Name: ___________________________________
Core: _______
Quiz
Colonial America
_____1. The goal of colonialism is for the “mother country” to earn a
_______________________ from colonies by buying raw materials from
colonists and selling them finished products.
A. Profit
B. Loss
C. Living wage
D. Gold Medal
_____2. People left their homeland to colonize for many different reasons. Some went to
new lands for cheap land while others were searching for economic opportunity
and wealth. The Pilgrims and Puritans colonized in Massachusetts for a very
different reason. They were in search of
_________________________________.
A. gold
B. Cibola
C. Religious Freedom
D. Yeti
_____3. The Mayflower Compact represents the first attempt at ______________ in
America. This is a significant step towards independence from the monarchy in
England, and it established a set of rules and regulations for the new community.
A. Independence B. self-government
C. monarchy
D. living
_____4. The French and British clashed over a variety of economic reasons from 1756
1763. In Europe, the conflict was known as the Seven Years War. In America, it
became a clash for control of North America known as the ____________ War.
A. Revolutionary War
B.Civil War
C. French and Indian War
D. Boer War
5. Name one example of a new knowledge/technology brought to the Americas from
Europe and one example of new knowledge/technology the Americas shared with the
Europeans. (2 Points)
Name: ___________________________________
Core: _______
6. Complete the following chart with one example for each country:
European Country
Economic Goal
France
England
Spain
_____7. John Rolfe made Jamestown a profitable colony by growing a variety of
____________________________ that became desirable to Europeans. It
became the first cash crop of the Americas.
A. Corn
B. Tobacco
C. Wheat
D. Rice
_____8. Sir Walter Raleigh attempted to colonize an island off the coast of present-day
North Carolina in 1585. John White attempted to colonize the same island in
1587. Upon his return to the island three years later, he found the colony had
gone missing. It is known as the “Lost Colony of ________________________.”
A. Jamestown
B. Roanoke
C. Rhode Island
D. Plymouth
Name: ___________________________________
Core: _______
_____9. Many early settlers came to America as _____________________________
who agreed to work for a period of time in exchange for payment of their passage
to America.
A. Indentured Servants
B. Slaves
C. Hard Workers
D. Pilgrims
10. Explain how the French and Indian War got its name (2 Points).
11. Complete the chart below by filling in the boxes for the colony regions with one
correct economic focus for each region.
Major economic focus in each of the regions of the British
Colonies in North America
New England
Middle
Southern
_____12. Cash crops like tobacco, rice, indigo, and cotton were grown heavily
throughout the south on large plantations. These crops are all very labor
intensive to grow which means the southern colonies began to rely on
______________________ to do the work on the plantations.
A. Horses
B. Machines
C. Indentured Servants
D. Slaves
_____13. The Spanish settled parts of North America in the 1500s and 1600s. What
effect did this settlement have on the American Indians?
A. The American Indians set up a profitable fur trade with the Spanish.
B. The American Indians prevented the Spanish from settling the best farm land.
C. The American Indians converted many Spanish settlers to their native religion.
D. The American Indians were forced by the Spanish to work on their farms and
in their mines.
Name: ___________________________________
Core: _______
_____14. When European nations explored and conquered American Indian civilizations
in the 1500s, they were looking for sources of gold and silver.
Which European country became wealthy from the gold and silver found in the
Americas?
A. Italy
B. Spain
C. France
D. Sweden
_____15. In the 1500s, Spain and Portugal led European countries in exploring the
Western Hemisphere. What was an important result of this exploration?
A. Italy was prevented from claiming land in the New World.
B. Spain and Portugal established colonies in the Americas.
C. European nations lost interest in trading with Asia.
D. The Spice Islands were discovered.
_____16. How did contact with European explorers in the 1500s affect
the Aztecs?
A. Many Aztecs converted to the religion of Spain.
B. Many Aztecs learned to grow corn and potatoes for food.
C. The Aztecs developed strong monarchies modeled on those in Europe.
D. The Aztecs increased in numbers because of new medicines.
_____17. The Quakers emigrated from England to the American colonies in the late
1600s. The Quakers’ experiences in England led them to adopt which policy in
their new colony of Pennsylvania?
A. tolerating different religions
B. discouraging industrialization
C. allowing women to vote in elections
D. prohibiting Catholics from owning property
18. Between 1519 and 1605, the American Indian population in Central Mexico
decreased from approximately 25 million to 1 million people.
Identify and describe one reason why this population decline was so extreme.
(2 points)
Name: ___________________________________
Core: _______
_____19. In 1620, the Mayflower Compact created a basis for written laws in the New
England colony of Plymouth. Why did the Pilgrims create the Mayflower
Compact?
A. to declare independence from England
B. to ensure peace with American Indians
C. to establish an orderly community
D. to guarantee universal religious tolerance in the colony
_____20. Which phrase characterizes the development of the Renaissance in Europe?
A. the exchange of important agricultural techniques
B. the rebirth of interest in classical art, architecture and literature
C. the desire to modernize the styles of paintings and sculptures
D. the announcement of corruption in the medieval church
_____21. How did the arrival of Europeans change American Indians’ agricultural
practices?
A. American Indians learned how to herd buffalo without using horses.
B. American Indian tribes developed trade in foods among themselves.
C. American Indians began to raise new crops and animals, such as rice and
chickens.
D. American Indians began raising maize (corn) when Europeans brought it
across the Atlantic.