The Silk Roads · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

The roads that linked Rome and China

History · World History · ages 11-13
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. In 14 CE, what did the Roman Senate say about silk?

    • Men must not wear it
    • Ships must not carry it
    • It must be dyed red

  2. Where did the silk worn in Rome come from?

    • Egypt
    • China
    • Spain

  3. Few traders travelled the whole road from China to Rome.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Why did trade grow when Han China and Rome were both strong?

    • Peace and safe roads raised demand for far goods
    • They shared one law book
    • They dug one canal together

  5. A load must cross a desert with no roads or rivers. Which carrier fits the Silk Roads?

    • A river boat
    • A horse cart
    • A camel train

  6. Sogdian traders carried Sanskrit books into China and turned them into Chinese. What does this show?

    • Camels learned to read books
    • Ideas travelled with goods
    • Rome ruled China

  7. A plague likely starting in China killed about one in ten Romans. What does this prove?

    • The roads carried only silk
    • The roads carried disease as well as goods
    • Traders never fell sick

  8. A seller in Rome says his silk cost little, straight from the weaver in China. What is wrong?

    • China paid Rome for silk
    • Silk passed through many hands, each adding cost
    • Silk was free in Rome
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Answer key

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

The roads that linked Rome and China W1-mt_Ud5GTBfVTz-s1

  1. Men must not wear it · Silk had become a sign of excess, so the Senate banned it for men.
  2. China · Only China knew how to raise silkworms and weave their silk.
  3. True · Goods passed from hand to hand along a chain of sellers.
  4. Peace and safe roads raised demand for far goods · Political calm let traders move, and richer cities wanted luxuries.
  5. A camel train · Camels withstand desert harshness and each carries up to 500 pounds.
  6. Ideas travelled with goods · Faiths and skills rode the same caravans as silk and spice.
  7. The roads carried disease as well as goods · Germs rode caravans and ships exactly the way faiths did.
  8. Silk passed through many hands, each adding cost · No single trader walked the whole road, so cheap direct silk is a tale.
Worksheet · LightMySky