Deck 15: The Maritime Revolution, to 1550

Question 1

Why did the Ming court suspend the voyages of Zheng He?

A) The Chinese had suffered great epidemics from their contacts in the Indian Ocean.
B) Zheng He's fleet was sunk by Portuguese naval might.
C) The government opposed increased contact with people considered as barbarians.
D) The unpredictable weather of the Indian Ocean made these voyages too unsafe.
E) Zheng He used the fleet to lead a revolution against the Ming emperor.

Answer 1

The government opposed increased contact with people considered as barbarians.

Question 2

By 1450, daring mariners had explored many regions of the world, but none had traversed the entire expanse of

A) The Pacific Ocean.
B) The Atlantic Ocean.
C) The Indian Ocean.
D) The North Sea.
E) All of these.

Answer 2

The Pacific Ocean.

Question 3

Early Portuguese explorations focused on Africa, however, the eventual explicit goal of Portuguese explorers was to:

A) convert Africans to Christianity.
B) overthrow the Islamic state in North Africa.
C) launch a new crusade against the Ottoman Empire.
D) find a passage to India.
E) initiate the African slave trade.

Answer 3

find a passage to India.

Question 4

An early motivation for Portuguese maritime exploration was to

A) gain access to the sub-Saharan gold trade.
B) find buried treasure near Madagasacar.
C) discover the "New World."
D) find the Christian kingdom of Prester John.
E) quell political dissent.

Question 5

Prince Henry of Portugal was known as Henry the Navigator because

A) he was the first person to round the Cape of Good Hope.
B) he devoted his life to promoting exploration.
C) he designed the compass.
D) he discovered America.
E) "navigator" means conqueror in Portuguese.

Question 6

In addition to sailing up the Pacific coast, early Amerindians from South America also colonized the West Indies; by the time of Columbus these people were travelling throughout the Caribbean:

A) Arawak and Carib.
B) Inka and Aztecs.
C) Anasazi and Hopewell.
D) Toltec and Olmec.
E) None of the above.

Question 7

What two nations began a maritime revolution that profoundly altered the course of world history?

A) England and France
B) Portugal and Spain
C) Germany and Russia
D) China and Japan
E) Greece and Italy

Question 8

Which of the following was a reason for Iberian overseas exploration?

A) Long-standing Muslim alliances
B) Spain was a center of Renaissance learning.
C) They already had the major share of Mediterranean trade.
D) Christian militancy.
E) None of these

Question 9

What factors combined to make Spain one of the most powerful European states in the 16th century?

A) The marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabel of Castile
B) Expulsion of the Muslims from Spain in 1492
C) Spain's influence with the Catholic church
D) Political alliances with the Abbasid Caliphate
E) Being the center of intellectual development in Europe.

Question 10

Which of the following statements is not true of Chinese-African contacts circa 1415-1433?

A) At least three trading cities in East Africa sent delegations to China in 1415.
B) Zheng's voyages were extended to Africa.
C) Zheng's voyages stimulated the Swahili silk market.
D) The Chinese imported more pepper as a result of this contact.
E) Many cultural misunderstandings led to the Sino-African War.

Question 11

Sailing in the Indian Ocean was less difficult and dangerous than in other places because

A) it is shallow.
B) there is less wind.
C) the monsoon winds are predictable.
D) it isn't an ocean, but rather a large saltwater lake.
E) there are no sharks.

Question 12

Which of the following trends led Latin Europe to adventure to the New World?

A) The revival of urban life and trade.
B) Alliances between merchants and rulers.
C) The struggle with Islamic powers in the Mediterranean.
D) Growing intellectual curiosity.
E) All of these.

Question 13

How did the Vikings maneuver across long distances?

A) Use of the astrolabe and compass
B) Knowledge of the heavens and seas.
C) Extensive Arabic maps
D) Legends and oral traditions.
E) Trial and error.

Question 14

How did the rise of medieval Islam give trade in the Indian Ocean an important boost?

A) The Muslim cities in the Middle East provided a demand for commodities.
B) Networks of Muslim traders tied the region together.
C) The Muslim traders shared a common ethic, language, and law.
D) Muslim traders actively spread their religion to distant trading cities.
E) All of these

Question 15

The greatest mariners of the Atlantic in the Early Middle Ages were

A) Mongols.
B) Ostrogoths.
C) Celts.
D) Vikings.
E) Lombards.

Question 16

Why didn't the Italian states take a lead in exploring the Atlantic?

A) Italy lacked warm water access and seafaring technology.
B) The ships of the Mediterranean were ill suited to the Atlantic.
C) The trading states of Venice and Genoa preferred a system of alliances with the Muslims.
D) Both A and B
E) Both B and C

Question 17

The Asian vessels of the Indian Ocean were called junks and

A) caravels.
B) triremes.
C) galleons
D) dhows.
E) sloops.

Question 18

The Ming Empire attempted to reestablish Chinese predominance and prestige in the Indian Ocean by

A) sending out seven imperial fleets between 1405 and 1433.
B) employing Mongol horsemen to travel the Silk Road.
C) attempting to defeat the Portuguese in the famous sea battle of Calcutta.
D) establishing maritime courts to deal with pirates and privateers.
E) building "artificial" islands.

Question 19

The Chinese treasure ships of Zheng He carried

A) people and animals as settlers for far-flung colonies.
B) silk, metals, and other valuable goods as gifts for distant rulers.
C) soldiers to fight the Japanese pirates in the Sea of Japan.
D) balsa wood for buoyancy.
E) salted fish.

Question 20

The island of Madagascar was settled by

A) Malayo-Indonesians.
B) Polynesians.
C) Arabs.
D) Africans.
E) both A and B.

Question 21

The Portuguese established a base in China in 1557 at

A) Beijing.
B) Yuan.
C) Macao.
D) Cambaluc.
E) Dien Bien Phu.

Question 22

What did the Portuguese receive in their trade with the kingdom of Benin?

A) pepper
B) ivory tusks
C) stone beads
D) slaves
E) all of the above

Question 23

Columbus insisted that he had reached

A) the Indian Ocean.
B) the West Indies.
C) the New World.
D) China.
E) Malacca.

Question 24

The Portuguese gained control of the eastern Indian Ocean through

A) conquest.
B) diplomatic negotiation.
C) trade alliances.
D) B and C only.
E) A, B, and C.

Question 25

Christopher Columbus was a Genoese mariner employed by

A) Sicily.
B) Spain.
C) Portugal.
D) Genoa.
E) Syracuse.

Question 26

The first Portuguese who landed in India were greeted with

A) open arms.
B) panic and fear.
C) awe.
D) derisive laughter at the gifts Vasco da Gama brought.
E) religious enthusiasm.

Question 27

The advantage of the caravel was that it was

A) fast.
B) maneuverable.
C) a good fighting ship.
D) armed with small cannons.
E) all of these.

Question 28

When Portugal began to import enough gold from Africa, it began to issue these as a reminder of their religious and secular power:

A) stock options.
B) private investment opportunities to sponsor maritime cargo and trade.
C) gold coins called cruzados.
D) military detachments to protect merchant ships laden with goods.
E) Jesuit settlements in repayment to the Order of Christ.

Question 29

The Portuguese contribution to shipbuilding technology was the creation of this small, highly maneuverable three- masted ship:

A) dhow
B) junk
C) galleon
D) trireme
E) caravel

Question 30

An important addition to the maritime revolution was sailing northwest into the Atlantic to the latitude of the Azores by

A) learning to speedily return by riding westerly winds.
B) learning that the magnetic compass did not work while at sea.
C) recognizing that the caravel was unsuited for voyages of exploration.
D) understanding that the lost island of Atlantis was accessible via caravel.
E) improvements to his ship design by Thomas of Caravel.

Question 31

The result of Portuguese domination of Indian Ocean trade routes was

A) considerable Portuguese profit.
B) that they charged a lower price for pepper than Venice or Genoa.
C) that more spices and luxury goods were shipped to Europe.
D) little impact on the African and Asian mainlands.
E) all of these.

Question 32

The desire to round the southern tip of Africa to reach the Indian Ocean was originally motivated by

A) the gold trade.
B) the slave trade.
C) the silk trade.
D) the spice trade.
E) none of these.

Question 33

The most profitable and strongest colonization by Europe was in

A) Africa.
B) China.
C) India.
D) the Americas.
E) Newfoundland.

Question 34

An area of dispute between Portugal and Spain despite the Treaty of Tordesillas was who had claim to the spice trade from:

A) Macao
B) Indonesia
C) Goa
D) Singapore
E) the Moluccas

Question 35

Two important navigational technologies, the magnetic compass and the astrolabe,

A) were invented by Henry the Navigator.
B) were invented by Columbus.
C) were of Italian origin.
D) were held by an exclusive English patent.
E) were of Chinese and Arab or Greek origin, respectively.

Question 36

The first Portuguese explorer to reach the southern tip of Africa and view the Indian Ocean was

A) Bartolomeu Dias.
B) Prince Henry.
C) Vasco da Gama.
D) Ferdinand Magellan.
E) Jesus Alou.

Question 37

In 1500, what did Portuguese mariners discover while attempting to find a favorable wind around Africa?

A) The east coast of South America
B) The west coast of North America
C) The North Pole
D) The Russian coast
E) The river Styx

Question 38

The first Portuguese explorer to purchase the rights of exploration of Africa was

A) Fernão Gomes
B) Bartolomeu Dias
C) Bartolomo de las Casas
D) Ferdinand Magellan
E) Christopher Columbus

Question 39

The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 divided the New World between

A) Islamic Africa and Christian America.
B) Spain and China.
C) Portugal and Malacca.
D) Spain and Portugal.
E) Spain and Genoa.

Question 40

The powerful West African kingdom of Benin limited its contacts with the Portuguese by

A) refusing to accept Catholicism.
B) declining offers to receive missionaries.
C) closing the market in male slaves.
D) all of these.
E) none of these.

Question 41

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Bartolomeu Dias

Question 42

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Zheng He

Question 43

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Henry the Navigator

Question 44

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
conquistadors

Question 45

The difference between the Spanish Empire and the Portuguese Empire was that

A) the motives of the Spanish were purely religious.
B) the Spanish Empire was a territorial empire, while the Portuguese Empire was a trading empire.
C) the motives of the Portuguese Empire were purely economic.
D) the Spanish Empire was a trading empire, while the Portuguese Empire was a territorial empire.
E) the Spanish Empire was only an "intellectual" empire.

Question 46

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Vasco da Gama

Question 47

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Christopher Columbus

Question 48

Cortés had which advantages in conquering the Aztecs?

A) An alliance with the Tlaxacans
B) Firearms and horses
C) The Aztecs had only recently established their empire at the expense of other tribes.
D) Smallpox
E) All of these

Question 49

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
caravel

Question 50

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Afonso I

Question 51

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Canary Islands

Question 52

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Ferdinand Magellan

Question 53

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Moctezuma II

Question 54

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Gold Coast

Question 55

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Atahualpa

Question 56

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Francisco Pizarro

Question 57

Early sixteenth century Spanish adventurers who conquered Mexico, Central America and Peru were the

A) conquistadors.
B) teutonic knights.
C) saracens.
D) marines.
E) encomiendas.

Question 58

The first Amerindians to contact the Spanish in Hispaniola were the

A) Aztecs.
B) Arawaks.
C) Maya.
D) Incas.
E) Cassava.

Question 59

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Arawak

Question 60

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Hernán Cortés

Question 61

How significant was the role of religion in driving the forces of exploration from Europe?

Question 62

Using Map 15.3, identify the Tordesillas line. What was its importance?

Question 63

European overseas expansion before 1550 was the product of two related phenomena in terms of motivations and technology. What were these phenomena, and how did they encourage European expansion?

Question 64

Describe the interactions of Portuguese and West African peoples, from initial contact by explorers to the permanent settlements established by Portuguese traders. In what ways were interactions between East Africans and the Portuguese similar to or different from interactions between the Portuguese and the Indian Ocean states?

Question 65

What four major trends led Spain and Portugal to sponsor voyages of exploration?

Question 66

Using Map 15.3, trace the Portuguese colonial holdings in Africa and Asia.

Question 67

Using Map 15.3, explain why the Portuguese played such a prominent role in the rise of African slave trade.

Question 68

What was the impact of the Spanish in the Americas, as compared with the Portuguese in Africa and the East? What enabled the Spanish to conquer such an enormous territory with so few men?

Question 69

Using Map 15.2, trace the outlines of the Spanish Empire in the Americas by 1600. In your answer, distinguish between the different groups of Amerindians with which the Spanish came in contact.

Question 70

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Polynesia

Question 71

Discuss African encounters with the Portuguese from the 14-16th centuries, and why they varied so greatly. What role did Christianity have on aiding (or not) relations between the African Kingdoms in combating slavery?

Question 72

Describe the Portuguese explorations in the Indian Ocean. How would you characterize the receptivity of the indigenous peoples and empires?

Question 73

Using Map 15.1, discuss the theories concerning Polynesian settlements in the islands of the eastern Pacific.

Question 74

Europeans were not the first to explore the world and come in contact with far-off peoples and lands. What were the maritime patterns of Chinese and Muslim global exploration before 1450?

Question 75

Using Map 15.3, discuss the Spanish and Portuguese Empires. What were their geographic regions? How were they different?

Question 76

The Chinese and the Muslims were not the only peoples to explore the maritime world before the Europeans. Trace the maritime progress of Malayo-Polynesians, Africans, and Amerindians before 1450.

Question 77

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Swahili Coast

Question 78

What indicates that the Ming Dynasty intended to establish their presence among foreigners and traders as impressive and awe-inspiring?

Question 79

.Using Map 15.2, describe the different Amerindian populations and their voyages prior to their encounter with the Spanish and Portuguese.

Question 80

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Treaty of Tordesillas