read the passage from sugar changed the world. in the 1400s, spain and portugal were competing to explore…

read the passage from sugar changed the world. in the 1400s, spain and portugal were competing to explore down the coast of africa and find a sea route to asia. that way, they could have the prized asian spices they wanted without having to pay high prices to venetian and muslim middlemen. spanish and portuguese sailors searching for that sea route conquered the canary islands and the azores. soon they began building muslim - style sugar plantations on the islands, some of them staffed by slaves purchased from nearby africa. one sailor came to know these islands particularly well because he traded in \white gold\—sugar. and then, as he set off on his second voyage across the sea to what he thought was asia, he carried sugar cane plants from gomera, one of the canary islands, with him on his ship. his name was christopher columbus. how do the details in the passage most support the central idea? the details emphasize christopher columbuss role in spreading sugar to the new world. the details explain how venetian and muslim middlemen were able to control the sugar trade. the details compare spanish and portuguese sugar plantations to those of muslim farmers. the details describe how spanish and portuguese explorations helped expand the sugar trade.
Answer
Brief Explanations:
The passage talks about Spain and Portugal exploring to find a sea - route to Asia. Their explorations led to conquering islands, building sugar plantations, and Columbus (a part of this exploration context) carrying sugarcane plants. So the details are about how Spanish and Portuguese explorations (including Columbus's actions which are part of this broader exploration) helped expand the sugar trade.
- The first option is wrong because the passage is not mainly about Columbus's role in spreading sugar (it's more about the broader exploration context).
- The second option is wrong as the passage is not about how Venetian and Muslim middlemen controlled the sugar trade.
- The third option is wrong as there is no comparison of Spanish - Portuguese plantations with Muslim farmers' plantations in the passage.
Answer:
The details describe how Spanish and Portuguese explorations helped expand the sugar trade.