Indulgences was a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins. <span>Indulgences were controversial because although the Church had given out indulgences before, they never sold them. In the 1500s, however, the pope needed money to </span>repair<span> the Church of St. Peter's in Rome.</span>
<span>The correct answer is obtaining the compass from Asia. By the fifteenth century, the Arabs had significantly improved the compass, making it a much more valuable tool for navigation. In addition, many Europeans hoped that exploration would find new, undiscovered potential sources of wealth.</span>
