Grade 5 · Social Studies · Unit 2 of 12
Explorers and Settlers
Why Europeans came
What your child practises
Norse voyages, Cabot, Cartier, Champlain and Hudson, and why Europeans came: routes to Asia, fishing, the fur trade, claiming land and spreading religion, from the point of view that Indigenous peoples already lived here.
Ontario Curriculum expectation: A3.3 · motives for European exploration and settlement before 1713
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
What is a colony?
- A type of fur
- A territory settled and controlled by another country
- A kind of ship
Show answer
A territory settled and controlled by another country
Hint: France and England set up colonies in North America.
Question 2
Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence River for which country?
- Norway
- England
- France
Show answer
France
Hint: Cartier made voyages in 1534–1536 on behalf of the king of France.
Question 3
Which was an early settlement attempt by the Norse?
- Port-Royal
- Québec
- L'Anse aux Meadows
Show answer
L'Anse aux Meadows
Hint: It is in northern Newfoundland and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Question 4
Put these events in order from earliest to latest.
- 🌊Jacques Cartier sails up the St. Lawrence (1534)
- 🏘️Champlain founds Québec (1608)
- 🧭John Cabot reaches Newfoundland (1497)
- ⛵Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows (about 1000)
Show answer
Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows (about 1000) → John Cabot reaches Newfoundland (1497) → Jacques Cartier sails up the St. Lawrence (1534) → Champlain founds Québec (1608)
Hint: Norse about 1000, Cabot in 1497, Cartier in 1534 and Champlain at Québec in 1608.
Question 5
Which country sent Henry Hudson on his voyage to the bay later named after him?
- Norway only
- Spain only
- England (and Dutch traders also hired him earlier)
Show answer
England (and Dutch traders also hired him earlier)
Hint: Hudson sailed in 1610 on an English ship.
Question 6
Which explorer is linked to the early French settlement of Québec?
- Henry Hudson
- Samuel de Champlain
- Jacques Cartier
Show answer
Samuel de Champlain
Hint: Champlain founded Québec in 1608.