1. Where, in ancient times, did private long-distance
trade flourish most profitably?
A. Capital cities
B. Major port cities C. China
CORRECT ANSWER = B
A. Capital cities were sometimes not along trade routes, but often designed for military defense
C. & D. There is no evidence that trade flourished more profitably in these civilizations than in others
2. What best describes the scope and nature of Incan
Empire trade?
A. Valley to highland B. Andes to Mexico
C. Western to Eastern Hemispheres D. Pacific island to mainland
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. The two hubs of Native American civilization were cut off from each other
C. Both hemispheres had very little knowledge of each other
D. There may have been early contact by this route, but it had soon died off
3. What resulted from the almost total isolation of
the Americas from Eurasia?
A. Their trade networks were quite primitive
B. Their military technology was further advanced than that of Europe
C. They had developed the wheel at a much later date D. They were unprepared for the challenges of outside
CORRECT ANSWER = D
A. Trade was actually conducted at a very sophisticated level
B. The Europeans were much further advanced C. They never developed the wheel at all
4. What most effectively opened up the possibility
of a flourishing trans-Saharan trade?
A. The formation of great empires B. The discovery of gold
C. The domestication of the camel D. None of the above
CORRECT ANSWER = C
A. Empires formed long after the trade had begun
B. The gold could not have been transported without the camel
5. What actually empowered the three West African
empires?
A. Land & agriculture
B. Control over trade routes C. Religious shrines
CORRECT ANSWER = B
A. This was important, but overshadowed by the wealth derived from trade
C. There were not great incident of these
D. This was no more significant in West Africa than elsewhere
6. What was the underlying basis for Muslim
Arab/Jewish trading diasporas?
A. Religion & ethnicity B. Business acumen
C. Knowledge of markets D. Dietary strictures
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. & C. These were skills that all successful trading communities possessed
7. What was the preeminent trading community
linking Europe and Asia during the 8
th-9
thcenturies?
A. Christian Armenians B. Jains
C. Fukienese D. Jews
CORRECT ANSWER = D
A., B. & C. All these groups had much less extensive trading networks than the Jews
8. What crucial lesson for mastering the Indian
Ocean trade did the Arabs perfect?
A. Which routes to travel to avoid pirates B. How to sail with the monsoon winds
C. Relying on Chinese warships for protection D. What authorities to bribe along the way
CORRECT ANSWER = B
A., C., & D. There is no evidence that these factors had much, if any, effect
9. How might the Indian Ocean be considered the
crossroads of the great world shipping lanes?
A. The waters linked and encompassed three distinct geographical regions
B. Because the peoples along its coast adhered to the same religious faith
C. It was not as treacherous to cross as other oceans D. It was the only shipping lanes crossroads
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. People of Hindu, Zoroastrian, Muslim and Buddhist faiths lived along the coast
C. It was no better or worse in that regard than others D. There was the Mediterranean, among others
10. What, by 1500, was the world’s most advanced
trade region?
A. East Africa B. China
C. Arabia D. Europe
CORRECT ANSWER = B
A., C. & D. did not yet possess the innovative patterns of commercial exchange developed in China, nor the large ships and merchant navy it had built
11. Why did the Chinese not follow up on their initial
commercial success?
A. Other nations seemed less eager to obtain Chinese products
B. They lacked the technological capability to do so
C. They desired more to focus on internal development and consolidation
D. Zheng He changed his mind about maritime expeditions
CORRECT ANSWER = C
A. The opposite, they were enthusiastic about this B. They certainly did have this technology
12. How had Song China undergone an internal
economic revolution?
A. Agricultural improvements, textile production, and coal/iron industry innovations
B. Common people were legally barred from producing for the mass market
C. By the appearance in print of the Diamond Sutra
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. They became heavily involved in production
C. This was a religious book and had nothing to do with economics
D. Because they faced no technologically advanced enemies, the Chinese saw no need for mass
13. How did “Pax Mongolica” impact upon trade and
the economy?
A. Through the emergence of Mongol urban trading centers
B. Because of their permanent, innovative contributions C. Through the invention of block printing
D. Ushering in a century of stability and peace over the trading regions
CORRECT ANSWER = D
A. The Mongols remained a pastoral, nomadic people B. They were absorbed into settled cultures and
contributed little
14. What can accurately be stated concerning the
plague and trade routes?
A. “Pax Mongolica” actually retarded the disease’s progress for a while
B. Though Europe was devastated, China suffered little in the way of mortality
C. The Black Death seemed to follow trade routes
D. Along the trade routes, the presence and role of the Mongols increased in importance
CORRECT ANSWER = C
A. It seems to have facilitated it
B. China may have lost up to 60 million people D. Their presence and role in fact decreased
15. How did the post-1500 years mark a turning point
in world trade patterns?
A. European traders tried to subordinate regional systems to centralized control
B. The Europeans and Chinese engaged in war for control of the Indian Ocean trade
C. Europeans and Chinese clashed militarily over trade to Africa
D. Europeans generally adopted a non-confrontational approach towards other trading systems
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. & C. The Chinese were no longer interested in contesting for these areas
