Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyThe Columbian Exchange

Bernardino de Sahagún, a Spanish missionary, recorded the following description of a disease outbreak in Tenochtitlan (modern-day Mexico City) in the sixteenth century:

"A great sickness broke out among the people... It spread over the people as great destruction. Some it quite covered on all parts—their faces, their heads, their breasts... They could not move; they could not stir... And many died of it..."

Which of the following aspects of the Columbian Exchange is most directly reflected in the event described in the excerpt?

  1. A
    The introduction of New World diseases to Europe, which caused a similar population collapse in Spain.
  2. B
    The creation of the encomienda system as a program to distribute land ownership to Spanish conquistadors.
  3. The introduction of Old World diseases to Native American populations who lacked immunity.Answer
  4. D
    The spread of the illness due to the homogeneous, unified culture shared by all Native American groups.

Answer

The introduction of Old World diseases to Native American populations who lacked immunity.
The introduction of Old World diseases to Native American populations who lacked immunity is correct because European contact brought pathogens like smallpox to the Americas. Because Native Americans had no prior exposure, they had no immunity, leading to catastrophic population declines.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the historical event described in the stimulus.
The stimulus describes a devastating outbreak of a sickness (epidemic disease) among the Indigenous people in Tenochtitlan.
Analyzing the primary source shows that the core focus is a biological outbreak causing massive demographic collapse.
2
Relate the outbreak to the historical context of the Columbian Exchange.
The massive die-off of Native Americans was caused by pathogens brought by Europeans, which was a major biological component of the Columbian Exchange.
This connects the document's description of disease to the broader exchange of biological organisms between the hemispheres.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that accurately describes this biological exchange.
The option identifying the introduction of Old World diseases to Native American populations who lacked immunity is correct.
It accurately states the direction of the transfer (Old World to New World) and the biological reason for the devastation (lack of prior exposure and immunity).

Key Concept

The Columbian Exchange involved the transfer of biological organisms, including deadly Old World pathogens, to the New World, leading to a catastrophic demographic collapse among Native Americans due to their lack of natural immunity.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

The Columbian Exchange

More questions from this topic