SAT II US History : Summary of U.S. Political History from Pre-Columbian to 1789

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT II US History

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Example Questions

Example Question #11 : Summary Of U.S. Political History From Pre Columbian To 1789

The Treaty of Tordesillas was an attempt by which two countries to divide the territory of the New World?

Possible Answers:

England and Portugal

England and France

Spain and France

Spain and Portugal 

England and Spain

Correct answer:

Spain and Portugal 

Explanation:

The Treaty of Tordesillas was an agreement between Spain and Portugal about how the newly discovered lands, ripe for conquest and empire-building, should be divided. Very little of the land had actually been seen by any Europeans yet, but essentially the Treaty gave almost all of the Americas to Spain, with a small section of South America (modern Brazil) reserved for Portugal, and almost all of Africa and Asia to the Portuguese. The Treaty was loosely respected for a time by both countries and is a massive determining factor in the culture, language and society of many modern nations around the world. 

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