Final answer:
French explorers searched the St. Lawrence and Mississippi rivers to expand their empire and seek new trade routes to Asia. They claimed the St. Lawrence Seaway and built up New France, which included territories around these rivers. The correct answer is D) St. Lawrence and Mississippi
Step-by-step explanation:
The French explorers searched various rivers in efforts to expand their territories and explore new routes to Asia. Among the rivers that they focused on were the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi rivers. Giovanni de Verrazano was commissioned in 1532 to find a northwest passage and explored the Atlantic seaboard of North America. Jacques Cartier soon followed, claiming the mouth of the St. Lawrence Seaway for France. Later on, Samuel de Champlain built a fort at Quebec, and New France grew to encompass the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes.
The exploration and colonization efforts by the French would eventually lead them down the Mississippi River Valley. With the advent of steamboats, exploring these waters became more feasible. Although the actual source of the Mississippi River was not discovered by non-Indigenous peoples until 1832, it became a vital trade and travel route for both European settlers and Native Americans. The French were instrumental in establishing a presence in eastern Canada, the Great Lakes region, and the Mississippi River Valley, which are evident even today through place names and land-use patterns.