In the history of European overseas exploration, which navigator is credited with claiming the land of Brazil for Portugal during a voyage across the Atlantic?

Introduction / Context:
During the Age of Discovery, European powers such as Portugal and Spain sent ships across the oceans to find new trade routes and territories. Each explorer played a different role in expanding their country influence. This question asks which navigator claimed Brazil for Portugal, a key step in the creation of the Portuguese colony in South America. Knowing this helps learners distinguish between different explorers and their achievements.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The region involved is Brazil in South America.
• The country that eventually controlled this region was Portugal.
• The options list several famous explorers, including Vasco da Gama, Magellan, Pedro Cabral, and Columbus.
• The learner is expected to remember which one is associated with the early Portuguese claim to Brazil.

Concept / Approach:
Pedro Alvares Cabral was a Portuguese navigator who led a fleet that sailed westward across the Atlantic and reached the coast of what is now Brazil in the year 1500. He claimed this land for Portugal, and later colonisation turned Brazil into Portugal most important overseas possession. Vasco da Gama is famous for sailing around Africa to reach India, while Ferdinand Magellan is known for starting the first circumnavigation of the globe, and Christopher Columbus is associated with Spain voyages to the Caribbean. None of these explorers are credited with claiming Brazil for Portugal. Therefore, the correct answer must be Pedro Cabral.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Focus on the key clue in the question: claimed Brazil for Portugal. 2. Recall that Brazil was a Portuguese colony, not a Spanish one, even though Columbus sailed under the Spanish flag. 3. Remember that Pedro Cabral is the explorer most often named as the one who reached Brazil for Portugal in 1500. 4. Check each option: Vasco da Gama for India, Magellan for circumnavigation, and Columbus for the Caribbean and Central America. 5. Recognise that none of these three matches the description of claiming Brazil for Portugal. 6. Select Pedro Cabral as the correct answer.
Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, learners can think of basic world history timelines that list key explorations: 1492 Columbus in the Caribbean, late 1490s Vasco da Gama to India, 1500 Cabral to Brazil, and early 1500s Magellan expedition around the world. Brazil appears in connection with Cabral voyages under the Portuguese flag, not with Columbus or Magellan. This pattern remains stable across most school and general knowledge sources, which confirms that Cabral is the explorer being asked about in the question.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Vasco da Gama found a sea route around the Cape of Good Hope to India and is not usually linked with discovering or claiming Brazil.
Ferdinand Magellan led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe, sailing for Spain, but he did not claim Brazil for Portugal.
None of the above is incorrect because Pedro Cabral is a valid and historically accepted answer among the choices provided.
Christopher Columbus sailed primarily to the Caribbean and nearby regions for Spain and is not credited with claiming Brazil for Portugal.

Common Pitfalls:
Many students associate any New World discovery with Columbus or Magellan because these names are so famous. Others know that Portugal was active in exploration but confuse which explorer did what. To avoid these mistakes, it is useful to link each name with a key achievement: da Gama to India, Columbus to the Caribbean, Magellan around the world, and Cabral to Brazil. Keeping these simple associations in mind makes it much easier to pick Pedro Cabral when the question specifically mentions Brazil and Portugal together.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is Pedro Cabral.