Causation: Renaissance and Age of Discovery Practice Test

A scholarly excerpt (about 95 words) argues that early encounters in the Atlantic islands and West Africa produced a “template” for later colonization: fortified trading posts, coerced labor, and plantation agriculture. The author claims that these experiments created institutional and financial precedents that were then transferred to the Caribbean and Brazil after 1492. Which of the following best identifies the causal link emphasized in the excerpt?

A historian notes that Renaissance-era competition among European courts encouraged conspicuous patronage of science, art, and exploration. In a short excerpt, the historian argues that rulers used discoveries to claim prestige and legitimacy, which then reinforced further investment in voyages and colonial administration. Which example best demonstrates the causal mechanism described?