1. Reports of great riches in the Americas caused the Spanish kingdom to take which of the following actions?
- A. Build a large navy to protect its own shores from attack
- B. Focus only on trading for new types of food with the native peoples
- C. Send soldiers to conquer native empires and seize their wealth
- D. Close its borders to prevent gold from leaving the country
2. What resource was Hernan Cortés primarily searching for when he invaded the Aztec Empire?
- A. A large supply of gold
- B. New lands for Spanish farmers to settle on
- C. A direct water route to Asia
- D. Lumber for building ships
3. How did the Spanish desire for gold directly impact the Aztec and Inca empires?
- A. It created a strong and lasting trading partnership with Spain.
- B. It led to their conquest by Spanish conquistadors.
- C. It encouraged them to hide their cities from all Europeans.
- D. It helped them become wealthier by selling gold to the Spanish.
4. What was the main reason Spain sent explorers and soldiers to the Americas after Columbus's voyages?
- A. To find gold and other treasures for their kingdom
- B. To learn new farming methods from native peoples
- C. To create accurate maps of the entire continent
- D. To establish peaceful trade routes for spices
5. The Spanish explorers and soldiers who traveled to the Americas to find wealth and claim land were known as what?
- A. merchants
- B. conquistadors
- C. governors
- D. missionaries
6. How did the introduction of American crops like corn and potatoes impact Europe after the Columbian Exchange?
- A. They were mostly ignored by European farmers and had little effect.
- B. They caused widespread crop failure as they were difficult to grow.
- C. They led to population growth by improving European diets.
- D. They were traded mainly for spices and did not become staple foods.
7. Which option correctly pairs an item brought to the Americas with a major negative outcome for its native people?
- A. Potatoes and the growth of European populations
- B. Corn and the development of new farming techniques
- C. Diseases and the forced labor of enslaved people
- D. Turkeys and the creation of new global trade routes
8. What is the best description of the Columbian Exchange that began after 1492?
- A. A treaty signed between European and Native American leaders.
- B. The transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and ideas between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
- C. The route Columbus used to sail from Spain to the Americas.
- D. A new currency system based on gold and silver from the Americas.
9. Which of the following foods was brought from the Americas to Europe, where it improved diets and helped populations grow?
- A. Wheat
- B. Oranges
- C. Potatoes
- D. Sugar
10. Which animal, introduced to the Americas by Europeans, significantly changed the way many Native Americans on the Great Plains hunted and traveled?
- A. Pigs
- B. Cattle
- C. Horses
- D. Sheep