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Difficulty: MediumThe Columbian Exchange

Source: Pietro Andrea Mattioli, Italian physician and botanist, *Medical Materia*, 1544

'Another species of mandrake has been brought to Italy in our time, which are flat like apples and segmented like melons, first green, and then when they ripen, they turn golden in color. They are eaten in the same manner as mushrooms—fried in oil with salt and pepper.'

The new crop described in the passage—the tomato—was introduced to Europe from the Americas. The global diffusion of crops like the tomato after 1450 most directly contributed to which of the following developments?

  1. A
    The creation of state-sponsored joint-stock companies to manage the transatlantic trade of enslaved labor.
  2. An increase in nutritional diversity and overall population growth in Afro-Eurasian societies.Answer
  3. C
    The rapid abandonment of mercantilist policies in favor of free-market capitalism by European monarchs.
  4. D
    The complete homogenization of global food cultures, which eliminated regional culinary practices.

Answer

The introduction of American crops led to an increase in nutritional diversity and overall population growth in Afro-Eurasian societies.
The introduction of New World crops like tomatoes, potatoes, and maize enriched the diets of Afro-Eurasian populations with new vitamins, minerals, and calories, leading to improved health outcomes and long-term population growth.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus to identify the subject and temporal context.
The text written by Pietro Andrea Mattioli in 1544 describes the introduction of a new crop, the tomato, into Italy from the Americas.
Understanding the nature of the crop and the period helps locate the question within the early modern Columbian Exchange.
2
Recall the long-term global effects of the diffusion of American crops to Afro-Eurasia.
Crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, maize, and tomatoes provided high-yielding, nutrient-dense food sources that supplemented existing agricultural regimes.
This step connects the specific example in the stimulus to the broader historical pattern of population growth and dietary changes.
3
Evaluate the options to identify the development most directly caused by this crop diffusion.
The option highlighting increased nutritional diversity and population growth matches historical consensus, while the other choices describe incorrect economic transitions, conflate biological exchange with trade systems, or assume complete cultural homogenization.
This step ensures that the correct answer is selected based on standard historical evidence while eliminating options containing common misconceptions.

Key Concept

The demographic and nutritional impacts of the Columbian Exchange on Afro-Eurasia
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

The Columbian Exchange

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