The options of this question are:
A- Spain was the first European power to gain a foothold in Asia; B- Portugal seized the island of Goa, making it their major military and commercial base; C- For most of the 1500s, Portugal could not control the spice trade between Europe and Asia; D- Italy was the first European country to challenge Portuguese domination of Asian trade in the 1500s.
The correct answer is C) For most of the 1500s, Portugal could not control the spice trade between Europe and Asia.
The statement that is true in the context of European exploration in Asia is for most of the 1500s, Portugal could not control the spice trade between Europe and Asia.
Portuguese navigators started the colonization of Asia in the 15th century. The Portuguese trading empire satarted in Asia when they conquered Goa in India, by 1510. Their power increased with the conquest of Malacca or Malaysia in the year 1551. But for most of the 1500s, Portugal could not control the spice trade between Europe and Asia. It had the fierce competition of Spain. Both nations disputed trade. None of the towns they conquered offered real resistance.
Another trade rival were the same Muslims merchants of the region. But Vasco de Gama had the control in India. Next, the Viceroy, Afonso Albuquerque, controlled the Persian Gulf in 1507, meanwhile, Portugal established a trading center in Goa in 1507.
