Age of Exploration Exam Questions: Columbus & the Catholic Monarchs

Exam Questions: Age of Exploration

Food Preservation

1. How did they preserve food?

All meat provisions were salted, as this was the only preservation method available in the hot climate.

Ship Leadership

2. Who was the captain?

The ship's Captain, the highest-ranking licensed mariner, was responsible for its safe and efficient operation.

Crew Roles

3. Who were the cook and the maintenance staff?

Maintenance staff: Personnel who assisted their superior in carrying out assigned tasks.

Cook: A person who prepared meals, specifically for sailors.

Sailor Definition

4. Which of these definitions describes a sailor?

• a) The people who do the fighting, on the ground, in planes, or from boats.
• b) A person who navigates waterborne vessels or assists as a crew member in their operation and maintenance.
• c) Sailor who leads ships at sea.

Columbus's Discoveries

5. Who was Christopher Columbus? What did he discover?

6. Name the three ships Columbus used to sail to America.

Voyage Duration

7. How long did the trip take?

Columbus's Support

8. Who helped him make the journey?

Columbus's Identity and Discovery

9. Who was Christopher Columbus? What did he discover?

Christopher Columbus, likely from Genoa, was a sailor obsessed with reaching India by crossing the Atlantic Ocean. He discovered America in 1492.

Voyage Length

10. Approximately how long did Columbus's voyage to America last?

Columbus's voyage to America lasted approximately three months and a week.

Proposed Voyage

11. To whom did he propose the journey?

He proposed the journey to the Catholic Monarchs.

Monarchs' Motivation

12. Why were they interested in making the voyage?

They were interested because it promised significant profits.

Catholic Monarchs' Identities

13. Who were the Catholic Monarchs?

Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They married in 1469, becoming the Catholic Monarchs.

Domestic Reforms

14. What domestic reforms did the Catholic Monarchs implement?

They increased the number of royal officials, reformed existing institutions, and established new ones.

Foreign Policy

15. What types of foreign policy were there?

• Diplomatic (union with Portugal and isolation of France)
• Military (on the Iberian Peninsula and beyond)

Reign Start

16. When did they become monarchs?

• a. 1480 and 1475
• b. 1474 and 1480
• c. 1474 and 1479

Trade Growth

17. Which commerce grew during colonization?

• a) Mediterranean coast trade
• b) Atlantic coast trade
• c) Cantabric coast trade

Global Spread

18. Name three factors that spread around the world.

Languages, new laws, and religion spread globally.

Metal Usage

19. What were the new metals used for?

The new metals were used to pay mercenaries and for banking activities.

Governing Institutions

20. List four institutions established to govern the colonized territories:

• Casa de Contratación
• Audiencias
• Viceroyalties
• El Consejo de Indias

Cultural Consequence

21. State one cultural consequence of the expeditions.

Technology, especially navigation, developed to meet new needs.

European Influx

22. What arrived in Europe from the Americas?

Large quantities of precious metals arrived in Europe.

European Occupation

23. Which regions did the European powers occupy?

• a. America and Asia
• b. Africa and Asia
• c. America and Africa

Resource Exploitation

24. What were the two main systems used to exploit the resources of the New World?

The two main systems were the encomienda and the mita.