Scribd
Upload
123 views2 pages

Christopher Columbus 2

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) was an Italian explorer who was trying to find a western sea route to Asia but instead unintentionally discovered the Americas in 1492. After receiving funding from the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, Columbus sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean with three ships and arrived in the Bahamas after ten weeks, believing he had reached Asia. While the initial interactions with Native Americans were friendly, Columbus went on to explore more islands in the Caribbean and returned to Spain to great acclaim, though he struggled with management issues on later voyages and died a wealthy but disappointed man.

Uploaded by

Dalal Ghattas
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
123 views2 pages

Christopher Columbus 2

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) was an Italian explorer who was trying to find a western sea route to Asia but instead unintentionally discovered the Americas in 1492. After receiving funding from the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, Columbus sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean with three ships and arrived in the Bahamas after ten weeks, believing he had reached Asia. While the initial interactions with Native Americans were friendly, Columbus went on to explore more islands in the Caribbean and returned to Spain to great acclaim, though he struggled with management issues on later voyages and died a wealthy but disappointed man.

Uploaded by

Dalal Ghattas
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Christopher Columbus (1451 - 1506)

Known as 'the man who discovered America,' Columbus was in fact trying to find a westward sea passage to the East when he landed in the New World in 1492. This unintentional discovery was to change the course of world history. Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa between August and October 1451. His father was a weaver and small-time merchant. As a teenager, Christopher went to sea, travelled extensively and eventually made Portugal his base. He tried for many years to persuade kings and queens to give him money for food and ships so he could find a new route to India. Finally, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella agreed to sponsor the expedition. In return, he promised to give them new lands, spices, money and new people to become Christians. On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail with three ships, the Santa Maria, the Pinta and the Nia, across the Atlantic. Ten weeks later, they saw land. On October 12, Columbus and a group of his men set foot on an island which he called San Salvador. Later it became known as the Bahamas. Believing that they had reached India, the newcomers called the natives 'Indians.' At first, Native Americans were friendly. Columbus landed on a number of other islands in the Caribbean, including Cuba and Hispaniola, and returned to Spain in triumph. He was made 'admiral of the Seven Seas, and within a few months, set off on a second and larger voyage. Columbus made two further voyages to the New World, but suffered defeat and humiliation along the way. A great navigator, Columbus was less successful as an administrator and was accused of mismanagement. He died on May 20, 1506 a wealthy but disappointed man.

adapted from http://www.bbc.co.uk


1. a. What do we all know about Columbus? _______________________________________________________ b. What fact is less known? _______________________________________________________ 2. Circle TRUE or FALSE. Justify your answer by quoting from the text. Columbus found the New World by accident. True/False Justify:_______________________________________________________________ 3. When Columbus landed in the New World he was a. 40 years old b. 51 years old c. 38 years old d. 41 years old 4. What did Columbus need to find the new route to India? ______________________________________________________________________

5. Complete the flow-chart

Christopher went to sea

He tried to find money

6. Them (par 3) refers to _________________ 7. Ten weeks later, they saw land. What land did they see? a. Cuba b. Caribbean c. Bahamas d. Hispaniola 8. We can infer from par 4 that a. San Salvador and the Bahamas are two different places. b. Columbus and his men reached India. c. Later natives became unfriendly. d. Columbus was treated in Spain as a loser. 9. Give examples of the islands in the Caribbean. ___________________________________________________ 10. How many voyages altogether did Columbus make to the New World? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4 11. Circle TRUE or FALSE. Justify your answer by quoting from the text. Columbus was very successful in all his expeditions. True / False Justify: ____________________________________________________ 12. Circle the correct sentence a. Columbus suffered defeat and humiliation after his first voyage. b. At the end of his life he was very rich but unhappy. c. Columbus was successful as a navigator as well as an administrator. d. Columbus made two voyages to the New World. Negative prefixes: dis-, un-, mis-, deFind the synonyms: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. discover unintentional mismanagement disappointed defeat unfriendly ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ a. poor management b. failure c. feeling sad d. find e. hostile f. accidental

You might also like