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The Europeans Are Coming! Trivia Quiz

Let's see what we can "discover" in the period from Columbus to c. 1680.

A multiple-choice quiz by obiwan04. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
obiwan04

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
350,232

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
685

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page

Question 1 of 10

1. Which explorer gave England in the 1490's a claim to the northern portion of the New World? Hint

John Cabot

Amerigo Vespucci

John Smith

Henry Hudson

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. The Spanish, following Columbus's discoveries, set up their first permanent colony in the New World in 1502 on which island? Hint

Hispaniola

San Salvador

Puerto Rico

Cuba

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which Spanish explorer was the first to see the Mississippi River? Hint

Hernando DeSoto

Francisco Pizarro

Hernan Cortes

Ponce de Leon

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Question 4 of 10

4. Sir Humphrey Gilbert, given a charter by Queen Elizabeth I in the 1580's to set up an English colony in North America, was closely related to another later colonizer in what way? Hint

He and John Smith were first cousins.

He was Sir Walter Raleigh's half brother.

He was the grandfather of Pilgrim Miles Standish.

His granddaughter, Virginia Dare, was the first English child born in North America.

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Question 5 of 10

5. In the mid-1580's, English colonists attempted to set up a colony on Roanoke Island. Where exactly was (is) this island? Hint

It is one of the sea islands off the coast of Georgia.

It is just inside the Outer Banks of what is now North Carolina.

It was a small island near Virginia that disappeared in an earthquake in 1609.

It lay in what became New York's harbor and later was named Ellis Island.

6. Success at last! The English set up their first permanent colony in North America in 1607. Who was the English monarch who gave the colonists permission (the charter) to found this colony? Hint

Elizabeth I

James I

Charles I

Charles II

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Question 7 of 10

7. One major obstacle to setting up a stable, expanding community in the Virginia colony was that in the first group of colonists there were no ______? Hint

native Americans nearby to help them adapt to the new environment

effective leaders

women

nearby waterways to connect them to the home country

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Question 8 of 10

8. Tobacco cultivation established Virginia's economic base in the 1610's. What did the colonists call tobacco? Hint

Jamestown's Joy

Devil's Weed

Brown Gold

Smoke Plant

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Question 9 of 10

9. The second successful English colony was set up on Cape Cod in 1620 by the so-called Pilgrims. They were better known in England as the _____? Hint

Puritans

Separatists

Shakers

Quakers

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Question 10 of 10

10. By the 1680's, several English colonies had been set up for primarily religious reasons in North America. Which of these was NOT set up as a religious refuge? Hint

Massachusetts Bay

New York

Plymouth

Maryland

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which explorer gave England in the 1490's a claim to the northern portion of the New World?

Answer: John Cabot

Cabot, whose real name was Giovanni Cabato, was hired by Henry VII to see what he could find out about this "New World." Cabot's expedition made landfall on the coast of what is now eastern Canada in 1498, but did not set up a permanent colony.

2. The Spanish, following Columbus's discoveries, set up their first permanent colony in the New World in 1502 on which island?

Answer: Hispaniola

Being much smarter than Columbus, who believed until his dying day that he had found a new route to Asia, Spanish officials set up the Hispaniola colony to exploit the New World and almost immediately enslaved the island natives to do the hard work of farming for them.

3. Which Spanish explorer was the first to see the Mississippi River?

Answer: Hernando DeSoto

DeSoto, searching for gold and silver, led his expedition in the 1540's through much of the modern day states of Alabama and Tennessee, died on the trip, and was buried in the Mississippi River.

4. Sir Humphrey Gilbert, given a charter by Queen Elizabeth I in the 1580's to set up an English colony in North America, was closely related to another later colonizer in what way?

Answer: He was Sir Walter Raleigh's half brother.

Gilbert, one of Elizabeth's court favorites, drowned when his ship sank during a storm on a return voyage from the New World.

5. In the mid-1580's, English colonists attempted to set up a colony on Roanoke Island. Where exactly was (is) this island?

Answer: It is just inside the Outer Banks of what is now North Carolina.

Sir Walter Raleigh, another favorite of Elizabeth, financed the Roanoke expeditions, but he was too smart to become one of the colonists! Unfortunately, he ran afoul of a later monarch, James I, and lost his head--literally.

6. Success at last! The English set up their first permanent colony in North America in 1607. Who was the English monarch who gave the colonists permission (the charter) to found this colony?

Answer: James I

James, like his cousin Elizabeth, was a cheapskate who did not want to spend any money on crackpot colonizing ventures, but he was willing to allow private individuals to try to colonize England's claims in the New World.

7. One major obstacle to setting up a stable, expanding community in the Virginia colony was that in the first group of colonists there were no ______?

Answer: women

Without women, the 105 men and boys who left for the New World were not able to create any little colonists. This reveals that the intent of the first colonizers was not to build a family-based community in Virginia but to exploit the land for its riches.

As for the other answers, John Smith was certainly an effective leader, the colony was built on the James River, and the Powhatan Indians were not only nearby but were very friendly to the colonists until they tried to get the Indians to rebel against their chief! Bad move!

8. Tobacco cultivation established Virginia's economic base in the 1610's. What did the colonists call tobacco?

Answer: Brown Gold

Tobacco cultivation saved Virginia from economic ruin and provided a product so popular back in Europe where smoking was a huge fad that fortunes could now be made growing tobacco in the colonies. At one time, the settlers dug up the streets in Jamestown and planted tobacco, determined as they were to let no good land lie fallow when tobacco was in such demand.

9. The second successful English colony was set up on Cape Cod in 1620 by the so-called Pilgrims. They were better known in England as the _____?

Answer: Separatists

In the religious turmoil of the times, the Separatists were trying to separate completely from the state church, the Church of England, and worship in their own way. Persecution by the English government drove them first to the Netherlands and then to North America.

They were not seeking religious freedom, however, but religious control! They left the Dutch because they were too tolerant of all forms of Christianity, and the Separatists did not hesitate to chase non-Separatists out of Plymouth Colony if they became a nuisance or tried to set up another kind of Christian worship.

10. By the 1680's, several English colonies had been set up for primarily religious reasons in North America. Which of these was NOT set up as a religious refuge?

Answer: New York

Massachusetts Bay--later just Massachusetts--was founded by the Puritans, Plymouth by the Separatists, and Maryland by the Catholic family of Lord Baltimore. Of course, all these colonies were founded to be economically successful as well.

Source: Author obiwan04

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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