Mongol Empire and Its Impact - Worksheet

Which factor best explains why European merchants described routes to China as unusually safe in the 1200s–1300s?

• The Crusades forced rival kingdoms to patrol trade routes.

• Mongol conquests created the Pax Mongolica, stabilizing trade across Eurasia.

• The Byzantine Empire established forts across Central Asia.

• Chinese rulers offered armed escorts to all Silk Road travelers.

What do accounts of Mongol women in the 1200s–1300s show when compared to Chinese women of the same period?

• Mongol women had greater social freedom and public influence than Chinese women, who were largely confined to their homes.

• Mongol women were completely excluded from leadership roles, unlike Chinese women.

• Chinese women could inherit land and divorce, while Mongol women could not.

• Both Mongol and Chinese women experienced equal rights under law.

Why did Kublai Khan’s attempts to conquer Japan fail?

• Japanese armies used iron weaponry unavailable to the Mongols.

• Powerful storms, called typhoons, destroyed parts of the Mongol fleet.

• Japan was geographically unknown to Mongol leaders until after Kublai’s death.

• The Mongols refused to launch naval expeditions.

Which Mongol policy is most clearly shown by Ibn Battuta’s observation that Muslims, Jews, and Christians all lived in walled areas of Chinese cities?

• The Mongols used religious tolerance to rule over diverse populations.

• The Mongols demanded conversion to the religion of the Khan.

• The Mongols replaced all local religious leaders with Mongol shamans.

• The Mongols used religious identity to exclude foreigners from trade.

Which of the following was a lasting consequence of Mongol support for merchants and the Silk Road?

• Steppe nomads abandoned pastoralism for farming.

• European demand for Asian goods inspired the search for new sea routes.

• Chinese dynasties stopped producing luxury goods like silk and porcelain.

• Muslim states lost influence over Eurasian trade.

What does the Yassa (law code of Genghis Khan) reveal about the Mongol government?

• The empire relied on local rulers to maintain order without central authority.

• The empire was highly centralized under the direct control of the Khan.

• The empire was governed by a council of religious leaders.

• The empire allowed conquered peoples to create their own laws.

Which statement best explains the Mongol Empire’s approach to commerce?

• They discouraged trade to maintain isolation from other cultures.

• They relied mainly on naval power to dominate Indian Ocean routes.

• They lowered taxes for merchants and protected caravan routes.

• They ranked merchants below farmers, limiting their social role.

Why did the Mongols divide their empire into Khanates after Genghis Khan’s death?

• It was the result of disputes over succession and civil war among Mongol leaders.

• Genghis Khan had planned the khanates before his death to honor his sons.

• Local rebellions forced the Mongols to reorganize their territories.

• The empire was too small to require a single ruler.

Which of the following best explains the decline of the Mongol Empire after 1294?

• A. European crusaders overthrew Mongol armies in the Middle East.

• B. Rival khanates fought one another and gradually lost territory to local powers.

• C. A plague wiped out most of the Mongol ruling class in a single generation.

• D. The Abbasid Caliphate militarily defeated all Mongol successors.

Which development in Chinese society during Mongol rule shows their innovation in trade and administration?

• The adoption of paper money that was accepted throughout the empire.

• The spread of Hinduism from India into Chinese port cities.

• The Mongols’ use of only silver coins for all long-distance trade.

• The decline of Chinese cities as merchants left to trade elsewhere.