Question

Assertion (A): The discovery of sea routes to Asia and America shrank the pre-modern world in the sixteenth century.

Reason (R): During this period European entry into Indian ocean expanded trade.

Options

• Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

• Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

• (A) is true, but (R) is false.

• (A) is false, but (R) is true.

Answer 1

Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Explanation:

• The late 15th and early 16th centuries saw the discovery of sea routes to Asia (such as the passage around the Cape of Good Hope to India) and America (by Columbus), which connected distant parts of the world via maritime trade.
• This resulted in faster and more direct trade and communication between continents, thus “shrinking” the world as it became more interconnected.
• European presence into the Indian Ocean trade network considerably increased trade, as they constructed trading posts and controlled vital marine routes.