What was the outcome of the French and Indian War?

• A. France retained control of Canada
• B. Britain won and gained significant territory in North America
• C. The colonies gained independence
• D. Spain lost its territories in Florida

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that this war shifted North American power to Britain. Britain defeated France, and by the Treaty of Paris in 1763 France ceded Canada and most lands east of the Mississippi to Britain, while Spain ceded Florida to Britain (France kept a few Caribbean holdings and Louisiana was later handed to Spain). This gave Britain a vast continental empire and set up the fiscal and political tensions that would later contribute to colonial resistance. The other options don’t fit: France did not keep Canada; independence of the colonies had not happened yet; and Florida’s status wasn’t lost by Spain as a result of this war.