Correct Answer:
D. Vasco da Gama
The question asks about the discovery of the sea route to India, a pivotal moment in global history that reshaped trade and exploration. Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese explorer, is correctly credited with this monumental achievement. In 1498, he successfully navigated around the southern tip of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope, and reached Calicut, India. This established a direct maritime trade route between Europe and Asia, bypassing the traditional overland routes controlled by the Ottoman Empire and Venetian merchants.
- Hopkins is not a recognized figure in the history of major European explorations to India.
- Columbus (Christopher Columbus) famously sailed west in 1492, believing he could reach Asia, but instead landed in the Americas, never reaching India.
- Magellan (Ferdinand Magellan) led the first expedition to circumnavigate the Earth, sailing west across the Pacific, but he did not discover the sea route to India.