Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451. It was a time of new ideas and
discoveries in Europe. We call this time the Renaissance - a word that means 'rebirth'. People
were making maps of new lands. They were building ships to explore places they had never
visited before. Columbuss job in exploration started when he was very young. He believed that
the he could make journey to East Indies Islands by sailing west through the Atlantic Ocean. He
asked the kings of Portugal, France and England to finance a westward trip to the Indies, but all
denied his request. After ten years of his great hard work but useless results, King Ferdinand and
Queen Isabella of Spain agreed to finance Columbus in the hopes of discovering new lands and
having a lot of gold.
On August 3, 1492, Columbus and three ships left Spain and went westward. After stopping in
the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, Columbus' ships hit the open seas. Covering about 150
miles a day, the trip was long and tiring. The crews were frightened by the sea monsters and
grew more restless every day they could not see the land. Columbus offered a reward for the first
person to see land. On October 12, a crew member saw Bahama Islands named Pinta from the
ship. Columbus set foot on the land. He believed was one of the Spice Islands and called the land
San Salvador. Columbus failed to find the gold he expected, and continued to search for. He next
visited Cuba and Dominican Republic. He encountered local peoples who he named "Indians"
because he believed they were residents of the Indies. Columbus returned to Spain a hero.
Christopher Columbus made one of the greatest discoveries in the history of the world - North
America. Actually, he wasn't the first explorer to see the continent because Viking people from
Europe had landed America 500 years before. And he believed until his death that the islands he
discovered were in the Asian continent. However, his discoveries were helpful in the Spanish
colonies in North America. Today, we celebrate Columbus Day in October to remember his
findings.

encountered
colonies
celebrate
failed
1. Which is Columbuss nationality?
a. Spanish
b. Italian
c. Indian
d. American
2. What does the word Renaissance means?
a. discovery
b. gold
c. exploration
d. rebirth

3. Which place that Columbus believed he could visit by sailing through Atlantic Ocean.
a. Italy
b. America
c. Indonesia
d. East Indies
4. Which country gave money to Columbus for his exploration?
a. Spain
b. England
c. Portugal
d. France
5. Which place Columbus believed were the Spice Islands
a. Pinta
b. Indies
c. Cuba
d. Asia
6. Why was not Columbus the first person who discovered America?
a. Because he traveled to Asia
b. Because he went to America with the crew
c. Because Viking people had arrived the land before
d. Because he believed that it was Asian continent
7. Although Columbus did not find the gold, why did people think his discovery was useful?
a. It was useful for Asian continent colonies.
b. It was useful for Spice Islands discovery.
c. It was useful for East Indies discovery.
d. It was useful for Spain colonies.