Which of these most likely resulted in the european discovery of the americas? a. the desire to find a trade route to asia b. the desire to find religious freedom c. the desire to stop the spread of islam d. the desire to conquer new territory

A) the desire to find a trade route to Asia

As Christopher Columbus set out to try and find a faster trade route to India, he guided his ships West, expecting there to be open ocean from Europe to Asia, since North and South America were not mapped yet. He landed in the Caribbean, and called the natives "Indians", since he thought he was in India. Four expeditions later, he never landed in North or South America, only the immediate Caribbean Islands / Indies.

After more expeditions to this new land after Columbus, the Americas were soon discovered. (Note: Christopher Columbus did NOT discover America!)

manifest functions are the recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern, while latent functions are those unrecognized and unintended consequences. to analyze the manifest functions of any social institution, we have to study its contribution to the continuation of a group, community, or society.