Question

Select the two statements that are NOT true of the Spanish exploration and conquests in the New World. The Spanish explorers claimed the St. Lawrence River. The Spanish explorers followed the Mississippi from its source to its mouth. Spain gained great wealth. The Spanish explorers claimed large stretches of land in the southern United States.

Answer 1

The Spanish did not claim the St. Lawrence River, which was claimed by France, nor did they follow the Mississippi from its source to its mouth. They did, however, gain great wealth and claimed lands in the southeastern United States.

Step-by-step explanation:

Out of the statements given about the Spanish exploration and conquests in the New World, two are NOT true:

The Spanish explorers claimed the St. Lawrence River.

The Spanish explorers followed the Mississippi from its source to its mouth.

These statements are incorrect because it was the French explorers, not the Spanish, who claimed the St. Lawrence River, with Jacques Cartier naming it New France. Furthermore, it was not the Spanish but other explorers who navigated the full length of the Mississippi. The Spanish did indeed gain great wealth from their conquests in the New World, particularly from gold and silver mining. Moreover, Spanish explorers such as Hernando de Soto did claim large stretches of land in what is now the southeastern United States.

Answer 2

The Spanish explorers claimed the St. Lawrence River

The Spanish explorers followed the Mississippi from its source to its mouth

Step-by-step explanation:

The Spanish were the first Europeans to set foot in the Americas after the Vikings several centuries before them. They quickly tried to use the opportunity to explore the new lands, get wealth, gain new territories, spread their culture... There were numerous explorers that led expeditions into the Americas, and they indeed managed to discover lot of new places.

The first Europeans that managed to discover the Mississippi River were exactly the Spanish. The Spanish didn't really had that much of an interest to follow the flow of the river and explore it upstream, but instead they just crossed it and stuck close to the southern part of what is now the United States.

The Saint Lawrence River was discovered and explored the French, not the Spanish. The French claimed the river, but also the whole area that was surrounding it, making it part of their colonial territory in the Americas.