The Vikings

Who were the Vikings, how did they sail, and where did they explore?

An engaging journey into the lives, technology, and travels of the Scandinavian people during the Viking Age.

Check your understanding

1. Which of these regions were the Vikings originally from?
- A. Spain, Portugal, and Italy
- B. Denmark, Norway, and Sweden
- C. England, France, and Germany
- D. Russia, Greece, and Turkey
2. What secret allowed Viking longships to sail on both deep oceans and shallow rivers?
- A. They had engines hidden under the deck.
- B. They were made of waterproof metal.
- C. They were long, narrow, and had a shallow hull.
- D. They used magic crystals for power.
3. What was the official assembly where free people met to settle arguments and discuss rules?
- A. The Thing
- B. The Valhalla
- C. The Longhouse
- D. The Skald
4. Which of these is a common misconception about the Vikings?
- A. They were skilled shipbuilders.
- B. They wore helmets with horns on them.
- C. They traded goods like silk and silver.
- D. They told stories through poems.

1. Why did the Vikings use clinker construction for their ships?
- A. It made the ships go faster in a straight line.
- B. It allowed the boat hull to flex over waves without breaking.
- C. It made the boats cheaper to build in large numbers.
- D. It helped the boats stay warm in the winter.
2. How did Vikings navigate the ocean without a compass?
- A. They only traveled during the day when it was sunny.
- B. They followed maps drawn by other explorers.
- C. They used the stars, migratory birds, and sometimes sunstones.
- D. They relied only on luck to find their way.
3. What evidence proves that the Vikings reached North America long before Christopher Columbus?
- A. Found runestones describing a map of the globe.
- B. Remains of Viking houses in Newfoundland, Canada.
- C. Stories from modern-day sailors.
- D. Coins that show an image of a New York city.
4. What do the names of our weekdays (like Thursday) tell us about the Vikings?
- A. Vikings were the first to create a seven-day calendar.
- B. Our languages and cultures have roots in Norse mythology.
- C. The Vikings lived only in the places where these names are used.
- D. The weekdays were the only time Vikings stopped raiding.

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