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AP®HistoryCollege BoardUS HistoryExam QuestionsPeriod 1: 1491 - 1607European Exploration in the Americas

European Exploration in the Americas (College Board AP® US History): Exam Questions

8 mins8 questions
11 mark

“Of all the most useful and excellent arts, that of navigation has always seemed to me to occupy the first place. For the more hazardous it is, and the more numerous the perils and losses by which it is attended, so much the more is it esteemed and exalted above all others, being wholly unsuited to the timid and irresolute. By this art we obtain knowledge of different countries, regions, and realms. By it we attract and bring to our own land all kinds of riches, by it the idolatry of paganism is overthrown and Christianity proclaimed throughout all the regions of the earth. This is the art which from my early age has won my love, and induced me to expose myself almost all my life to the impetuous waves of the ocean, and led me to explore the coasts of a part of America, especially of New France, where I have always desired to see the Lily flourish, and also the only religion, catholic, apostolic, and Roman.”

Samuel de Champlain, “To the Queen Regent,” in Voyages of Samuel de Champlain, 1604–1618, 1907

Samuel de Champlain’s views expressed in the excerpt are most directly a reaction to the

  • Puritan movement

  • Renaissance 

  • Catholic Counter-Reformation

  • decline of feudalism

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21 mark

“Of all the most useful and excellent arts, that of navigation has always seemed to me to occupy the first place. For the more hazardous it is, and the more numerous the perils and losses by which it is attended, so much the more is it esteemed and exalted above all others, being wholly unsuited to the timid and irresolute. By this art we obtain knowledge of different countries, regions, and realms. By it we attract and bring to our own land all kinds of riches, by it the idolatry of paganism is overthrown and Christianity proclaimed throughout all the regions of the earth. This is the art which from my early age has won my love, and induced me to expose myself almost all my life to the impetuous waves of the ocean, and led me to explore the coasts of a part of America, especially of New France, where I have always desired to see the Lily flourish, and also the only religion, catholic, apostolic, and Roman.”

Samuel de Champlain, “To the Queen Regent,” in Voyages of Samuel de Champlain, 1604–1618, 1907

The views described in the excerpt mostly directly foreshadowed which of the following developments?

  • The Columbian Exchange

  • Métis communities

  • The slave trade

  • The Seven Years’ War

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31 mark

“Of all the most useful and excellent arts, that of navigation has always seemed to me to occupy the first place. For the more hazardous it is, and the more numerous the perils and losses by which it is attended, so much the more is it esteemed and exalted above all others, being wholly unsuited to the timid and irresolute. By this art we obtain knowledge of different countries, regions, and realms. By it we attract and bring to our own land all kinds of riches, by it the idolatry of paganism is overthrown and Christianity proclaimed throughout all the regions of the earth. This is the art which from my early age has won my love, and induced me to expose myself almost all my life to the impetuous waves of the ocean, and led me to explore the coasts of a part of America, especially of New France, where I have always desired to see the Lily flourish, and also the only religion, catholic, apostolic, and Roman.”

Samuel de Champlain, “To the Queen Regent,” in Voyages of Samuel de Champlain, 1604–1618, 1907

 Efforts to spread Catholicism in most North American colonies failed to popularise because 

  •  The successful migration of Puritan settlers to escape religious persecution in Europe

  • Many Indigenous communities resisted conversion efforts and maintained their traditional spiritual practices

  • The Protestant Reformation had already weakened Catholic influence in Europe and its colonies

  • European colonists prioritized economic gains over religious conversions

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41 mark

“Of all the most useful and excellent arts, that of navigation has always seemed to me to occupy the first place. For the more hazardous it is, and the more numerous the perils and losses by which it is attended, so much the more is it esteemed and exalted above all others, being wholly unsuited to the timid and irresolute. By this art we obtain knowledge of different countries, regions, and realms. By it we attract and bring to our own land all kinds of riches, by it the idolatry of paganism is overthrown and Christianity proclaimed throughout all the regions of the earth. This is the art which from my early age has won my love, and induced me to expose myself almost all my life to the impetuous waves of the ocean, and led me to explore the coasts of a part of America, especially of New France, where I have always desired to see the Lily flourish, and also the only religion, catholic, apostolic, and Roman.”

Samuel de Champlain, “To the Queen Regent,” in Voyages of Samuel de Champlain, 1604–1618, 1907

What limitation does Champlain’s letter present as a historical source for understanding European exploration?

  • It focuses only on religious motivations, ignoring the economic aspects of colonization.

  • It offers a biased perspective, reflecting only Champlain’s personal goals and priorities

  • It does not provide insight into the French desire to establish a fur commercial trading post

  • It lacks any reference to the technological advancements that enabled exploration

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51 mark
A group of explorers in European attire meet indigenous people on a beach. There are flags, ships in the background, and trees bordering the scene.


The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. (1600 - 1900). Christopher Columbus Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-2938-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

The image was intended to 

  • Document an accurate account of Columbus’ interactions

  • Encourage mutual trade between Europeans and Indigenous peoples 

  • Critique the treatment of Indigenous populations by explorers

  • Justify European conquest and colonization

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61 mark
A group of explorers in European attire meet indigenous people on a beach. There are flags, ships in the background, and trees bordering the scene.

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. (1600 - 1900). Christopher Columbus Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-2938-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

The image reflects which of the following continuities in US History?

  • Development of multicultural societies through trade and exchange 

  • The enduring notion of Manifest Destiny and territorial expansion 

  • Opposition to European colonization by marginalized groups

  • The effects of the Renaissance on North America 

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71 mark
A group of explorers in European attire meet indigenous people on a beach. There are flags, ships in the background, and trees bordering the scene.


The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. (1600 - 1900). Christopher Columbus Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-2938-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Which of the following events most directly represents a later example of the themes shown in the image? 

  • The Proclamation of 1763 by King George III 

  • The Louisiana Purchase of 1803

  • The establishment of Jamestown in 1607

  • The War of 1812

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81 mark
A group of explorers in European attire meet indigenous people on a beach. There are flags, ships in the background, and trees bordering the scene.


The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. (1600 - 1900). Christopher Columbus Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-2938-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Which of the following most directly explains the limitations of the image as a historical document?

  • It was created after the event, making it a secondary source rather than a primary one

  • It provides an incomplete representation of European exploration by excluding non-Spanish ventures

  • It was produced solely for artistic purposes, with no historical context or agenda

  • It idealizes Columbus’ landing, ignoring the experiences and perspectives of the Indigenous peoples

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