Questions & Answers
Browse all 20 questions from the
Milestones in Global Exploration study set below.
Each question shows the correct answer — select a study format above to practice interactively.
1
Which explorer led the first expedition to successfully circumnavigate the globe?
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A
Ferdinand Magellan
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B
Christopher Columbus
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C
James Cook
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D
Marco Polo
2
Who was the first person to reach the geographic South Pole in 1911?
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A
Robert Scott
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B
Roald Amundsen
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C
Ernest Shackleton
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D
Edmund Hillary
3
Which explorer is credited with being the first European to reach North America in the 11th century?
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A
Leif Erikson
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B
John Cabot
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C
Amerigo Vespucci
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D
Jacques Cartier
4
In 1953, who were the first two individuals confirmed to reach the summit of Mount Everest?
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A
Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary
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B
Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler
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C
George Mallory and Andrew Irvine
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D
Scott Fischer and Rob Hall
5
Which Italian explorer traveled along the Silk Road to China in the 13th century?
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A
Vasco da Gama
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B
Marco Polo
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C
Amerigo Vespucci
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D
Bartolomeu Dias
6
What was the name of the ship used by Charles Darwin during his scientific exploration of the Galapagos Islands?
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A
HMS Beagle
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B
HMS Endeavour
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C
HMS Victory
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D
HMS Discovery
7
Which explorer was the first to sail directly from Europe to India, opening a sea route for trade?
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A
Vasco da Gama
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B
Hernan Cortes
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C
Francis Drake
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D
Ponce de Leon
8
In 1969, which mission successfully landed the first humans on the Moon?
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A
Apollo 11
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B
Apollo 13
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C
Gemini 8
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D
Mercury-Redstone 3
9
Which explorer led the first expedition to cross the North American continent to the Pacific Ocean between 1804 and 1806?
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A
Lewis and Clark
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B
Zebulon Pike
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C
John Fremont
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D
Jedediah Smith
10
Who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean?
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A
Amelia Earhart
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B
Bessie Coleman
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C
Harriet Quimby
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D
Jacqueline Cochran
11
Which explorer was the first European to encounter the Pacific Ocean from the Americas in 1513?
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A
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
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B
Francisco Pizarro
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C
Pedro de Alvarado
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D
Hernando de Soto
12
The Northwest Passage is a sea route that connects which two oceans?
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A
Atlantic and Pacific
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B
Indian and Atlantic
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C
Arctic and Indian
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D
Pacific and Southern
13
Which famous explorer mapped much of the coastline of Australia and New Zealand in the 1770s?
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A
James Cook
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B
William Dampier
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C
Matthew Flinders
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D
George Vancouver
14
Who is known for his extensive travels throughout the Islamic world in the 14th century, documented in the Rihla?
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A
Ibn Battuta
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B
Ibn Khaldun
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C
Al-Idrisi
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D
Al-Masudi
15
Which Antarctic explorer's ship, the Endurance, became trapped and crushed by ice in 1915?
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A
Ernest Shackleton
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B
Douglas Mawson
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C
James Clark Ross
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D
Carsten Borchgrevink
16
What is the name of the Portuguese explorer who was the first to sail around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa?
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A
Bartolomeu Dias
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B
Vasco da Gama
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C
Pedro Álvares Cabral
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D
Ferdinand Magellan
17
Which explorer sought the Fountain of Youth in Florida in 1513?
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A
Juan Ponce de León
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B
Panfilo de Narvaez
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C
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
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D
Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon
18
Who was the first person to travel into outer space in 1961?
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A
Yuri Gagarin
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B
Alan Shepard
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C
John Glenn
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D
Neil Armstrong
19
Which explorer discovered the Hawaiian Islands for Europeans in 1778?
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A
James Cook
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B
Louis de Bougainville
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C
Jean-Francois de Galaup
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D
George Vancouver
20
The 'Age of Discovery' primarily refers to which centuries?
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A
15th to 17th
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B
12th to 14th
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C
19th to 20th
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D
10th to 12th
