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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 25 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.Which was a positive incentive for Spanish explorers?
  • A.The danger of disease
  • B.The chance to find gold and silver
  • C.The chance of shipwreck
2.What did the arrival of explorers bring to Native nations?
  • A.New diseases that killed many people, and the loss of land
  • B.Only gifts and help
  • C.Nothing changed for Native nations
3.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
4.Columbus sailed west in 1492. Who paid for his voyage?
  • A.The Haudenosaunee Grand Council
  • B.The king of France
  • C.Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain
5.Why did Europeans want a sea route to Asia?
  • A.To buy spices and silk without paying many traders in between
  • B.To find new places to ski
  • C.To escape the Atlantic Ocean
6.Why were spices worth so much in Europe?
  • A.Spices grew everywhere in Europe
  • B.Spices were the only food in Europe
  • C.They flavored food and came from very far away
7.Why did explorers search for a "Northwest Passage"?
  • A.They wanted a road to Mexico
  • B.They hoped for a water route through North America to Asia
  • C.They wanted to reach the South Pole
8.Why did the French come to North America in the 1600s?
  • A.To trade with Native nations for beaver furs
  • B.To drill for oil
  • C.To grow rice

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.2.3-5 · Set 25 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Gold, Spices and Glory

Set 25. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The chance to find gold and silver
  2. 2.New diseases that killed many people, and the loss of land
  3. 3.The danger of storms, hunger and shipwreck
  4. 4.Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain
  5. 5.To buy spices and silk without paying many traders in between
  6. 6.They flavored food and came from very far away
  7. 7.They hoped for a water route through North America to Asia
  8. 8.To trade with Native nations for beaver furs

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