Question 1

True or false: Magellan was Portuguese, but he sailed for Spain.

Accepted Answer

True. After falling out with the Portuguese king, Magellan switched allegiance to Spain in 1517.

Question 2

True or false: Magellan named the Pacific Ocean because it seemed so peaceful.

Accepted Answer

True. After navigating the stormy Strait of Magellan, he encountered calm waters and named it 'Mar Pacifico' (peaceful sea).

Question 3

True or false: Magellan was killed in battle by a poisonous arrow in South America.

Accepted Answer

False. He died in the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines, struck by bamboo spears, not arrows in South America.

Question 4

True or false: Magellan’s voyage was funded entirely by the Catholic Church.

Accepted Answer

False. Spain’s King Charles I funded the expedition, seeking a western route to the Spice Islands.

Question 5

True or false: Magellan himself completed the first circumnavigation of the globe.

Accepted Answer

False. Magellan died in the Philippines in 1521; his crew, led by Elcano, finished the voyage.

Question 6

True or false: Ferdinand Magellan was killed before his expedition completed the first circumnavigation of the globe.

Accepted Answer

True. Magellan was killed in the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines in 1521. The voyage was completed by Juan Sebastián Elcano in 1522, making it the first circumnavigation.

Question 7

True or false: Magellan’s expedition was the first to prove the Earth was round.

Accepted Answer

False. Ancient Greeks had already proven the Earth was round; Magellan’s voyage confirmed its size.

Question 8

True or false: Magellan’s fleet included a ship that sailed back to Spain before reaching the Pacific.

Accepted Answer

True. The 'San Antonio' deserted the fleet in the Strait of Magellan and returned to Spain.

Ferdinand Magellan Trivia Questions