Zheng He's voyages and why Ming China turned inward

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Ships and winds (cards A to D; summaries in our words). Card A, ship sizes. The largest Ming treasure ship: sources differ, from about 70 m to more than 100 m, because a Ming record gives its size in old units that scholars convert differently. The usual Chinese trading junk before 1500: about 20 to 30 m. The Santa María, Columbus's largest ship (1492): about 19 m, an estimate, and the largest of his three small ships. Card B, the voyages: seven voyages between 1405 and 1433, each lasting up to about two years. Card C, historians: historians still debate the size of the ships, the size of the fleet and the purpose of the voyages. Card D, ocean winds: ships crossing the Indian Ocean depended on seasonal monsoon winds, which blow toward the west in winter and back toward the east in summer.

2. 1.

   Card A gives the largest treasure ship as 70 m or more, and the Santa María as 19 m. At least how many times as long was the treasure ship, Luz asks?

   • About 51 times as long, since 70 minus 19 is 51 and that gives the ratio
   • Exactly 5 times as long, since the largest size, 100 m, divided by 19 is about 5
   • At least 3 times as long, since even 70 divided by 19 is about 3.7
   • About 37 times as long, since 70 divided by 19 is about 37 in this case
3. 2.

   A student writes, "Zheng He's largest ship was exactly 130 m long." What in card A challenges that, Milo asks?

   • Card A says the Santa María was about 19 m, so a 130 m ship is impossible
   • Card A says the ship was 100 m, so 130 m is the sole wrong guess among the sizes in the card
   • Card A says the ship was 20 to 30 m, so 130 m is ten times too long
   • Card A says sources differ, from about 70 m to more than 100 m, so no length is settled
4. 3.

   The usual junk was 20 to 30 m and the largest treasure ship at least 70 m (card A). At least how many times as long as the longest junk was it, Pia asks?

   • About 40 times as long, since 70 minus 30 is 40 and that gives the ratio
   • About 23 times as long, since 70 divided by 30 is about 23 in this case
   • Exactly 3 times as long, since the largest size, 100 m, divided by 30 is about 3
   • At least 2 times as long, since even 70 divided by 30 is about 2.3
5. 4.

   Card D says ships depended on monsoon winds. How does that help explain why a voyage lasted up to about two years, Ren asks?

   • Ships waited for the winds to turn before sailing home, so a round trip took long
   • Ships stopped to fight the winds in each port until storms ended each year
   • Winds blew steadily in one direction through the year, so ships sailed home at once
   • Monsoon winds blow toward the east in winter, so the ships went home first
6. 5.

   Card B says seven voyages came between 1405 and 1433. On average, about how many years is that for each voyage, Tala asks?

   • About 4 years, since 28 years divided by 7 voyages is 4
   • About 0.4 years, since 28 years divided by 7 voyages is 0.4
   • About 2 years, the length of a single voyage given in card B
   • About 21 years, since 28 years minus 7 voyages is 21
7. 6.

   Card C says historians debate the ships, the fleet and the purpose of the voyages. Which statement is most careful, Zee asks?

   • Historians agree the voyages happened but debate the ships' size, fleet and purpose
   • Historians disagree about whether the voyages happened, so nothing is known about them
   • The debate is settled by the Ming record, since it is the oldest source for the fleets
   • A debate means the voyages cannot be studied, since each side may be right
8. 7.

   Compare the Santa María (about 19 m) with the usual junk (20 to 30 m) in card A. Which statement is supported, Ari asks?

   • The Santa María was about the size of the smallest usual Chinese junks
   • The Santa María was far bigger than the usual Chinese junks of the time
   • The Santa María was exactly the size of each Chinese junk before 1500
   • The Santa María was a treasure ship, since it was the largest of Columbus's ships
9. 8.

   Which new find would best settle the size of the largest treasure ships, Bo asks?

   • A modern book that repeats card A's range in new words for readers today
   • A list of the foreign gifts that the fleets carried back to China
   • A new poem from the 1400s that praises the beauty of the fleets and their ships at sea
   • Remains of a treasure ship's hull or measured timbers from a dated 1400s shipyard
10. 9.

    Why might a Ming record give ship sizes in old units, Esme asks?

    • It was written for foreign sailors, who needed sizes in a Chinese system
    • It was written for scholars today, who prefer old units to meters
    • It was written to hide the ships' size, so no one could ever convert the numbers
    • It was written for readers of its own time, so we must convert the numbers
11. 10.

    A student writes, "The fleet had exactly 300 ships." Why does card C challenge that, Jun asks?

    • Card C says historians agree on a fleet of 300 ships, so the number is correct
    • Card C says no one can know the size of the fleet, so any number is equally good
    • Historians still debate the fleet's size, so one exact number claims too much
    • Card C says the ships were 70 m long, so the fleet could not have had 300 ships