What was the primary reason that Spain-and not its rival, Portugal-was the dominant power in the New World during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries?
  1. Christopher Columbus’s success in the New World
  2. Spanish ships were significantly faster than Portuguese ships.
  3. The very large treasury that had been accrued by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain
  4. The Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)
Explanation
Answer - D - The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494, was the primary reason that Spain was the dominant power in the New World during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

Key Takeaway: The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas divided the non-European world between Spain and Portugal. This allowed Spain to freely explore the Western Hemisphere without the interference of Portugal-except for the Brazilian coast.
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