Question

primary source
this is an excerpt from a journal kept by one of the men in de soto’s party. here, the explorer discusses his impressions of the savannah river region.
the country was delightful and fertile, having good interval lands upon the streams; the forest was open, with abundance of walnut and mulberry trees. . . .
to all it appeared well to make a settlement there. . . it is a good country, and one fit in which to raise supplies; but soto, as it was his object to find another treasure like that of atabalipa, lord of peru, would not be content with good lands nor pearls, even though many of them were worth their weight in gold.

• \the expedition of hernando de soto,\ 1557

what was this spanish explorer’s impression of the savannah river region?
○ it was an area rich in natural resources that could provide many supplies.
○ the farmland was poor, and the forests had few useful trees.
○ the area was filled with a great deal of gold and silver to send back to spain.
○ the area was a poor choice in which to build a spanish settlement.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the journal excerpt:

• The excerpt says the country was "delightful and fertile", had "good interval lands", "abundance of walnut and mulberry trees", and was "fit in which to raise supplies".
• Option 1: Matches as it describes a resource - rich area for supplies.
• Option 2: Contradicts the "fertile" and "abundance of trees" description.
• Option 3: The excerpt says Soto wanted a treasure like Atabalipa's (gold/silver), but the area's impression was about good lands/supplies, not being filled with gold/silver.
• Option 4: Contradicts "well to make a settlement there" and "good country".

Answer:

A. It was an area rich in natural resources that could provide many supplies.