2. Why did Portuguese rulers want a sea route to Asia in the first place?

1. They hoped to avoid building ships and wanted to travel only by walking across continents on foot.
2. They wanted a faster and safer way to reach spices and other goods in Asia without using long and risky land trade routes.
3. They were trying to find a shortcut to the North Pole so they could study snow, ice, and cold winds.
4. They planned to move the entire population of Portugal to a new continent far across the ocean.

3. What was Prince Henry the Navigator’s main role in Portuguese exploration?

1. He sponsored voyages, supported a school for navigation, and encouraged shipbuilders and mapmakers to improve sea travel.
2. He secretly destroyed maps and ordered sailors never to sail beyond the coast of Portugal.
3. He led every voyage himself and refused to listen to advice from any captains or scientists.
4. He focused only on exploring rivers inside Europe and ignored any plans to reach Africa or Asia.

4. Why was Bartolomeu Dias’s 1488 voyage an important step for Portugal?

1. He became the first person to reach the North Pole and map the icy seas around it for Portuguese traders.
2. He discovered a land route across Asia that made ships unnecessary for future travel to India.
3. He proved that sailing into the Atlantic Ocean was impossible because of sea monsters and sudden storms.
4. He rounded the southern tip of Africa, showing that ships could move from the Atlantic Ocean into the Indian Ocean by sea.

5. What was a key result of Vasco da Gama’s voyage to India?

1. His voyage convinced Portugal to give up trading with Asia and focus only on farming at home.
2. His fleet proved that Europe and Asia were actually the same continent with no oceans in between them.
3. His journey opened a direct sea route between Europe and India, allowing Portuguese merchants to trade by sailing around Africa.
4. His expedition ended when he decided to stay in Brazil and never return to Portugal with any news.

6. What happened when Pedro Álvares Cabral sailed far to the west on his way to India?

1. He ran into icebergs and turned back without reaching any new lands or finishing his mission.
2. He reached the coast of present-day Brazil, claimed the land for Portugal, and then continued his voyage toward Africa and India.
3. He accidentally sailed into the Mediterranean Sea and spent the rest of his life trading in European ports.
4. He was forced to sell his ships and walk back to Portugal without telling anyone what he had seen.

7. Which statement best summarizes one important effect of Portuguese exploration described in the passage?

1. Portuguese voyages linked Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas through sea routes that brought both trade and serious conflicts to many regions.
2. Portuguese sailors refused to trade with anyone and kept all new discoveries completely secret from the rest of the world.
3. Portuguese exploration caused every other European country to abandon the oceans and stop sending ships to distant lands.
4. Portuguese voyages ended the slave trade and guaranteed that all future trade deals would be fair for every side involved.

2. Why did Portuguese leaders want to “bypass middlemen” in Asian trade, according to the passage?

1. They hoped to help Italian merchants gain even more control over the traditional caravan routes to Europe.
2. They wanted direct access to Asian goods by sea instead of relying on overland routes and ports controlled by other merchants.
3. They believed caravans were faster and safer than ships, so they tried to buy up all the land routes to Asia.
4. They were required by law to keep all trade inside Portugal and avoid contact with Africa and Asia.

3. Which detail from the passage best explains how Portuguese sailors managed to travel farther than before?

1. “Shipbuilders refined the caravel, a small but sturdy vessel with triangular sails that could tack into the wind.”
2. “Lisbon became a busy center of global trade, and Portuguese maps and charts spread knowledge of winds, currents, and coastlines.”
3. “Their fleets attacked rival ships, bombarded coastal cities, and helped build the Atlantic slave trade.”
4. “Cabral claimed the land for Portugal before turning back toward Africa and India.”

4. What made Bartolomeu Dias’s voyage around the Cape of Good Hope such an important turning point?

1. It proved that Europe and Asia were actually one single continent with no oceans between them at all.
2. It allowed Portugal to take over every trading city in the Mediterranean Sea without resistance.
3. It showed that storms made any travel south of the equator permanently impossible for European ships.
4. It demonstrated that ships could move from the Atlantic into the Indian Ocean, giving solid evidence that a sea route to Asia existed.

5. Which development best shows how Vasco da Gama’s voyage changed European trade with Asia?

1. His fleet decided to settle permanently on the East African coast and stopped trading with India altogether.
2. His journey convinced Portuguese merchants to abandon overseas trade and return to selling only local farm products.
3. His expedition reached Indian ports by sea, encouraging Portugal to build forts and trading posts and to try to control the spice trade.
4. His voyage led other nations to ban Portuguese ships from sailing beyond the western coast of Europe.

6. What does the passage suggest about the “consequences of Portuguese expansion”?

1. Expansion brought scientific discoveries but had no effect on trade, politics, or the lives of people in other regions.
2. Expansion created new global trade networks and spread knowledge, but it also relied on military force and helped build the Atlantic slave trade.
3. Expansion caused Portugal to lose interest in the oceans and to shut down all of its ports permanently.
4. Expansion led to complete equality between European traders and all the peoples they encountered overseas.

7. How does the passage portray the overall legacy of Portuguese explorers in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans?

1. As a brief and unimportant episode that was quickly forgotten by later generations and had no lasting impact.
2. As a peaceful story in which all trade agreements were fair and no one suffered from European expansion.
3. As a mix of bravery and innovation that opened global sea routes, but also a source of violence, inequality, and long-term change for the peoples they encountered.
4. As a failed attempt to explore the oceans that quickly ended when sailors refused to travel beyond sight of land.