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Gold, Spices and Glory is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on the incentives behind European exploration, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Eco.2.3-5. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 13 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Gold, Spices and Glory

D2.Eco.2.3-5

NameDate

Choose the best answer.

1.Besides riches, what else did many explorers and priests want?
  • A.To build railroads
  • B.To spread Christianity
  • C.To learn to ride bison
2.Why did explorers search for a "Northwest Passage"?
  • A.They hoped for a water route through North America to Asia
  • B.They wanted to reach the South Pole
  • C.They wanted a road to Mexico
3.Why did kings and queens pay for voyages?
  • A.To give their land away
  • B.To claim land and riches for their countries
  • C.To keep their sailors at home
4.Why did the French come to North America in the 1600s?
  • A.To drill for oil
  • B.To grow rice
  • C.To trade with Native nations for beaver furs
5.What did the arrival of explorers bring to Native nations?
  • A.Only gifts and help
  • B.New diseases that killed many people, and the loss of land
  • C.Nothing changed for Native nations
6.Columbus sailed west in 1492. Who paid for his voyage?
  • A.The king of France
  • B.The Haudenosaunee Grand Council
  • C.Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain
7.Why did Europeans want a sea route to Asia?
  • A.To escape the Atlantic Ocean
  • B.To find new places to ski
  • C.To buy spices and silk without paying many traders in between
8.Glory was an incentive too. What did glory mean for an explorer?
  • A.A kind of spice
  • B.A free ship
  • C.Fame and honor at home for great discoveries

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.2.3-5 · Set 13 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Gold, Spices and Glory

Set 13. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.To spread Christianity
  2. 2.They hoped for a water route through North America to Asia
  3. 3.To claim land and riches for their countries
  4. 4.To trade with Native nations for beaver furs
  5. 5.New diseases that killed many people, and the loss of land
  6. 6.Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain
  7. 7.To buy spices and silk without paying many traders in between
  8. 8.Fame and honor at home for great discoveries

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Eco.2.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.