PencilGo

Grade 7 · Social Studies

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

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

Level: Building Confidence · On Level · Challenge Me

When it’s done, scan the sheet with your phone and PencilGo marks it and picks the next one. Create a free account

Version
Print

Why Europeans sailed, and where they went

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. 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.

  2. 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

  3. Which country sent ships down the coast of Africa, by the map, Luz asks?

    • Venice
    • China
    • The Ottoman Empire
    • Portugal

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. 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
PencilGopencilgo.com

7th grade Why Europeans sailed, and where they went worksheet – printable
Print: 123456

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.

More grade 7 social studies

See all grade 7 social studies

Every sheet you scan goes into your child’s record: dated, marked and ready for the year-end portfolio. Homeschool records

Ready for easier practice?

Print a sheet, scan it when it’s done, and PencilGo picks the next one.

Create a free account