Answer:
D) to avoid paying inflated prices for goods
Step-by-step explanation:
During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Europeans put in a lot of effort and finances into finding new, independent trade routes toward Asia. The main reason for this was the Ottoman Empire, as it managed to establish itself in between Asia and Europe, right on the most important trade route, and it was using this to put in high taxes to make lot of wealth.
The Europeans understandably didn't fancied this circumstances, so they were trying to find ways around the Ottoman Empire in order to trade with Asia. This resulted in numerous expeditions in the seas and oceans around the world. While some expeditions managed to find trade routes to Asia, like the one around Africa, and through the Indian Ocean, while some had totally unexpected outcomes, as while looking for a way to Asia, two new continents were discovered, North and South America.