Question

the land and the name
bandini and warren
1 once upon a time, about four hundred years ago, there was published in old spain a novel which soon became unusually popular. the successful story of those days was one which caught the fancy of the men, was read by them, discussed at their gatherings, and often carried with them when they went to the wars or in search of adventures. this particular story would not interest readers of today save for this passage: \know that on the right hand of the indies there is an island called california, very near the terrestrial paradise, and it is peopled by black women who live after the fashion of amazons. this island is the strongest in the world, with its steep rocks and great cliffs, and there is no metal in the island but gold.\
2 there is no doubt that some bold explorer, crossing over from spain to mexico and enlisting under the leadership of the gallant cortez, sailed the unknown south sea (the pacific) and gave to the new land discovered by one of cortezs pilots the name of the golden island in this favorite story.
3 this land, thought to be an island, is now known to us as the peninsula of lower california. the name first appeared in 1542 on the map of domingo castillo, and was soon applied to all the land claimed by spain from cape san lucas up the coast as far north as 44%, which was probably a little higher than any spanish explorer had ever sailed.
4 \sir francis drake,\ says the old chronicle, \was the first englishman to sail on the back side of america,\ and from that time until now california has been considered the back door of the country. this was natural because the first settlements in the united states were along the atlantic seacoast. the people who came from england kept their faces turned eastward, looking to the mother country for help, and watching europe, and later england herself, as a quarter from which danger might come, as indeed it did in the war of the revolution and that of 1812.
the main purpose of this passage is
a to explain how the gold rush began
b to describe the landscape of california
c to explain how california was discovered
d to describe the growing importance of california

Explanation:

The passage starts with a 16th-century Spanish novel mentioning an island called California with gold, then notes that an explorer under Cortez named the newly discovered land (Lower California peninsula) after this fictional island. It also states the name first appeared on a 1542 map and was applied to broader Spanish-claimed lands. This focuses on the origin of California's name tied to its discovery via Spanish exploration. Option A is incorrect (no Gold Rush details); B is incorrect (no landscape description); D is incorrect (no discussion of growing importance).

Answer:

C. to explain how California was discovered