Who was the first Englishman to sail around the globe?

• A. Drake
• B. Columbus
• C. Magellan
• D. Da Gama

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is identifying who first completed a full voyage around the world as an Englishman. Sir Francis Drake achieved this, sailing from 1577 to 1580 on the Golden Hind. He sailed west, crossed the Pacific, rounded Africa, and returned to England, becoming the first English person to circumnavigate the globe. This feat also boosted English naval prestige during the era of competing with Spain.

The other explorers aren’t the fit for this specific question: Columbus did not circumnavigate the globe; his voyages opened up the Atlantic routes but he never sailed around the world. Magellan led the first circumnavigation overall, but he was Portuguese, and he died partway through the voyage; the expedition was completed by others. Da Gama, meanwhile, was the Portuguese explorer who first found a sea route to India by rounding Africa, but he did not circumnavigate the globe.