Age of Exploration
Test Review
1. What were the causes of the
Age of Exploration?
• New and improved technology
allowed for long ocean
voyages
• Demand for goods from Asia
• Ottoman Empire blocked trade
routes
2. What were Isabella and Ferdinand’s
role in the Age of Exploration?
• Financed many expeditions to
discover an all water route to Asia,
Christopher Columbus among
them
3. Describe the achievement of each
of the following explorers in the
space provided.
• Bartolomeu Dias—
*Discovered the tip of Africa
but never reached Asia
• Vasco da Gama—
*Sailed to India around the
southern tip of Africa and
Calcutt India
• Christopher Columbus—
*Tried to reach India by
sailing west, but instead
came into contact with the
West Indies
• Hernando Cortez—
*Conquered Montezuma II
and the Aztec Empire
• Francisco
Pizarro—
*Conquered
Athualpa
and the
Incan Empire
4. What was the Inquisition?
• Court created by
Isabella and
Ferdinand to root
out heresy (going
against the
Catholic Church)
4. What was the Inquisition?
• 150,000 people were tortured,
exiled and burned at the stake
• Isabella and
Ferdinand
were devout
Catholics
5. What two countries lead the Age
of Exploration?
• Spain
• Portugal
6. What were the conquistador’s
motives in the Americas?
• God, Gold, and Glory
7. What factors allowed conquistadors to
successfully defeat the Native
American civilizations?
• Superior weapons—
gunpowder,
cannons,
horses and
armor
7. What factors allowed conquistadors
to successfully defeat the Native
American civilizations?
• Allied themselves with enemies
• Smallpox/Disease
8. What impact did the conquistadors
contact with the Americans have on
the Native American population?
• Destroyed the population
through enslavement, warfare
and smallpox
9. Explain how the Age of Exploration
caused the development of the slave
trade.
• Smallpox destroyed the Native
American population forcing
Europeans to import African
slaves to work on large
plantations.
10.What effects did the slave trade
have on Africa?
• Caused great upheaval in
African societies.
11. Describe mercantilism.
• Colonies supply the mother
country with raw materials.
• Mother country uses raw
material to create
manufactured goods.
11. Describe mercantilism.
• Mother country then uses the
colonies as a market to sell
manufactured goods.
• Desire a favorable balance of
trade—export more then you
import
11. Describe mercantilism.
• Ultimate goal is self-sufficiency
• Mother country benefits in this
relationship
12.Describe the Encomienda System.
• Required large work force for
large plantations
13. What were the results of the Age of
Exploration?
• Begins a period of European
global domination