Crosby’s argument in the passage is most likely a response to which of the following developments of the period 1450–1750 (C) E.?

(A) The development of direct trade links between Western Europe and India (B) The beginning of the Industrial Revolution (C) The colonization of North and South America by Western Europeans (D) The increasing development of seafaring technologiesExplanation: Crosby’s argument is essentially that Europe achieved a position of global hegemony by discovering and exploiting the New World. Eliminate (A) and (B) because they do not discuss the New World. Eliminate (D) because it does not explicitly refer to the settlement of the New World. Choice (C) is the best answer.