AP World History Practice Exam 2025 – The Comprehensive All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

The caravel is recognized for its innovative design that emphasized maneuverability and speed, making it particularly well-suited for the exploratory voyages of the Portuguese and Spanish during the Age of Discovery. This ship type typically featured a lateen sail, allowing it to navigate effectively against the wind, which was a significant advancement for maritime exploration.

The caravel's lightweight construction and shallow draft also enabled it to access coastal waters and rivers that larger ships could not, thus broadening the horizons for exploration and trade. Its agility in rough waters made it ideal for the various maritime challenges faced during long voyages, leading to its widespread adoption by explorers like Vasco da Gama and Christopher Columbus.

Other ships listed, such as the galleon, were larger and primarily used for cargo transport and warfare rather than exploration. Clippers were designed for speed and carrying capacity for trade in the 19th century, and junks were traditional Chinese vessels optimized for the waters of East Asia, lacking the same level of maneuverability associated with the caravel in a European context.