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While spices were a major part of European trade with the East, the passage does claim that gold was a motivation for colonizing India. The main focus of the passage is on spices, not gold. Hence, the conclusion that India was colonized for both spices and gold cannot be definitively drawn from the passage.
Option a: The passage hints that the desire for spices played a significant role in driving European colonial expansion. Therefore, this conclusion can be reached from the passage.
Option b: The passage briefly mentions that spices never had the same enduring allure or commercial potential as gold, silver, tobacco, indigo, or sugar. From this, we can infer that tobacco was more marketable than spices at certain points in history.
Option d: In the passage, the desire for spices is described as one of the major factors that led to European colonialism. Therefore, this conclusion could be reached.
Hence, option c is the correct answer.