Question

Why were natives in America initially called "Indians?"

A. "Indian" was the common name all natives called
one another.
B. "Indian" was the term given the natives by
European explorers.
C. "Indian" was the original name of the native
people before they came to the Americas.
D. "Indian" was the name the native people used to
describe themselves to European explorers.

Answer 1

B. "Indian" was the term given the natives by European explorers.

Step-by-step explanation:

When the explorers arrived in North America, they believed they had reached India, so they called everyone already there, the Native Americans, Indians.

Answer 2

B, Christopher Columbus thought he landed in the Indies at first, so he started calling the natives “Indians”