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Exploration and Settlement — Practice Questions

  1. 1. A Spanish settlement focused on teaching Christianity to Native Americans was called a...

    • A. pueblo.
    • B. presidio.
    • C. mission.
    • D. fort.
  2. 2. What was the main difference between a Spanish mission and a Spanish pueblo?

    • A. Missions were for soldiers, while pueblos were for farmers.
    • B. Missions were for religion, while pueblos were for farming.
    • C. Missions were built inland, while pueblos were on the coast.
    • D. Missions were temporary, while pueblos were permanent.
  3. 3. What was the main goal of the Spanish priests who started the missions in California?

    • A. To find gold and other riches
    • B. To teach Native Americans the Spanish religion and lifestyle
    • C. To serve as the main government centers for the region
    • D. To create trading posts with other countries
  4. 4. Which statement best describes the role of a presidio in Spanish California?

    • A. It was a town for farming.
    • B. It was a school for priests.
    • C. It was a place for trading goods.
    • D. It was a military fort built to house soldiers and protect Spanish lands.
  5. 5. Why did the Spanish create farming towns known as pueblos?

    • A. To provide a place for Native Americans to live
    • B. To grow food for the soldiers living in the presidios
    • C. To act as the main centers for religious teaching
    • D. To build ships for exploring the coast
  6. 6. Spain's fear that it might lose California was mainly caused by the activities of which two countries?

    • A. France and Portugal
    • B. Russia and Britain
    • C. The Netherlands and Germany
    • D. Mexico and the United States
  7. 7. For over 200 years, Spain explored the California coast but did not build towns. What was the main reason this changed in the 1700s?

    • A. They discovered large amounts of gold.
    • B. They became worried other countries would claim the land.
    • C. The California Indians asked them to build missions.
    • D. It became much easier to travel there from Mexico.
  8. 8. What was the main purpose of the missions and presidios that Spain began building in Alta California starting in 1769?

    • A. To create new trade routes to Asia.
    • B. To provide a safe place for explorers.
    • C. To show other nations that Spain controlled California.
    • D. To learn about new plants and animals.
  9. 9. How did Spain's approach to Alta California change in the late 1700s?

    • A. They decided to sell the land to another country.
    • B. They stopped exploring the coast and focused only on the desert.
    • C. They moved from just exploring the land to building settlements on it.
    • D. They abandoned their plan to control the area completely.
  10. 10. Spain began to build a chain of settlements in Alta California primarily as a reaction to what?

    • A. A desire to find more farmland for Spanish settlers.
    • B. A request for help from California Indian tribes.
    • C. The threat of other European powers claiming the region.
    • D. The discovery of a safe harbor in San Francisco Bay.