How Spain and Portugal built empires in the Americas

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Dividing the world: the Treaty of Tordesillas, 1494

   a north–south line runs from pole to pole, 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands; lands to the west are shaded for Spain and lands to the east for Portugal; the eastern end of Brazil lies east of the line; an arrow shows a Portuguese fleet under Pedro Álvares Cabral reaching Brazil in 1500. Key: yellow shading is Spain's side; green shading is Portugal's side; a dashed line is the treaty line; an arrow is a voyage. Below the map: the treaty was signed on June 7, 1494, by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain and John II of Portugal. It moved an earlier 1493 line farther west. The peoples already living in these lands were not asked.

2. 1.

   On Noah's map, which side of the line went to Spain?

   • Just the Cape Verde Islands
   • No lands
   • The lands to the east
   • The lands to the west
3. 2.

   Why did part of Brazil become Portuguese, by the map, Pia asks?

   • Cabral bought it in 1494
   • It lay to the west of the treaty line
   • Its east was on Portugal's side
   • Spain sold it to Portugal
4. 3.

   Who reached Brazil in 1500, by the map, Ren asks?

   • Ferdinand and Isabella
   • Cabral's Portuguese fleet
   • Pizarro's men
   • A Spanish fleet in 1494
5. 4.

   In the key, what does green shading stand for, Tala asks?

   • Portugal's side
   • Spain's side
   • The treaty line
   • A voyage
6. 5.

   What does the dashed line show, Zee asks?

   • A voyage
   • A river
   • The equator, at zero degrees
   • The treaty line
7. 6.

   When was the treaty signed, by the note, Ari asks?

   • 1493
   • 1500
   • June 7, 1949
   • June 7, 1494
8. 7.

   Esme reads the word colony. What is a colony?

   • A treaty line
   • A trading ship
   • Land ruled by a faraway country
   • A country that rules itself fully
9. 8.

   Why did Spain and Portugal agree to a line, Kira asks?

   • To settle which lands each claimed
   • To give lands to the peoples there
   • To share each land equally
   • To end the voyages for good
10. 9.

    The note says the peoples living there were not asked. Why does that matter, Luz asks?

    • No one lived in the Americas
    • The peoples drew the line
    • The peoples agreed to the line
    • Others' lands were divided without them
11. 10.

    The treaty moved an earlier 1493 line west. Who gained from the move, Milo asks?

    • Spain
    • Portugal
    • The Inca
    • The Cape Verde Islands