Which term denotes the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, and technology between the Americas and the Old World after Columbus?

• A. Fertile Crescent
• B. PPE
• C. Subsistence Farming
• D. Columbian Exchange

Answer: (D)

The Columbian Exchange describes the large-scale transfer of plants, animals, culture, and technology between the Americas and the Old World that began after Columbus’s voyages. This term captures how crops like potatoes, maize, and tomatoes moved from the Americas to Europe, Africa, and Asia, while animals such as horses and cattle moved in the opposite direction, along with new farming practices, foods, and ideas. It also included the unintended spread of diseases, which had huge demographic effects. The other options don’t fit this idea: the Fertile Crescent is an ancient region in the Middle East, PPE is unrelated terminology, and subsistence farming refers to a farming approach rather than a transatlantic exchange.