Unit 1B Study Guide
1. Who AND what was the greatest cause of the expansion of Christianity throughout Europe?
Theodosius declared Christianity the official religion of Rome.
2. What was the primary cause of increased trade between Europe and Asia during the
Middle Ages?
European merchants wanted more luxury items from Asia, such as spices, silks,
and cotton.
3. What did the desire to convert people to Christianity, the demand to make money on Asian
trade goods (luxury goods), and a desire for empire building led to?
increased exploration.
4. What happened to the Taino Indians as a result of Christopher Columbus “discovering” America?
The Taino culture was nearly wiped out because of disease and enslavement.
5. List the FIVE countries which led in European exploration. Of those five countries, CIRCLE the
three countries which claimed territory in North America.
-Spain
-Portugal
-England
-France
–Netherlands
6. How did Johann Gutenberg’s printing press change history?
Ideas were able to spread faster and easier across Europe, which helped the
Protestant Reformation.
7. Who challenged the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church AND what was the impact?
Martin Luther --- Catholic Church split, which resulted in the Protestant church
being created.
8. Explain the Protestant Reformation.
Reformers were upset with how the Catholic Church was running the church. They
spoke out against the church and ended up forming the Protestants.
9. What was the impact of Protestant Reformers translating the bible into other languages?
More people were able to read it so Protestant beliefs were spread all throughout
Europe.
10. Define the Triangle Trade Route AND explain the significance of the Middle Passage.
Triangle trade route was trading b/t Europe, Africa and the Americas.
They traded goods and items the other continent didn’t have. The Middle Passage
was the route from Africa to the Americas in which slaves were transported.
11. What new advancements in technology aided early exploration?
Caravel
Astrolabe
Magnetic Compass
Compass Rose
Maps
12. How did advancements in technology help European countries explore? PICK TWO
Caravel – Faster travel time in a ship, Ship could go longer distances
Astrolabe – helped sailors navigate the sea with timekeeping, surveying, geography
Magnetic Compass- Helped show direction when sailing
Compass Rose- Helped make map reading easier by understanding directions
Maps - They were becoming more accurate and helped explores get to correct location
13. What were the three primary motivations for European exploration? Explain each.
Gold- They wanted gold, wealth and money (through trade)
God- Spreading Christianity
Glory- Gain more land which means more power in the world
14. Was Christopher Columbus a hero or a villain in his “discovery” of America? Explain.
Hero- Discovered new land, paved way for other explorers, increased trade between America
and Europe
Villain- Enslaved natives, killed natives, brought over diseases
15. Define the Columbian Exchange.
The trading that occurred between Europe and the Americas due to Columbus’s exploration of
the land.
16. List three items exchanged between the Old World (Europe) and the New World (the
Americas) AND three items exchanged from the New World to the Old.
Old World to New World
New World to Old World
1. Sugar
1. Potato
2. Coffee
2. Chocolate
3. Horses
3. Corn
17. HOW did the Columbian Exchange change life for people in North America, Europe?
New diet with new food, potatoes allowed poor people to farm and survive, new
and more food increased population, Disease was spread which killed people,
New animals helped with Natives hunting and traveling