Grade 8 · Social Studies · Unit 5 of 6
Exploration & Exchange
Voyages, the Americas and the Columbian Exchange
What your child practises
Why Europeans sailed across oceans, what the Mexica and Inca empires were like, the Columbian Exchange of foods, animals and diseases, and the serious consequences for Indigenous peoples and for enslaved Africans.
NWT Curriculum learning standard: European exploration and colonization, the Columbian Exchange and effects on Indigenous peoples; Mexica and Inca empires
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Which people had been living in the Americas for thousands of years before 1492?
- Indigenous peoples with many diverse nations
- Only the Vikings
- No one
- Only Spanish settlers
Indigenous peoples with many diverse nations
Hint: Many Indigenous nations had their own languages, governments and ways of life.
Question 2
What was the Columbian Exchange?
- A map of the Atlantic
- A bank in Venice
- A trade deal between Spain and Rome
- The transfer of plants, animals, people and diseases between the Americas and the rest of the world
The transfer of plants, animals, people and diseases between the Americas and the rest of the world
Hint: It began after 1492 and changed diets, farming and populations on both sides.
Question 3
Tenochtitlan, built on an island in a lake, was the capital of the…
- Mexica (Aztec) Empire
- Ming dynasty
- Inca Empire
- Mali Empire
Mexica (Aztec) Empire
Hint: It was one of the largest cities in the world, with canals, markets and a great temple.
Question 4
What was one of the worst effects of contact for Indigenous peoples in the Americas?
- Trade with Europe stopped.
- Everyone became wealthy.
- Diseases like smallpox killed huge numbers of people.
- Many new crops died.
Diseases like smallpox killed huge numbers of people.
Hint: Indigenous people had no previous exposure to these diseases, and many communities were devastated.
Question 5
Which animal was brought to the Americas by Europeans?
- horse
- llama
- turkey
- bison
horse
Hint: Horses changed transport, hunting and warfare for many Indigenous nations.
Question 6
Where did each food or animal start out before 1492?
Sort into: 🌎 Americas · 🌍 Europe, Asia and Africa
- 🌾wheat
- 🍇grapes
- 🥔potatoes
- 🐑sheep
- 🌽maize (corn)
- 🍅tomatoes
- 🍚rice
- 🍫cacao (chocolate)
🌎 Americas: potatoes, maize (corn), tomatoes, cacao (chocolate) · 🌍 Europe, Asia and Africa: wheat, grapes, sheep, rice
Hint: Potatoes, maize (corn), tomatoes and cacao were first grown in the Americas. Wheat, rice, grapes and sheep came from Europe, Asia and Africa and were brought to the Americas by Europeans.