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 37 times as long, since 70 divided by 19 is about 37 in this case
   • 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
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 ship was 20 to 30 m, so 130 m is ten times too long
   • 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 sources differ, from about 70 m to more than 100 m, so no length is settled
   • Card A says the Santa María was about 19 m, so a 130 m ship is impossible
4. 3.

   Card A says a Ming record gives the ship's size in old units. What should Noah do with that record?

   • Trust the newest conversion, since newer scholars know more than older ones
   • Ignore the record, since old units cannot be turned into meters
   • Use one conversion and call it exact, since a Ming record is a reliable source
   • Treat the converted size as a range, since scholars convert the units differently
5. 4.

   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 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
   • About 40 times as long, since 70 minus 30 is 40 and that gives the ratio
   • At least 2 times as long, since even 70 divided by 30 is about 2.3
6. 5.

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

   • Monsoon winds blow toward the east in winter, so the ships went home first
   • Winds blew steadily in one direction through the year, so ships sailed home at once
   • Ships stopped to fight the winds in each port until storms ended each year
   • Ships waited for the winds to turn before sailing home, so a round trip took long
7. 6.

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

   • About 0.4 years, since 28 years divided by 7 voyages is 0.4
   • About 21 years, since 28 years minus 7 voyages is 21
   • About 4 years, since 28 years divided by 7 voyages is 4
   • About 2 years, the length of a single voyage given in card B
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 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
   • The Santa María was about the size of the smallest usual Chinese junks
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
   • Remains of a treasure ship's hull or measured timbers from a dated 1400s shipyard
   • 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
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 for readers of its own time, so we must convert the numbers
    • It was written to hide the ships' size, so no one could ever 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
    • 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
    • Card C says no one can know the size of the fleet, so any number is equally good