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Difficulty: MediumThe Columbian Exchange

Source: John Gerard, English herbalist, *The Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes*, 1597:

'These kinds of grain were first brought into Spain, and thence into other provinces of Europe: not (as some suppose) out of Asia Minor, which is the Turks' Dominions, but out of America and the West Indies, in our time, where it serveth for their daily bread, and is called Maize... It is a more convenient food for barbarous and brute beasts than for man, or at least for those who are fed with better meats...'

Which of the following developments was a direct consequence of the trade flows illustrated by the introduction of the crop described in the excerpt?

  1. A
    A dramatic decline in European populations caused by the introduction of American epidemic diseases like smallpox.
  2. B
    The immediate dissolution of the encomienda system as Spanish authorities granted land ownership directly to Native American laborers.
  3. A demographic boom in Europe and Asia driven by the introduction of highly caloric American staple crops.Answer
  4. D
    The unification of diverse indigenous societies across North America into a single, centralized empire to coordinate maize exports.

Answer

A demographic boom in Europe and Asia driven by the introduction of highly caloric American staple crops.
The correct answer is correct because the introduction of New World crops like maize, potatoes, and sweet potatoes provided highly caloric, easily cultivated food sources that revolutionized European and Asian agriculture, leading to a long-term demographic boom in the Old World.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the origin and destination of the crop described in the primary source.
The source describes maize (Turkey Corn) originating in the Americas (New World) and being introduced to Spain and other parts of Europe (Old World).
Establishing the correct direction of the exchange (New World to Old World) is necessary to determine its historical consequences.
2
Analyze the long-term historical impact of New World agricultural crops on the Old World.
Staple crops like maize and potatoes yielded more food per acre than traditional European grains and grew well in marginal soils, significantly improving diets and nutrition.
Connecting the agricultural properties of the crops to demographic outcomes explains their global significance.
3
Evaluate the options to identify which represents an accurate consequence of this agricultural transfer.
The resulting dietary improvements led to a significant population increase (demographic boom) in Europe and Asia.
This matches the correct option while identifying the historical errors in the distractors.

Key Concept

The demographic and ecological impacts of the Columbian Exchange on the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

The Columbian Exchange

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