Great Explorers Quiz

1. Who is credited with 'discovering' America in 1492?

1. Amerigo Vespucci
2. Christopher Columbus
3. John Cabot
4. Vasco da Gama

2. Who was the first person to circumnavigate the globe?

1. Christopher Columbus
2. Ferdinand Magellan's crew
3. Francis Drake
4. Vasco da Gama

3. Which explorer first reached India by sailing around Africa?

1. Bartolomeu Dias
2. Christopher Columbus
3. Ferdinand Magellan
4. Vasco da Gama

4. Who was the first European explorer to reach the tip of Africa?

1. Bartolomeu Dias
2. Diogo Cão
3. Henry the Navigator
4. Vasco da Gama

5. Which explorer gave America its name?

1. Amerigo Vespucci
2. Christopher Columbus
3. Giovanni da Verrazzano
4. John Cabot

6. Who was the first person to reach the South Pole?

1. Ernest Shackleton
2. Richard Byrd
3. Roald Amundsen
4. Robert Falcon Scott

7. What was the name of Columbus's three ships?

1. Discovery, Resolution, Adventure
2. Endeavour, Resolution, Adventure
3. Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria
4. Victoria, Trinidad, Concepción

8. Who led the first European expedition to the North American mainland?

1. Christopher Columbus
2. Giovanni da Verrazzano
3. Jacques Cartier
4. John Cabot

9. Which explorer first crossed the Pacific Ocean?

1. Christopher Columbus
2. Ferdinand Magellan
3. Francis Drake
4. James Cook

10. Who mapped most of the Pacific coastline of Australia and New Zealand?

1. Abel Tasman
2. James Cook
3. Matthew Flinders
4. Willem Janszoon

11. Who was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the Americas?

1. Christopher Columbus
2. Francisco Pizarro
3. Hernán Cortés
4. Vasco Núñez de Balboa

12. Which explorer conquered the Aztec Empire of Mexico?

1. Diego Velázquez
2. Francisco Pizarro
3. Hernán Cortés
4. Juan Ponce de León

13. Who explored the Mississippi River and claimed it for France?

1. Jacques Cartier
2. Jacques Marquette
3. René-Robert de La Salle
4. Samuel de Champlain

14. Which explorer conquered the Inca Empire of South America?

1. Diego de Almagro
2. Francisco Pizarro
3. Hernán Cortés
4. Juan Ponce de León

15. Who was the first explorer to reach the North Pole?

1. Frederick Cook
2. Roald Amundsen
3. Robert Falcon Scott
4. Robert Peary (disputed)

16. What was the name of Charles Darwin's famous ship?

1. The Beagle
2. The Discovery
3. The Endeavour
4. The Resolution

17. Who first crossed the Australian continent from south to north?

1. Burke and Wills
2. Edward John Eyre
3. John McDouall Stuart
4. Matthew Flinders

18. Which Portuguese prince sponsored many early voyages of exploration?

1. Alfonso de Albuquerque
2. King João II
3. King Manuel I
4. Prince Henry the Navigator

19. Who led the Lewis and Clark Expedition across North America (1804-06)?

1. James Monroe and James Madison
2. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
3. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin
4. Zebulon Pike and John Fremont

20. Which explorer was the first to sail around the world solo non-stop?

1. Bernard Moitessier
2. Francis Chichester
3. Joshua Slocum
4. Robin Knox-Johnston