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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 20 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 spread Christianity
  • B.To build railroads
  • C.To learn to ride bison
2.Why did Europeans want a sea route to Asia?
  • A.To escape the Atlantic Ocean
  • B.To buy spices and silk without paying many traders in between
  • C.To find new places to ski
3.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
4.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
5.Glory was an incentive too. What did glory mean for an explorer?
  • A.Fame and honor at home for great discoveries
  • B.A kind of spice
  • C.A free ship
6.Why were spices worth so much in Europe?
  • A.Spices were the only food in Europe
  • B.Spices grew everywhere in Europe
  • C.They flavored food and came from very far away
7.Which was a negative incentive, a risk that could stop an explorer from sailing?
  • A.The promise of fame
  • B.The danger of storms, hunger and shipwreck
  • C.The hope of riches
8.Which was a positive incentive for Spanish explorers?
  • A.The danger of disease
  • B.The chance of shipwreck
  • C.The chance to find gold and silver

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.2.3-5 · Set 20 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Gold, Spices and Glory

Set 20. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.To spread Christianity
  2. 2.To buy spices and silk without paying many traders in between
  3. 3.They hoped for a water route through North America to Asia
  4. 4.To claim land and riches for their countries
  5. 5.Fame and honor at home for great discoveries
  6. 6.They flavored food and came from very far away
  7. 7.The danger of storms, hunger and shipwreck
  8. 8.The chance to find gold and silver

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