Unit 2 Topic 2.6 Environmental Consequences of Connectivity

What was the most dramatic environmental consequence of increased trade in Afro-Eurasia from c. 1200 to c. 1450?

• Expansion of terraced farming in China

• The spread of the bubonic plague or "Black Death"

• Introduction of new citrus fruits to the Mediterranean

• Migration of bananas to Sub-Saharan Africa

How did Champa rice influence agricultural production in China?

• It decreased rice yields because of soil depletion

• It required less water but produced only one harvest annually

• It was mainly used for export rather than local consumption

• It allowed two harvests a year due to its quick ripening and drought resistance

Which group is credited with introducing bananas to Sub-Saharan Africa?

• Arab traders from the Arabian Peninsula

• Indonesian seafarers traveling across the Indian Ocean

• Chinese merchants on the Silk Road

• Bantu-speaking farmers native to Africa

What role did caliphs play in the environmental transformation along trade routes?

• They discouraged agricultural expansion to limit environmental degradation

• They eradicated local crops in favor of imported foods

• They imposed heavy taxes that reduced farming activities

• They spread Islam, the Arabic language, and cultivation of cotton, sugar, and citrus crops

Why was sugar demand in Europe significant in later centuries?

• It reduced the reliance on local European food production

• It led to the decline of fiber crops like cotton

• It became a key factor in the massive use of enslaved people in the Americas

• It caused overgrazing and deforestation in European farmlands

How did the Black Death affect agricultural production and labor in feudal Europe?

• It strengthened the feudal system by limiting worker mobility

• It reduced agricultural output but caused labor to become more valuable, leading to higher wages

• It increased farm productivity due to surplus labor

• It had little impact on labor relations or farm yields

What farming methods allowed Champa rice to be grown in many parts of China previously considered unusable?

• Irrigation canals from rivers to deserts

• Crop rotation and slash-and-burn agriculture

• Greenhouse cultivation of seedlings

• Terraced farming in uplands and paddies in lowlands

Which statement best describes the environmental consequences of population growth along trade routes?

• Population growth only caused widespread deforestation everywhere

• Population growth led to both sustained production in some regions and environmental degradation in others

• Environmental degradation was not linked to population growth

• Populations remained stable due to resource limitations

What factors contributed to the abandonment of Great Zimbabwe in the late 1400s?

• Frequent invasions by nomadic tribes

• Severe overgrazing leading to resource depletion

• Collapse of trade networks with Asia

• Soil erosion caused by deforestation

Which region(s) were largely spared from the Black Death due to fewer trading ports?

• Southeast Asia and the Arabian Peninsula

• Northern Africa and China

• Europe and Central Asia

• South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa