What prompted Cartier's third voyage in 1541?

• A. Voyages prompted by royal directive to seek wealth
• B. To map the Atlantic coastline
• C. A royal directive to map the Atlantic coast
• D. Stories of gold, spices, and the route to Asia from Donnacona, whom Cartier abducted and brought back to France, along with Donnacona's sons, 3 other leaders, and 4 children

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is why explorers kept pushing for another voyage: the spark was the lure of wealth and a possible passage to Asia, as conveyed by Indigenous leaders Cartier had encountered. Donnacona and some of his people were brought to France in earlier voyages, and the tales they shared about lands of gold, spices, and a route to Asia gave the French a powerful incentive to fund a new expedition. Those stories, coming from someone Cartier had taken to France, provided a concrete motivation tied to riches and a viable way to reach Asia, which is why the third voyage in 1541 was prompted in this way. The other reasons—mapping the coastline or a generic royal directive to seek wealth—were part of the broader context, but the explicit prompt most closely tied to launching that voyage was the wealth-and-Asia narrative coming from Donnacona and his entourage.