Age of Exploration (Junior Cert History): Model Answers

The Age of Exploration

1. Name an instrument of navigation used during the Age of Exploration.

   1. Compass: Used by sailors to find direction, as the magnetic needle always pointed north.
   2. Astrolabe: Used by sailors to determine their exact location by observing the position of the sun to calculate latitude.

2. Name an explorer and a place or route he discovered.

   1. Explorer: Christopher Columbus Discovery: Cuba, Hispaniola, San Salvador, America
   2. Explorer: Ferdinand Magellan Discovery: First to circumnavigate the world
   3. Explorer: Vasco da Gama Discovery: Rounded the tip of Africa and reached Calicut, India
   4. Explorer: Henry the Navigator Discovery: Established a sailing school in Portugal

3. Name the dangers and fears faced by sailors during the Age of Exploration. Sailors feared:

   • storms
   • food and water shortages
   • falling off the edge of the Earth
   • sea monsters
   • hostile natives
   • diseases such as scurvy

4. Why were spices important? Spices were important because they were used to flavour food and make medicines.

Developments in Boat Building and Navigation

5. Name the developments in boat building or navigation during the Age of Exploration.

   1. Boat Building:
      • Caravel: A new type of ship with strong hulls, lateen sails, and clinker-built planks for added strength.
      • Portolan Charts: Detailed maps of coastlines used by sailors.
      • Lateens: Triangular sails that allowed ships to steer and manoeuvre more easily.
      • Clinker-building: A technique where overlapping planks made ships stronger.
      • Naos: Larger ships that could carry more cargo.
   2. Navigation:
      • Compass: Helped sailors determine direction by pointing north.
      • Astrolabe: Allowed sailors to calculate latitude using the sun's position.

6. Why were rulers prepared to sponsor voyages of exploration? Rulers sponsored voyages of exploration to:

   • gain wealth
   • spread Christianity
   • find the mythical Prester John
   • obtain spices
   • discover new sea trade routes to India
   • claim new lands

7. Name the country that discovered the sea route to India. Portugal discovered the sea route to India.

8. Explain the following terms:

   1. Portolan Charts: Maps of coastlines used by sailors for navigation.
   2. Astrolabe: An instrument that helped sailors determine their latitude by measuring the position of the sun.
   3. Log and Line: A method used to measure a ship's speed.
   4. Caravel: A new type of ship with strong hulls, lateen sails, and clinker-built planks, making it faster and more manoeuvrable.

The Conquistadores and Their Impact

9. Who were the Conquistadores? The Conquistadores were Spanish soldiers sent to conquer large parts of the New World, including the Inca and Aztec civilizations in South America.

10. Name the civilisation conquered by the Spanish conquistador, Francisco Pizarro. Francisco Pizarro conquered the Incas.

11. Name the civilisation conquered by the conquistador, Hernando Cortés. Hernando Cortés conquered the Aztecs.

12. What was decided by the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)? The Treaty of Tordesillas was an agreement between Spain and Portugal to divide newly discovered lands. All lands west of a mid-Atlantic line were given to Spain, while all lands east of the line were given to Portugal.