Guns, Germs and Steel

This worksheet and answers accompanies the National Geographic documentary, Guns, Germs and Steel, presented by Jared Diamond. It covers the reasons why only 168 conquistadors were able to defeat an Incan army of 7000 and thereby gain control of the empire. His thesis is that cultures with productive farming and grazing practices have larger and more specialised populations. He compares the farming practices, learned knowledge and weaponry of the Spaniards and Incans. He then looks at why the Spaniards had a level of resistance to smallpox while 95% of the Incan population perished.