which claim fits best, Milo asks?
- A Portuguese fleet reached Brazil in 1500
- Brazil was reached in 1487
- No one reached Brazil
- Da Gama reached Brazil in 1498