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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 8 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 learn to ride bison
  • C.To build railroads
2.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
3.Which was a positive incentive for Spanish explorers?
  • A.The chance to find gold and silver
  • B.The danger of disease
  • C.The chance of shipwreck
4.Why did Europeans want a sea route to Asia?
  • A.To buy spices and silk without paying many traders in between
  • B.To escape the Atlantic Ocean
  • C.To find new places to ski
5.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
6.Which was a negative incentive, a risk that could stop an explorer from sailing?
  • A.The hope of riches
  • B.The danger of storms, hunger and shipwreck
  • C.The promise of fame
7.What did the arrival of explorers bring to Native nations?
  • A.New diseases that killed many people, and the loss of land
  • B.Nothing changed for Native nations
  • C.Only gifts and help
8.Why did kings and queens pay for voyages?
  • A.To keep their sailors at home
  • B.To give their land away
  • C.To claim land and riches for their countries

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.2.3-5 · Set 8 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Gold, Spices and Glory

Set 8. 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.The chance to find gold and silver
  4. 4.To buy spices and silk without paying many traders in between
  5. 5.They flavored food and came from very far away
  6. 6.The danger of storms, hunger and shipwreck
  7. 7.New diseases that killed many people, and the loss of land
  8. 8.To claim land and riches for their countries

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