Question

claim new territories, expand empires, and find new trade routes to asia were some of the ________.

Explanation:

This question is about historical motivations, likely related to the Age of Exploration. The actions like claiming new territories, expanding empires, and finding new trade routes to Asia were some of the motivations (or goals) of European exploration during the Age of Exploration (e.g., for countries like Spain, Portugal, England, etc.). The blank would be filled with a term like "motivations" or "reasons" for exploration, or more specifically "goals of European exploration" or "driving forces behind European exploration".

Answer:

motivations (or goals, driving forces) of European exploration (during the Age of Exploration)