Answers:
A. The Ottoman Turks controlled the silk road, which was the main route from Europe through the Middle East to Asia.
B. demand in Europe for Asia spices, silk, and other goods had grown considerably.
C. traveling overland from Europe to Asia was extremely difficult and hazardous.
The Silk Road, a trading route that lead from Europe to Asia through the Middle East, was controlled by different powers at different times. However, in 1453, the rise of the Ottoman Turks made the journey difficult, expensive or sometimes impossible for European traders.
A new route had to be found because the demand for Asian spices, silk and other goods was enormous. European explorers (in particular, Christopher Columbus) were looking for this new route when they came across America, a land they previously did not know existed.
