Question

questions 15 through 18 refer to the following. the isolation of the native peoples of the americas... from old world germs prior to the last few hundred years was nearly absolute. not only did very few people of any origin cross the great oceans, but those who did must have been healthy or they would have died on the way, taking their pathogens with them... native americans were not without their own infections, of course. but native americans seem to have been without any experience with such old world maladies as smallpox and measles... indications of the susceptibility of native americans... to old world infections appear almost immediately after the intrusion of the whites. in 1492, columbus kidnapped a number of arawak indians to train as interpreters and to show to king ferdinand and queen isabella. several of them seem to have died on the stormy voyage to europe in 1493... in 1495, columbus... sent 550 arawak slaves... off across the atlantic... to be put to work in spain. the majority of these soon were also dead... what killed the arawaks in 1493 and 1495?... columbus certainly did not want to kill his interpreters, and slavers and slave - holders have no interest whatever in the outright slaughter of their property... the most likely candidates for the role of exterminator of the first native americans in europe were those that killed so many other arawaks in the decades immediately following: old world pathogens. alfred w. crosby, historian, ecological imperialism: the biological expansion of europe, 900 - 1900, published in 1986. 18 which of the following best describes evidence used by crosby to support his argument about the change in native american populations after 1492? a the spanish sought to use native americans as laborers on encomiendas. b columbus trained native americans as translators and guides. c enslaved americans who were taken to europe experienced high mortality rates. d some diseases affecting native americans originated in the americas.

Explanation:

Crosby's argument focuses on the impact of Old - World pathogens on Native American populations. Option C shows that enslaved Americans taken to Europe had high mortality rates, likely due to exposure to Old - World diseases they had no immunity to, which supports his argument. Option A is about labor use, Option B is about training, and Option D is about diseases originating in the Americas, none of which directly support his argument about the impact of Old - World diseases on Native American populations.

Answer:

C. Enslaved Americans who were taken to Europe experienced high mortality rates.