Question

question 17

when, \in fourteen hundred and ninety-two, columbus sailed the ocean blue,\ what hypothesis was he attempting to prove?

that newer, faster boats from portugal could reach asia before the crews supplies ran out.
that the earth was round, and therefore asia could be reached by sailing east.
that the atlantic ocean was smaller than most cartographers at the time believed.
that a land mass called the americas existed to the west.

Explanation:

Analyze Columbus's objective

During the Age of Exploration, Christopher Columbus sought an westward route to Asia. He believed that Asia could be reached quickly by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean.

Evaluate the size of the Earth

Educated Europeans already knew the Earth was round. However, Columbus argued that the circumference of the Earth was much smaller than standard calculations suggested, meaning the Atlantic Ocean was narrow enough to cross directly.

Identify the correct option

Columbus did not know the Americas existed, nor was he sailing for Portugal. He was trying to prove that the Atlantic Ocean was smaller than cartographers believed, making a western voyage to Asia feasible.

Answer:

• (A) That newer, faster boats from Portugal could reach Asia before the crew's supplies ran out.
• (B) That the earth was round, and therefore Asia could be reached by sailing east.
• (C) That the Atlantic Ocean was smaller than most cartographers at the time believed. (Correct answer)
• (D) That a land mass called the Americas existed to the west.