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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 7 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.Coronado hoped for fame and wealth if he found the "Seven Cities of Gold." What happened?
  • A.He found no cities of gold
  • B.He found seven golden cities
  • C.He found a sea route to Asia
2.Why did kings and queens pay for voyages?
  • A.To give their land away
  • B.To keep their sailors at home
  • C.To claim land and riches for their countries
3.Why did explorers search for a "Northwest Passage"?
  • A.They wanted to reach the South Pole
  • B.They hoped for a water route through North America to Asia
  • C.They wanted a road to Mexico
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.Glory was an incentive too. What did glory mean for an explorer?
  • A.A free ship
  • B.Fame and honor at home for great discoveries
  • C.A kind of spice
6.Why did the French come to North America in the 1600s?
  • A.To grow rice
  • B.To drill for oil
  • C.To trade with Native nations for beaver furs
7.Besides riches, what else did many explorers and priests want?
  • A.To spread Christianity
  • B.To build railroads
  • C.To learn to ride bison
8.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

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.2.3-5 · Set 7 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Gold, Spices and Glory

Set 7. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.He found no cities of gold
  2. 2.To claim land and riches for their countries
  3. 3.They hoped for a water route through North America to Asia
  4. 4.Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain
  5. 5.Fame and honor at home for great discoveries
  6. 6.To trade with Native nations for beaver furs
  7. 7.To spread Christianity
  8. 8.The danger of storms, hunger and shipwreck

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