The Silk Routes linked vast regions of Asia and connected them to Europe and northern Africa. What did Europe…

Question

The Silk Routes linked vast regions of Asia and connected them to Europe and northern Africa. What did Europe primarily send in return for Chinese and Indian goods along these routes?

Accepted Answer

## Model Answer **Option C: Precious metals — gold and silver** Europe primarily sent precious metals — gold and silver — to Asia in return for Chinese pottery, Indian textiles, and spices along the Silk Routes. *Source: The Making of a Global World, Section 1.1 — Silk Routes Link the World* --- ## Explanation The passage explicitly states: *"In return, precious metals – gold and silver – flowed from Europe to Asia."* This is a direct fact-based recall question. Options A and D (spices/cotton, wool/wine) were goods that moved in other directions or contexts, not Europe's primary export along these routes. Option B (pottery/glass) is a distractor — Chinese **pottery** travelled eastward, not westward as a European export.

Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question