Spanish Exploration of the Americas

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The Spanish established the first European settlements in the Americas beginning in the Caribbean, and by 1600, extending throughout Central and South America. Thousands of Spaniards?flocked?to the Americas seeking wealth and status. The most famous of these Spanish adventurers is also the most controversial, Christopher Columbus, who, though Italian himself, explored on behalf of the Spanish

monarchs.

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The history of Spanish exploration begins with the history of Spain itself. During the fifteenth century, Spain hoped to gain advantage over its rival, Portugal. The marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile in 1469 unified Catholic Spain and began the process of building a nation that could compete for worldwide power. Since the 700s, much of Spain had been under Islamic rule, and King Ferdinand II and

Queen Isabella I were determined to defeat the Muslims in Granada, the last Islamic stronghold in Spain. In 1492, they completed the centuries-long Christian conquest of the Spanish territory. This marked another step forward in the process of making Spain a European power, and Ferdinand and Isabella were now ready to look further afield.

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Their goals were to expand Catholicism and to gain a commercial advantage over Portugal. To those ends, Ferdinand and Isabella sponsored extensive Atlantic exploration. Spain’s most famous explorer, Christopher Columbus, was actually from Italy. He believed that using calculations based on other mariners’ journeys, he could chart a westward route to India, which could be used to expand European trade and spread Christianity.?Starting in 1485, he approached Portuguese, English, and Spanish monarchs, asking for ships and funding to explore this westward route. All those he petitioned—including Ferdinand and Isabella at first—rebuffed him; their nautical experts all concurred that Columbus’ estimates of the width of the Atlantic Ocean were far too low. However, after three years of pleas, and, more importantly, the completion of the war with the Muslims, Ferdinand and Isabella agreed to finance

Columbus’ expedition in 1492, supplying him with three ships. The Spanish monarchs knew that Portuguese mariners had reached the southern tip of Africa and sailed the Indian Ocean. They understood that the Portuguese would soon reach Asia, and in this competitive race to reach the Far East, the Spanish rulers decided to act.

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Columbus held?erroneous views that shaped his thinking about what he would encounter as he sailed west. He believed the earth to be much smaller than its actual size, and since he did not know of the existence of the Americas, he fully expected to land in Asia. On October 12, 1492, however, he made landfall on an island in the Bahamas, south of the present-day state of Florida. He then sailed to an island

he named Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic and Haiti). Believing he had landed in the East Indies, Columbus called the native Taínos people he found there “Indios”,?giving rise to the term “Indian” for any native people of the New World. Upon Columbus’ return to Spain, the Spanish crown bestowed on him the title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea and named him governor of the lands he had discovered. Up

until the end of his life, Columbus held to his claim that the lands he had traveled to were part of the Asian continent, even though there was a mounting amount of evidence that contradicted his belief.

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Many other Europeans followed in Columbus’ footsteps, drawn by dreams of winning wealth by sailing

west. Another Italian, Amerigo Vespucci, sailing for the Portuguese crown, explored the South American

coastline between 1499 and 1502. Unlike Columbus, he realized that the Americas were not part of Asia

but lands unknown to Europeans. Vespucci’s widely published accounts of his voyages fueled speculation

and intense interest in the New World among Europeans. Among those who read Vespucci’s reports was

the German mapmaker Martin Waldseemuller. Using the explorer’s first name as a label for the new

landmass, Waldseemuller attached “America” to his map of the New World in 1507, and the name stuck.

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Source: Corbett et al., (2014).

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Reading Paragraph 1

The Spanish established the first European settlements in the Americas beginning in the Caribbean, and by 1600, extending throughout Central and South America. Thousands of Spaniards?flocked?to the Americas seeking wealth and status. The most famous of these Spanish adventurers is also the most controversial, Christopher Columbus, who, though Italian himself, explored on behalf of the Spanish

monarchs.

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1. The phrase flocked to in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to

a. Moved to

b. Searched for

c. Managed to

d. Desired to

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Reading Paragraph 2

The history of Spanish exploration begins with the history of Spain itself. During the fifteenth century, Spain hoped to gain advantage over its rival, Portugal. The marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile in 1469 unified Catholic Spain and began the process of building a nation that could compete for worldwide power. Since the 700s, much of Spain had been under Islamic rule, and King Ferdinand II and

Queen Isabella I were determined to defeat the Muslims in Granada, the last Islamic stronghold in Spain. In 1492, they completed the centuries-long Christian conquest of the Spanish territory. This marked another step forward in the process of making Spain a European power, and Ferdinand and Isabella were now ready to look further afield.

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2. Which of the following is true?

a. Spain was looking to defeat its rival, Portugal, during the 1500s

b. Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile united Spain through marriage

c. In 1492, the Spanish territory had been defeated by Muslim conquest

d. Spain became a major European power once they took over Portugal

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Reading Paragraph 3

Their goals were to expand Catholicism and to gain a commercial advantage over Portugal. To those ends, Ferdinand and Isabella sponsored extensive Atlantic exploration. Spain’s most famous explorer, Christopher Columbus, was actually from Italy. He believed that using calculations based on other mariners’ journeys, he could chart a westward route to India, which could be used to expand European trade and spread Christianity.?Starting in 1485, he approached Portuguese, English, and Spanish monarchs, asking for ships and funding to explore this westward route. All those he petitioned—including Ferdinand and Isabella at first—rebuffed him; their nautical experts all concurred that Columbus’ estimates of the width of the Atlantic Ocean were far too low. However, after three years of pleas, and, more importantly, the completion of the war with the Muslims, Ferdinand and Isabella agreed to finance

Columbus’ expedition in 1492, supplying him with three ships. The Spanish monarchs knew that Portuguese mariners had reached the southern tip of Africa and sailed the Indian Ocean. They understood that the Portuguese would soon reach Asia, and in this competitive race to reach the Far East, the Spanish rulers decided to act.

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3. Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in paragraph 3? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

a. Columbus thought he could sail to India to increase European trade and spread Christianity

b. After landing in India, Columbus planned on exploring India using other explorers’ charts

c. Columbus had calculated a route to India based on other mariners’ calculations

d. Columbus felt his expedition would open new trade routes

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4. According to paragraph 3, why did the Spanish monarchs decide to fund Christopher Columbus’expedition?

a. They were certain that the calculations for his expedition were correct

b. So they could be credited with discovering India and sailing the Indian Ocean

c. They wanted to reach India and the Far East before Portugal

d. They realized the trade routes they could open up

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Reading Paragraph 4

Columbus held?erroneous views that shaped his thinking about what he would encounter as he sailed west. He believed the earth to be much smaller than its actual size, and since he did not know of the existence of the Americas, he fully expected to land in Asia. On October 12, 1492, however, he made landfall on an island in the Bahamas, south of the present-day state of Florida. He then sailed to an island

he named Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic and Haiti). Believing he had landed in the East Indies, Columbus called the native Taínos people he found there “Indios”,?giving rise to the term “Indian” for any native people of the New World. Upon Columbus’ return to Spain, the Spanish crown bestowed on him the title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea and named him governor of the lands he had discovered. Up

until the end of his life, Columbus held to his claim that the lands he had traveled to were part of the Asian continent, even though there was a mounting amount of evidence that contradicted his belief.

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5. The phrase?erroneous?views in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to

a. Unclear visions

b. False conceptions

c. Exciting possibilities

d. Proven ideas

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6. Why does the author say, “giving rise to the term ‘Indian’?for any native people of the New World”?

a. To explain how and why people from the Americas came to be called Indians

b. Because Columbus called the native Taínos people Indios, which means Indian

c. To show that Columbus had thought he found India

d. To explain why he was given the title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea when he went back to Spain

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7. What can be inferred about Columbus based on the information from the paragraph?

a. He was an amateur sailor who needed more experience

b. He likely betrayed the monarchs of Spain because he was bribed by Portugal

c. He ignored or denied the evidence suggesting he did not make it to Asia

d. He lied about his discoveries because he sought glory and fame

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Reading Paragraph 5

Many other Europeans followed in Columbus’ footsteps, drawn by dreams of winning wealth by sailing west. Another Italian, Amerigo Vespucci, sailing for the Portuguese crown, explored the South American coastline between 1499 and 1502. Unlike Columbus, he realized that the Americas were not part of Asia but lands unknown to Europeans. Vespucci’s widely published accounts of his voyages fueled speculation

and intense interest in the New World among Europeans. Among those who read Vespucci’s reports was the German mapmaker Martin Waldseemuller. Using the explorer’s first name as a label for the new landmass, Waldseemuller attached “America” to his map of the New World in 1507, and the name stuck.

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8. According to the paragraph, which of the following is true?

a. Few tried to accomplish what Christopher Columbus had done

b. Another Spanish explorer, Amerigo Vespucci, sailed the South American coastline

c. Vespucci made the same mistake as Columbus and believed the Americas were part of Asia

d. The Americas landmass was named after Amerigo Vespucci

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9. Look at the four squares (A, B, C, D) that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.

Though it was not Asia, he still recognized the opportunities and wanted to share what he had learned about this new land.

Where would the sentence best fit?

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Many other Europeans followed in Columbus’ footsteps, drawn by dreams of winning wealth by sailing west. A Another Italian, Amerigo Vespucci, sailing for the Portuguese crown, explored the South American coastline between 1499 and 1502. B Unlike Columbus, he realized that the Americas were not part of Asia but lands unknown to Europeans.?C Vespucci’s widely published accounts of his voyages fueled speculation and intense interest in the New World among Europeans. D

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10. DIRECTIONS: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below.

Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

Though unbeknownst to him, Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas after being funded by the Spanish monarchs to sail to India, spread Christianity, and increase trade.

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a. Christopher Columbus was commissioned by Spain but was actually of Italian origin

b. Neighboring Portugal had already sailed the Indian Ocean but had not reached India

c. Spain was under Islamic rule for hundreds of years until the monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand defeated the Muslims in Granada

d. After initially being turned down, Columbus was supported by the Spanish to sail to India

e. Columbus made landfall first in the Caribbean, but he believed he had reached India

f. After Columbus, Europeans flocked to the Americas in search of opportunity

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