Question

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 Columbus’s 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 1

Correct answer: The details describe how Spanish and Portuguese explorations helped expand the sugar trade.

Why: The passage links Spanish and Portuguese exploration and conquest of Atlantic islands with the establishment of sugar plantations, use of African slaves, and the transport of sugar cane (by Columbus) to new lands — all showing how exploration expanded the sugar trade. The other choices are narrower or unsupported (B is not explained, C only mentions "Muslim-style" briefly, A is true but too limited).