Question

What was Sir Walter Raleigh known for?
a. He was the first Englishman to live in the Americas.
b. He compiled the first English dictionary.
c. He designed the ships that defeated the Spanish Armada.
d. He set up England's first colony in North America.

Answer 1

Sir Walter Raleigh was perhaps most known for the fact that "d. He set up England's first colony in North America," since this was an incredibly risky thing to do during the colonial era. 

Answer 2

Sir Walter Raleigh (circa 1552-1618) was an English explorer, writer and courtier to Queen Elizabeth I who set up England's first colony in North America, specifically on Roanoke Island, now North Carolina. In 1578 he had sailed to America with his half brother, the soldier and navigator Sir Humphrey Gilbert, and this could have motivated his plan to establish a colony there. Raleigh sent three expeditions - in 1584, 1585 and 1587 - but none of them resulted in a permanent English settlement.    

In addition, Raleigh tried, unsuccessfully, to find El Dorado on two different occasions, and, on his return to England from his second expedition, he was sentenced to death and executed.