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WorksheetsSilk Road Chap 2
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 10mins
According to the article, how was the name “Silk Road” first introduced?
It appears throughout ancient Chinese historical documents from the Han dynasty onward.
German geographer F. V. Richthofen coined the term “Silk Road” in 1877, which was later widely adopted.
Zhang Qian personally named it the Silk Road on his second mission to the Western Regions.
Roman senators invented the phrase “Silk Road” to complain about luxurious silk imports from China.
Which statement correctly reflects the article’s discussion of early silk production in China?
China started cultivating silkworms only in the Warring States period.
Archaeological discoveries suggest that sericulture (silkworm raising) and silk weaving in China date back to the Neolithic Age, far earlier than the Han dynasty.
Silk weaving technology was exclusively invented by Indian merchants and then introduced into China around 500 BCE.
The article states that no archaeological evidence of silk production older than the Han era exists.
According to the article, how did the ancient Romans view Chinese silk?
Roman nobility enthusiastically embraced Chinese silk for its elegance and paid exceedingly high prices.
Romans considered silk too inferior to wear, so they banned it for low quality.
The article claims ancient Roman senators personally traveled to Chang’an to learn sericulture.
Chinese silk never reached Rome until after the Tang dynasty.
Which best captures the article’s portrayal of Zhang Qian’s first mission (139 BCE)?
He traveled west simply out of curiosity about exotic animals and plants.
Emperor Wu of Han sent Zhang Qian to form alliances against the Xiongnu (Huns), hoping to connect with nomadic groups (like the Darouzhi).
Zhang Qian introduced the term “Silk Road” to Central Asia.
Zhang Qian’s diplomatic mission succeeded easily without any hardships or capture.
How do unearthed silk fabrics in regions like Altai (Siberia) and Germany (5th c. BCE) support the article’s conclusions?
They reveal that China never produced silk at all, since these fabrics were of non-Chinese origin.
They indicate that Chinese silk was already reaching foreign lands centuries before Zhang Qian’s missions.
They prove that Rome had established direct sea routes to Germany in the 5th century BCE.
They suggest that sericulture was first invented in Europe, not China.
The article mentions reasons for the high cost of Chinese silk in Rome. Which is consistent with the content?
The Romans had discovered silkworm cultivation locally but produced too little for demand, raising prices.
Silk had to traverse many middlemen and long overland or sea routes, causing costs to inflate dramatically.
The Han government banned silk exports, so Romans could only obtain small amounts illegally.
There was no real demand in Rome, hence no real price increase.
According to the article, which conflict particularly shaped control over the Silk Road in the Han era?
Continuous warfare between Rome and India over oceanic routes.
Rivalry between the Xiongnu (Huns) and the Han dynasty for dominance in the Western Regions.
Internal civil war among Chinese warlords who sought to destroy the road entirely.
A competition among local southwestern tribes for the Sichuan Basin.
The article describes how Chinese silk got to Western markets. Who most often acted as key intermediaries before direct Sino-Roman contact?
Persian (Anxi) and Indian merchants frequently handled bulk silk shipments, re-selling them to other regions.
Egyptian pharaohs personally escorted caravans to Rome.
Only Han imperial officials were allowed to transport silk directly to every foreign kingdom.
The text denies the existence of any trade intermediaries.
From the article’s discussion, where was most silk in the Han dynasty produced?
Entirely in Xichang (Sichuan), which was the only recognized sericulture center.
Primarily in Hebei and Shandong, with these goods converging in Chang’an for trade.
Only in remote southwestern regions accessible through Yongchang route.
Nowhere in China — the Han imported raw silk from India.
What does the article indicate about the so-called Yongchang route for sending goods from Sichuan to India?
It was the main thoroughfare for all Chinese silk shipments to Rome.
It was extremely difficult and not typically used for large-scale silk exports from Hebei/Shandong; thus not considered a primary Silk Road route for the Han.
It was widely regarded as an easy route, referred to as “The Smooth Highway.”
The article claims it did not exist at all.
Which best sums up how Zhang Qian’s journeys affected Sino-Western silk trade?
They had minimal impact, as the route was already fully secured and used frequently.
They significantly improved Han awareness of Western Regions’ geography, making it easier to secure and expand land routes for silk transport.
They caused the Han to ban further expeditions to Central Asia.
The article states he only traveled to southwestern tribes, unrelated to the Silk Road.
According to the article, who transported silk westward under the Han?
Only official Han envoys had permission to carry silk; private trade was strictly forbidden.
Both royal envoys (often bringing diplomatic gifts) and private merchants (seeking profit) participated in bringing silk to Central Asia and beyond.
The article claims the Han never actually exported silk, only imported from Rome.
Merchants from the southwestern frontier occasionally sold grain but no silk.
How, according to the article, did Chinese silk frequently reach Rome after Zhang Qian’s travels?
It traveled partway overland (through Central Asia or India), then was shipped by sea to the Red Sea or the Mediterranean, eventually arriving in Rome.
The text says there was only a single direct road from Chang’an to Rome, and no sea routes were used.
Roman armies conquered Xinjiang early in the Han dynasty, ensuring a single, unimpeded path.
No Chinese silk arrived in Rome during the Han.
What role did Indian ports play in sending silk further west?
They were major transshipment hubs for silk from China, which Indian merchants then ferried to Roman territories.
India refused to trade with China, thus halting any goods headed for Rome.
According to the article, southwestern Chinese warlords themselves sailed directly from Sichuan to the Red Sea.
The text does not mention India at all in connection with silk transport.
How does the Roman naturalist Gaius Pliny (1st century AD) factor into the article’s discussion of silk?
He accurately described sericulture as raising silkworms on mulberry trees.
He mistakenly believed silk grew on “trees” and had no idea it came from worms.
He banned all silk clothing in Rome.
He personally traveled to Chang’an to learn weaving techniques.
Why did the Roman Senate repeatedly try banning silk garments, as the article mentions?
They claimed it was too thick, uncomfortable, and poorly woven.
The high cost (draining gold from Rome) and the garment’s perceived luxury were worrisome.
They had discovered better-quality local alternatives in Europe.
The article never mentions such bans.
The article asserts that Sino-Western contact via the Silk Road wasn’t just one-way exports of silk. Which example supports this?
The Han refused all foreign products, only exporting silk.
Western carpets and weaving techniques entered Tarim Basin (Xinjiang), and lumps of Roman wool were discovered in Central Asia.
Chinese ambassadors only carried bamboo from Sichuan, nothing else.
The text says no other fabrics besides silk were ever traded.
Which statement aligns with the article’s depiction of silk’s price in Roman markets?
Silk was so cheap that it was sold to Roman peasants for everyday wear.
After passing through multiple intermediaries, silk could cost its weight in gold, sometimes 12 liang of gold for one pi of silk.
The Han government heavily subsidized Roman imports, making it nearly free in Rome.
The text states that silk never really made it to Roman markets.
What do findings like decorative fabric fragments, Western-language bamboo slips, and carpet remains in Tarim Basin sites suggest?
Only Chinese soldiers ever visited Tarim Basin, leaving no foreign traces.
There was robust interaction with Central Asian/Western traders, who left behind goods and documents along the Silk Road routes.
The Tarim Basin was inhabited solely by Greek colonists.
The article denies any foreign artifacts in Xinjiang.
According to the authors, why did the long-distance silk trade hold deeper significance beyond just economics?
It forced every culture on the route to abandon their traditions and adopt Han Chinese customs.
Silk as “material culture” functioned like a bridge, promoting cross-cultural knowledge, technological diffusion, and mutual social relations among different peoples.
It caused immediate unification of Asia and Europe into a single empire.
The article claims cultural impact was minimal; it was purely about profit-making.
