Why Europeans sailed, and where they went
Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
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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?
- Italian ports such as Venice and Genoa
- Lisbon, at the start of the dashed arrow
- The coast of Africa
- Asia, at the start
What empire lies across the old routes on the map, Kira asks?
- The Inca Empire
- The Ottoman Empire
- The Roman Empire
- The Portuguese Empire
In the key, what does a pepper stand for, Milo asks?
- Ivory
- Gems
- Silk
- Spices
In the key, what does a dashed arrow mean, Noah asks?
- A river
- A new sea voyage
- A border between empires
- An old trade route over land
Which goods does the key show coming from Asia, Pia asks?
- Spices, and no other goods
- Spices, silk, gems and ivory
- Potatoes and maize
- Horses and cattle
Tala reads the word caravel. What was a caravel?
- A trading port in Italy
- A tool to find latitude
- A spice from Asia
- A small sailing ship
Zee reads that Prince Henry sent expeditions. What is an expedition?
- A tax on trade goods
- A journey made for a purpose
- A map of the stars
- A kind of ship's sail
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 were made in Venice
- Spices grew in gardens across Europe
Why would a sea route straight to Asia appeal to Portugal, Bo asks?
- It could skip traders and taxes
- Asia had no spices
- It would cost more than the old routes
- Ships could not sail far
Why would a ship's crew want to know its latitude, Esme asks?
- To know how far east they were
- To know the time in Lisbon
- To know how far north or south they were
- To know the price of spices