Why Europeans sailed, and where they went
Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Why Europeans looked for sea routes (1400s)
Arrows carry spices, silk, gems and ivory from Asia overland and through the Middle East to Italian ports such as Venice and Genoa; a shaded area marks the Ottoman Empire across the routes; a second arrow runs from Lisbon, Portugal, down the coast of Africa, labeled "Prince Henry's expeditions, about 1419 to 1460". Key: a solid arrow is an old trade route; a dashed arrow is a new sea voyage; a pepper is spices; a roll of cloth is silk; a gem is gems; a tusk is ivory. Below the map: goods passed through many traders, and taxes and prices rose at each step. Two tools: the caravel, a small sailing ship, and the mariner's astrolabe, which measured the height of the sun or a star to find latitude.
On Jun's map, where do the old trade routes end in Europe?
- Lisbon, at the start of the dashed arrow
- The coast of Africa
- Asia, at the start
- Italian ports such as Venice and Genoa
Which country sent ships down the coast of Africa, by the map, Luz asks?
- Venice
- China
- The Ottoman Empire
- Portugal
In the key, what does a dashed arrow mean, Noah asks?
- A river
- A border between empires
- An old trade route over land
- A new sea voyage
Which goods does the key show coming from Asia, Pia asks?
- Potatoes and maize
- Spices, silk, gems and ivory
- Spices, and no other goods
- Horses and cattle
Ren reads about the mariner's astrolabe. What did it help sailors find?
- The price of spices
- Their longitude
- The depth of the sea
- Their latitude
Tala reads the word caravel. What was a caravel?
- A trading port in Italy
- A tool to find latitude
- A small sailing ship
- A spice from Asia
Zee reads that Prince Henry sent expeditions. What is an expedition?
- A kind of ship's sail
- A map of the stars
- A journey made for a purpose
- A tax on trade goods
Why did spices cost so much in Europe, by the note, Ari asks?
- Ships carried spices for free
- Prices rose at each step of the trip
- Spices grew in gardens across Europe
- Spices were made in Venice
Why would a sea route straight to Asia appeal to Portugal, Bo asks?
- It would cost more than the old routes
- It could skip traders and taxes
- Asia had no spices
- Ships could not sail far
Why would a ship's crew want to know its latitude, Esme asks?
- To know the price of spices
- To know the time in Lisbon
- To know how far east they were
- To know how far north or south they were