Ming and Qing China · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Why the world's silver flowed to China

History · World History · ages 16-18
Name ______________________   Date ____________
  1. Why did so much American silver flow to China?

    • Silver swam east by itself
    • China sold prized goods and taxed trade in silver
    • Europe banned silver entirely
  2. Which dynasties ruled China in this period?

    • Ming 1300s-1600s, then Qing 1600s-1900s
    • Only one dynasty for all time
    • No dynasties at all
  3. China was fully closed to all outside contact before 1800.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. The court stops the great fleets to fund northern frontier wars. What does that show?

    • China forgot how to sail
    • Home borders and order outranked sea power
    • Silver lost all value
  5. What did Zheng He's voyages prove?

    • China could not build ships
    • Oceans were impossible to cross
    • China could sail further than anyone
  6. Foreign ships trade at Canton under licensed merchants. What does this prove?

    • China never taxed trade
    • No foreigners ever arrived
    • Contact was supervised, not absent
  7. A textbook says China was closed, yet maize spreads inland. How do you assess the claim?

    • Accept closed: crops move by magic
    • Ignore the crops entirely
    • Reject closed: crops and Canton trade show managed contact
  8. Silver dug in Peru ends in a Chinese vault. Which chain best explains it?

    • Peru ships silver randomly each year
    • Peru silver buys goods the world wants, taxed in silver
    • China mines all its own silver
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Why the world's silver flowed to China W1-mt_-WC-wSZr7f-s1

  1. China sold prized goods and taxed trade in silver · Buyers needed silver to pay for goods and taxes.
  2. Ming 1300s-1600s, then Qing 1600s-1900s · The Ming ruled first, then the Qing took power in the 1600s.
  3. False · Trade ran for centuries through strict official channels.
  4. Home borders and order outranked sea power · Stopping the voyages reveals priorities, not lost skill.
  5. China could sail further than anyone · Giant fleets reached Arabia and East Africa and awed ports.
  6. Contact was supervised, not absent · Licensed trade plus court debates show managed contact.
  7. Reject closed: crops and Canton trade show managed contact · New crops plus licensed trade disprove full closure.
  8. Peru silver buys goods the world wants, taxed in silver · The metal followed the goods everyone wanted.
Worksheet · LightMySky