East Meets West II: The Age of Exploration

Steven Dutch, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
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  1. The key to the accurate determination of longitude is accurate determination of:
    1. force
    2. elevation
    3. time
    4. speed
    5. temperature
  2. The development of the critical device for longitude mean the development of highly accurate machine tools. With such tools, you can also make (pick best answer):
    1. clocks
    2. anything at all
    3. steam engines
    4. weapons
    5. ships
  3. William Gilbert won a lavish prize and produced the first modern work of physics to explain why this navigation instrument was apparently misbehaving:
    1. clock
    2. telescope
    3. sextant
    4. compass
    5. thermometer
  4. Early voyages around the world, surprisingly, went against the wind from east to west. Why?
    1. To avoid storms
    2. To prevent wear and tear on the ships' sails
    3. Navigation was easier
    4. There were fewer diseases on that route
    5. To surprise the Spanish in the Pacific
  5. Columbus's critics warned that he could not reach Asia by sailing west because:
    1. he'd sail off the edge
    3. he had underestimated the distance
    4. they already knew America was in the way
    5. he had no way of locating his position at sea
  6. The __________________ enabled mariners to handle ships better in rough seas:
    1. lateen sails
    2. compass
    3. improved ropes
    4. stern-post rudder
    5. heavier masts
  7. Several things combined to enable Europeans to cross oceans beginning about 1500. One thing they did not have was:
    1. Accurate clocks
    2. Compass
    3. Stern-post rudder
    4. Combination of square and triangular sails
  8. Why were there only about two dozen circumnavigations of the globe between 1500 and 1800 even though there was a global shipping network?
    1. It was too difficult to construct good enough ships
    2. It was easier to make money on short trips
    3. International trade wasn't lucrative enough
    4. There was nothing new to discover
    5. It was rarely necessary for a single ship to travel the entire distance
  9. Most early circumnavigations of the globe were motivated by
    1. Desire to discover colonies
    2. Desire to flee oppression
    3. Piracy
    4. Scientific curiosity
    5. Desire to test new navigation methods
  10. Voyages like those of Sir Francis Drake that were principally aimed at harassing Spanish ships and settlements would probably be termed ________________ today:
    1. Shuttle diplomacy
    2. State-sponsored terrorism
    3. Counter-insurgency
    4. Wars of national liberation
    5. Ethnic cleansing

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Created December 16, 2004; Last Update 16 December 2004

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