Read the following passage and answer the item that follows. Your answer to this item should be based on the passage only.

Historical voyages of exploration, whatever spirit of discovery they claimed, were financed chiefly by merchants and crowns expecting a return: spices, precious metals, and new markets. The maps and knowledge that resulted were valuable by-products of what was, at its core, a search for extractable wealth.

Which one of the following statements best sums up the passage given above?