Question 1

Most of the rewards received by the Spanish colonists for their conquests consisted of
A) gold and silver.
B) vast extensions of land.
C) Indian workers entrusted to them for labor.
D) public offices, a source of great power and prestige.

Accepted Answer

The Spanish colonists were often granted encomiendas, which were systems where they received Indian workers to labor for them, rather than direct wealth or land.

Question 2

Why did the Spanish conquerors already have a "crusading mentality" upon arriving to America?
A) They lived in a rugged and mountainous land.
B) Iberia had served as a bridge between Europe and Africa.
C) The prolonged Christian reconquest of Iberia shaped their attitudes.
D) They became involved in intense overseas exploration.

Accepted Answer

The prolonged Christian reconquest of Iberia, known as the Reconquista, which lasted from the 8th to the 15th century, deeply ingrained a crusading mentality among the Spanish. This historical context of fighting to reclaim land from Muslim rule fostered a mindset of religious warfare and conquest that they carried with them to the Americas.

Question 3

The Spanish defeat of the Aztecs and the Incas was
A) surprising considering the Spanish army was much smaller than those commanded by the indigenous emperors.
B) inevitable given that the natives believed the Spaniards were gods.
C) hard to understand given the superior power of the Indian bows and arrows.
D) understandable because the Spaniards had a larger army.

Accepted Answer

The Spanish were able to defeat the Aztecs and the Incas despite their smaller numbers due to factors like superior military technology (e.g., firearms, steel weapons, and horses), the spread of diseases to which the indigenous populations had no immunity, and strategic alliances with other indigenous groups who were rivals of the Aztecs and Incas.

Question 4

The Portuguese settled the two thousand miles of Brazilian coast by doing which of the following?
A) They brought a large contingent of soldiers to establish military posts along the coast.
B) They took advantage of the Catholic Church's missions along the coastline.
C) They parceled out big chunks of the territory to wealthy "captains."
D) They requested that the native Tupi acknowledge the sovereignty of the king.

Accepted Answer

The Portuguese parceled out large sections of Brazilian territory to wealthy individuals, known as "captains," who were responsible for the colonization and development of their lands. This system allowed for the effective settlement and control of the vast Brazilian coast.

Question 5

Upon reaching Hispaniola in the early 1490s, Columbus and his partners did which of the following?
A) promptly organized expeditions to Mexico and Peru
B) spent more than a decade dealing exclusively with the local Taino/Arawak people
C) spent a few years dealing exclusively with the Tupínambá people in today's Brazil
D) organized the conquest of the Caribbean empire

Accepted Answer

Columbus and his partners did not immediately embark on expeditions to Mexico and Peru or deal with the Tupínambá people in Brazil. Instead, they spent their initial years in the Caribbean, particularly in Hispaniola, engaging with the local Taino/Arawak people. This period involved exploration, establishing settlements, and interactions that were often exploitative towards the indigenous populations.

Question 6

Mestizo children were
A) mostly illegitimate offspring of Indian fathers and Spanish mothers.
B) treated similarly to Spaniards if they had Spanish siblings.
C) unable to inherit much from their Spanish fathers.
D) an insignificant and small group from early on.

Accepted Answer

Mestizo children, born from unions between Spanish men and Indigenous women, often faced legal and social barriers that limited their ability to inherit property or wealth from their Spanish fathers, reflecting the broader colonial caste system that prioritized pure Spanish ancestry.

Question 7

Which of the following statements best describes Africa by the time of conquest?
A) Slavery was an unknown institution in Africa.
B) Africa and Europe formed one single continent.
C) Slavery was a social institution basic to economic life.
D) Africans promoted slave markets since the early 1300s.

Accepted Answer

Slavery was indeed a social institution in Africa before the European conquest, integral to the economic and social structures of several African societies. It varied in form across different regions and periods, but it was an established part of many African societies, used for labor, debt repayment, and as a consequence of conflict.

Question 8

The main difference between the sedentary, semisedentary, and nonsedentary indigenous groups that inhabited the Americas before the Europeans arrived was
A) the way they adapted to their land.
B) how they organized their empires.
C) the role that women played within their social groups.
D) their social divisions.

Accepted Answer

The main difference lies in how these groups adapted to their land. Sedentary groups typically engaged in agriculture and built permanent settlements, semisedentary groups practiced a mix of agriculture and foraging and might move occasionally, while nonsedentary groups were nomadic, relying on hunting, gathering, or pastoralism, moving frequently to follow food sources.

Question 9

What did the Inca, Aztec, and Maya have in common?
A) They all spoke the same language.
B) They worshipped the same gods.
C) They fought against the Spanish in similar ways.
D) They had sustainable forms of agriculture.

Accepted Answer

The Inca, Aztec, and Maya civilizations each developed sophisticated and sustainable agricultural practices suited to their respective environments, which was crucial for supporting their large populations and complex societies.

Question 10

Why is it important to understand the relationship between the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula and the history of conquest in the Americas?
A) The Moors managed to fight their battles on both continents.
B) During the Conquest of the New World, the Iberians copied some of the successful strategies they used in the reconquest of the peninsula.
C) After conquering the Americas, many Iberian groups helped with the reconquest.
D) The Iberian Peninsula and the Americas were discovered simultaneously by the Europeans.

Accepted Answer

Understanding the relationship between the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula and the history of conquest in the Americas is important because during the Conquest of the New World, the Iberians applied some of the military strategies and approaches they had developed and used successfully during the reconquest of their own lands from the Moors. This historical experience influenced their tactics, strategies, and overall approach to conquest and colonization in the Americas.

Question 11

The Moors occupied the Iberian Peninsula for 800 years. Which of the following was a consequence of this occupation?
A) Iberia became a multiethnic society.
B) Iberia accepted Muslim rule.
C) Iberia banned the importation of slaves coming from Africa.
D) All Jews on the Iberian Peninsula were forced to exile.

Accepted Answer

The Moors' occupation of the Iberian Peninsula led to a significant cultural and demographic impact, including the development of a multiethnic society. This was due to the mix of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities coexisting in the region, as well as the influence of people from North Africa and the Middle East.

Question 12

What was the initial Iberian reaction to life in the Americas during the early conquest)?
A) They became workers in the mines.
B) They refused to do any manual work considering it contrary to the ideal of "success."
C) They made pacts with the natives to bring African slaves to do most of the work.
D) They opened coffee plantations with the support of the natives and the African slaves.

Accepted Answer

The initial Iberian reaction to life in the Americas involved a refusal to engage in manual labor, as it was considered contrary to their ideals of success and nobility. They sought to maintain their social status and viewed manual work as beneath them, leading to the reliance on indigenous and later African slave labor for the physical tasks required in the colonies.

Question 13

The reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula shaped the history of Spain and Portugal in multiple ways. Which of the following was a direct consequence of the reconquest?
A) The concentration of power in the Catholic Church.
B) The hiking of tribute and service from peasants.
C) The growing influence of the Christian nobles.
D) The collapse of some Christian kingdoms.

Accepted Answer

The reconquest, or Reconquista, led to the redistribution of lands to Christian nobles, increasing their influence and power in the newly reclaimed territories.

Question 14

Why did the African slaves survive to populate Brazil while large numbers of Tupi died?
A) African slaves rebelled against the Portuguese.
B) African slaves had iron weapons to fight the Portuguese.
C) African slaves had built immunity against, and therefore were not vulnerable to, European diseases.
D) African slaves were nonsedentary agriculturalists.

Accepted Answer

African slaves had built immunity against European diseases due to prior exposure in their native lands, unlike the indigenous Tupi people who had no immunity to these new diseases and suffered high mortality rates as a result.

Question 15

During the reconquest
A) the authorities accepted religions other than Catholicism as part of their multiethnic past.
B) Moors and Jews were forced to convert to Catholicism.
C) Catholics were forced into exile.
D) all Moors were expelled from Spain.

Accepted Answer

During the Reconquest, a period aimed at reclaiming Spanish territories from Muslim rule, Moors and Jews were pressured to convert to Catholicism as part of the effort to unify the country under a single religion. This was a significant aspect of the Spanish Inquisition, which sought to enforce Catholic orthodoxy.

Question 16

Brazil's indigenous forest dwellers
A) survived the Portuguese conquest because they knew the terrain.
B) attacked and resisted the Europeans with all their might.
C) were attacked and enslaved by the Portuguese, many dying in the process.
D) did not enter into contact with the Europeans until decades after they first arrived to the region.

Accepted Answer

Brazil's indigenous forest dwellers were attacked and enslaved by the Portuguese, and many died due to violence, disease, and harsh conditions imposed by the colonizers.

Question 17

What best characterizes the first reaction that the Portuguese had toward their land in Brazil?
A) They thought it was an attractive territory full of resources worth exploiting.
B) They were marveled by the fact that it was full of hard-working natives able to process silver and gold.
C) They thought it was an easy-to-conquer region with loyal subjects.
D) They believed it was a place that did not have much to offer aside from the Brazilian wood.

Accepted Answer

Initially, the Portuguese were not overly impressed with Brazil's potential beyond the extraction of brazilwood (pau-brasil), which was valuable for its red dye. They did not immediately recognize the full extent of the territory's resources or the potential for exploiting other natural or human resources.

Question 18

Why did Tenochtitlan become important to Spanish conquerors?
A) It was the capital of the Inca Empire.
B) They used its structure to build the capital city of the Spanish Empire.
C) It was the capital of the Aztec Empire.
D) It was the center of the Catholic faith when the Europeans arrived to the Americas.

Accepted Answer

Tenochtitlan was important to Spanish conquerors because it was the capital of the Aztec Empire, which they sought to conquer for its wealth and to spread Christianity.

Question 19

Besides his strategy and weaponry, as well as knowledge of his adversaries, what else helped Hernán Cortés defeat the Aztecs?
A) The Aztecs believed they were gods.
B) the smallpox virus
C) Moctezuma
D) the Incas

Accepted Answer

The smallpox virus, brought by the Europeans, devastated the Aztec population, significantly weakening their ability to resist Cortés and his forces.

Question 20

Which of the following defines the largest number of New World inhabitants at the time of the Encounter?
A) nonsedentary or semisedentary people
B) people of African descent
C) sedentary people
D) Incas and Aztecs

Accepted Answer

Nonsedentary or semisedentary people made up the largest number of inhabitants in the New World at the time of the Encounter, as they were spread across various regions, living in small, mobile groups or in communities with less permanent structures compared to the large, complex societies of the Incas and Aztecs or the sedentary agricultural communities.

Quiz 2: Encounter

Most of the rewards received by the Spanish colonists for their conquests consisted of

Why did the Spanish conquerors already have a "crusading mentality" upon arriving to America?

The Spanish defeat of the Aztecs and the Incas was

The Portuguese settled the two thousand miles of Brazilian coast by doing which of the following?

Upon reaching Hispaniola in the early 1490s, Columbus and his partners did which of the following?

Mestizo children were

Which of the following statements best describes Africa by the time of conquest?

The main difference between the sedentary, semisedentary, and nonsedentary indigenous groups that inhabited the Americas before the Europeans arrived was

What did the Inca, Aztec, and Maya have in common?

Why is it important to understand the relationship between the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula and the history of conquest in the Americas?

The Moors occupied the Iberian Peninsula for 800 years. Which of the following was a consequence of this occupation?

What was the initial Iberian reaction to life in the Americas during the early conquest) ?

The reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula shaped the history of Spain and Portugal in multiple ways. Which of the following was a direct consequence of the reconquest?

Why did the African slaves survive to populate Brazil while large numbers of Tupi died?

During the reconquest

Brazil's indigenous forest dwellers

What best characterizes the first reaction that the Portuguese had toward their land in Brazil?

Why did Tenochtitlan become important to Spanish conquerors?

Besides his strategy and weaponry, as well as knowledge of his adversaries, what else helped Hernán Cortés defeat the Aztecs?

Which of the following defines the largest number of New World inhabitants at the time of the Encounter?