Unit 1 SAQ Practice

“ With these pieces of paper, they can buy anything and pay for anything. And I can tell you that the papers that reckon as ten bezants [ a quantity of money] do not weigh one… No one does not visit a bathhouse at least three times a week and takes a bath in winter every day if he can manage it. Every man of rank or means has his bathroom in his house…

Here too the inhabitants worship Mahomet [Muhammed] and are subject to the Great Khan. It has villages and towns in plenty… There are rivers here in which are found stones called jasper and chalcedony [quartz crystals] in plenty. There is no lack of the means of life. Cotton is plentiful. The inhabitants live by trade and industry.

(A) Identify one way in which the writings of Marco Polo affected European relationships with other regions.

• The writings of Marco Polo affected European relationships with other regions since his writings helped spread new ideas and technologies. For example, paper money was a huge innovation at the time that spread to various places in Europe via the Silk Road and Indian Ocean. These cultural exchanges helped establish stronger connections between regions and helped spark curiosity among all the explorers throughout the world.

(B) Explain one way in which Marco Polo’s point of view fits into the context of intercultural interactions with other regions.

• Marco Polo’s point of view fits into the context of intercultural interactions with other regions since he expresses his curiosity and biased opinions toward other cultures that he has never been exposed to. For instance, when Marco Polo traveled to the Mongol Empire he saw some of the Mongol’s habits that were uncommon to him, like their way of bathing. These interactions between various cultures aided in the exchange of ideas and innovation between different societies.

(C) Explain how the passage by Marco Polo illustrates the limitations of intercultural knowledge and understanding.

• The passage by Marco Polo illustrates the limitations of intercultural knowledge and understanding it shows the lack of information and comprehension that each region has about each other. For instance, China limited trade with certain states since they saw themselves as superiors. This led other regions to know very little of what was happening in the Mongol Empire and came as a shock when new technologies were presented to them.