They say that the land is excellent and temperate, and they believe that Brazil wood and silk are native there. They assert that the sea there is swarming with fish, which can be taken not only with the net, but in baskets let down with a stone, so that it sinks in the water.
—Explorer John Cabot, in a 1497 letter describing the New World
Based on the excerpt, explorers of the New World were mainly looking to
A.
find enough food to feed all of the colonists from Europe.
B.
claim enough land to keep other European settlers away.
C.
meet natives to learn how to use the natural resources.
D.
find natural resources to benefit their home countries.