Question 1

Which of the following routes connected Asia with Europe and northern Africa?

Accepted Answer

The Silk Routes are a prime example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links connecting distant parts of the world. They connected Asia with Europe and northern Africa.

Question 2

It is believed that noodles travelled west from China to become:

Accepted Answer

It is believed that noodles travelled west from China to become spaghetti, or perhaps Arab traders took pasta to fifth-century Sicily.

Question 3

The introduction of which crop in Europe led to a dramatic improvement in the lives of the poor, so much so that when disease destroyed this crop in the mid-1840s, hundreds of thousands died of starva

Accepted Answer

The introduction of the humble potato made a dramatic difference in the lives of Europe's poor. In Ireland, the poorest peasants became so dependent on potatoes that when disease destroyed the crop in the mid-1840s, hundreds of thousands died of starvation (the Irish Potato Famine).

Question 4

Which deadly disease, carried by Spanish conquerors, devastated the native population of America in the sixteenth century?

Accepted Answer

Smallpox proved to be a deadly killer. Because of their long isolation, America's original inhabitants had no immunity against these diseases that came from Europe.

Question 5

Why did the British government restrict the import of corn in the late eighteenth century?

Accepted Answer

Under pressure from landed groups, the British government restricted the import of corn. The laws allowing the government to do this were commonly known as the 'Corn Laws'.

History: The Making of a Global World