Check one source against another before trusting it
Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Marco Polo on paper money (2)
Who made it: Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant who served the Great Khan in China; the book was written down by Rustichello da Pisa, a writer of romances, from Polo's stories. When: the late 1200s. Where: about China under the Great Khan; written in Europe. For whom: readers in Europe. Why: to tell the marvels he had seen in the East. Excerpt (Marco Polo, Book II, chapter 24; English translation by Henry Yule, revised by Henri Cordier, 1903, p. 424): "…wheresoever a person may go throughout the Great Kaan's dominions [lands] he shall find these pieces of paper current [in use], and shall be able to transact all sales and purchases of goods by means of them just as well as if they were coins of pure gold. And all the while they are so light that ten bezants' worth does not weigh one golden bezant [a gold coin]." Source card "Ibn Battuta on paper money". Who made it: Ibn Battuta, a traveler and scholar from Tangier, Morocco. When: he traveled from 1325 to 1354 and dictated his account near the end of his life. Where: about China; told in North Africa. For whom: readers at home, who used gold and silver coins. Why: to record the wonders of the cities he visited. Excerpt (Ibn Battuta, Travels, chapter on China; English translation by H. A. R. Gibb, 1929, p. 283): "Their buying and selling is carried on exclusively by means of pieces of paper, each of the size of the palm of the hand, and stamped with the sultan's seal… When these notes become torn by handling, one takes them to an office corresponding to our mint, and receives their equivalent in new notes on delivering up the old ones." Source card "Paper money: what historians say today". Who made it: historians writing today. When: today. Where: China. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what research has found. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The first paper money, called jiaozi, appeared in the city of Chengdu in the 1000s CE, under the Song dynasty, before Marco Polo's time.
Historians today say the first paper money appeared in the 1000s CE under the Song. Does that fit the travelers' accounts, Pia asks?
- No: paper money began when Polo arrived in China
- No: Ibn Battuta invented it
- Yes: the Song were travelers
- Yes: it was already in use when they came
Where did paper money first appear, according to the cards, Tala asks?
- Venice, say the three cards
- Chengdu, says the historians' card
- Tangier, says Ibn Battuta
- Cambaluc, says Polo
Polo writes from stories told to a romance writer; Ibn Battuta dictated his account years later. Which detail should Zee trust most?
- Polo's numbers on bezants, from one source in the book
- Ibn Battuta's note size, from one source
- Each detail equally
- That paper money was used, backed by all three
Marco Polo on paper money (1)
Who made it: Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant who served the Great Khan in China; the book was written down by Rustichello da Pisa, a writer of romances, from Polo's stories. When: the late 1200s. Where: about China under the Great Khan; written in Europe. For whom: readers in Europe. Why: to tell the marvels he had seen in the East. Excerpt (Marco Polo, Book II, chapter 24; English translation by Henry Yule, revised by Henri Cordier, 1903, p. 423): "He makes them take of the bark of a certain tree, in fact of the Mulberry Tree, the leaves of which are the food of the silkworms… and this they make into something resembling sheets of paper, but black. When these sheets have been prepared they are cut up into pieces of different sizes." Source card "Ibn Battuta on paper money". Who made it: Ibn Battuta, a traveler and scholar from Tangier, Morocco. When: he traveled from 1325 to 1354 and dictated his account near the end of his life. Where: about China; told in North Africa. For whom: readers at home, who used gold and silver coins. Why: to record the wonders of the cities he visited. Excerpt (Ibn Battuta, Travels, chapter on China; English translation by H. A. R. Gibb, 1929, p. 283): "Their buying and selling is carried on exclusively by means of pieces of paper, each of the size of the palm of the hand, and stamped with the sultan's seal… When these notes become torn by handling, one takes them to an office corresponding to our mint, and receives their equivalent in new notes on delivering up the old ones." Source card "Paper money: what historians say today". Who made it: historians writing today. When: today. Where: China. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what research has found. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The first paper money, called jiaozi, appeared in the city of Chengdu in the 1000s CE, under the Song dynasty, before Marco Polo's time.
A detail appears in just one traveler's account. What should Ari do with it?
- Change it to match the other
- Treat it as one source's report, to be checked
- Throw it away, since one source alone must be false
- Treat it as proven
A modern book repeats Polo's words about mulberry bark (an example we made up). Is it a second check on Polo, Esme asks?
- Yes: it is newer, so it must be better
- No: it only repeats Polo
- Yes: two books now say it
- No: Polo is a secondary source
Marco Polo on paper money (2)
Who made it: Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant who served the Great Khan in China; the book was written down by Rustichello da Pisa, a writer of romances, from Polo's stories. When: the late 1200s. Where: about China under the Great Khan; written in Europe. For whom: readers in Europe. Why: to tell the marvels he had seen in the East. Excerpt (Marco Polo, Book II, chapter 24; English translation by Henry Yule, revised by Henri Cordier, 1903, p. 424): "…wheresoever a person may go throughout the Great Kaan's dominions [lands] he shall find these pieces of paper current [in use], and shall be able to transact all sales and purchases of goods by means of them just as well as if they were coins of pure gold. And all the while they are so light that ten bezants' worth does not weigh one golden bezant [a gold coin]." Source card "Ibn Battuta on paper money". Who made it: Ibn Battuta, a traveler and scholar from Tangier, Morocco. When: he traveled from 1325 to 1354 and dictated his account near the end of his life. Where: about China; told in North Africa. For whom: readers at home, who used gold and silver coins. Why: to record the wonders of the cities he visited. Excerpt (Ibn Battuta, Travels, chapter on China; English translation by H. A. R. Gibb, 1929, p. 283): "Their buying and selling is carried on exclusively by means of pieces of paper, each of the size of the palm of the hand, and stamped with the sultan's seal… When these notes become torn by handling, one takes them to an office corresponding to our mint, and receives their equivalent in new notes on delivering up the old ones." Source card "Paper money: what historians say today". Who made it: historians writing today. When: today. Where: China. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what research has found. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The first paper money, called jiaozi, appeared in the city of Chengdu in the 1000s CE, under the Song dynasty, before Marco Polo's time.
Which pair of cards gives the strongest check on each other, Jun asks?
- Two different pages of Polo's own book about China
- Polo and Ibn Battuta: two separate travelers
- Polo and a book that copies him
- The historians' card alone
How might historians today know about the first paper money, Kira asks?
- From Polo's book alone
- From many old sources and records
- From Ibn Battuta alone
- By guessing
Marco Polo on paper money (1)
Who made it: Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant who served the Great Khan in China; the book was written down by Rustichello da Pisa, a writer of romances, from Polo's stories. When: the late 1200s. Where: about China under the Great Khan; written in Europe. For whom: readers in Europe. Why: to tell the marvels he had seen in the East. Excerpt (Marco Polo, Book II, chapter 24; English translation by Henry Yule, revised by Henri Cordier, 1903, p. 423): "He makes them take of the bark of a certain tree, in fact of the Mulberry Tree, the leaves of which are the food of the silkworms… and this they make into something resembling sheets of paper, but black. When these sheets have been prepared they are cut up into pieces of different sizes." Source card "Ibn Battuta on paper money". Who made it: Ibn Battuta, a traveler and scholar from Tangier, Morocco. When: he traveled from 1325 to 1354 and dictated his account near the end of his life. Where: about China; told in North Africa. For whom: readers at home, who used gold and silver coins. Why: to record the wonders of the cities he visited. Excerpt (Ibn Battuta, Travels, chapter on China; English translation by H. A. R. Gibb, 1929, p. 283): "Their buying and selling is carried on exclusively by means of pieces of paper, each of the size of the palm of the hand, and stamped with the sultan's seal… When these notes become torn by handling, one takes them to an office corresponding to our mint, and receives their equivalent in new notes on delivering up the old ones." Source card "Paper money: what historians say today". Who made it: historians writing today. When: today. Where: China. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what research has found. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The first paper money, called jiaozi, appeared in the city of Chengdu in the 1000s CE, under the Song dynasty, before Marco Polo's time.
Luz's note says, "Ibn Battuta and Polo disagree, because one gives color and one gives size." Which fix is right?
- Change it: they give different details, not a clash
- Change "Polo" to "Cieza"
- Leave it: each difference means they clash
- Change "size" to "weight"
Marco Polo on paper money (2)
Who made it: Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant who served the Great Khan in China; the book was written down by Rustichello da Pisa, a writer of romances, from Polo's stories. When: the late 1200s. Where: about China under the Great Khan; written in Europe. For whom: readers in Europe. Why: to tell the marvels he had seen in the East. Excerpt (Marco Polo, Book II, chapter 24; English translation by Henry Yule, revised by Henri Cordier, 1903, p. 424): "…wheresoever a person may go throughout the Great Kaan's dominions [lands] he shall find these pieces of paper current [in use], and shall be able to transact all sales and purchases of goods by means of them just as well as if they were coins of pure gold. And all the while they are so light that ten bezants' worth does not weigh one golden bezant [a gold coin]." Source card "Ibn Battuta on paper money". Who made it: Ibn Battuta, a traveler and scholar from Tangier, Morocco. When: he traveled from 1325 to 1354 and dictated his account near the end of his life. Where: about China; told in North Africa. For whom: readers at home, who used gold and silver coins. Why: to record the wonders of the cities he visited. Excerpt (Ibn Battuta, Travels, chapter on China; English translation by H. A. R. Gibb, 1929, p. 283): "Their buying and selling is carried on exclusively by means of pieces of paper, each of the size of the palm of the hand, and stamped with the sultan's seal… When these notes become torn by handling, one takes them to an office corresponding to our mint, and receives their equivalent in new notes on delivering up the old ones." Source card "Paper money: what historians say today". Who made it: historians writing today. When: today. Where: China. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what research has found. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The first paper money, called jiaozi, appeared in the city of Chengdu in the 1000s CE, under the Song dynasty, before Marco Polo's time.
Milo's note says, "Marco Polo was the first to use paper money." Which fix is right?
- Change it: paper money came before Polo
- Change "paper" to "gold"
- Leave it: his book is where it first appears
- Change "Polo" to "Ibn Battuta"
Marco Polo on paper money (1)
Who made it: Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant who served the Great Khan in China; the book was written down by Rustichello da Pisa, a writer of romances, from Polo's stories. When: the late 1200s. Where: about China under the Great Khan; written in Europe. For whom: readers in Europe. Why: to tell the marvels he had seen in the East. Excerpt (Marco Polo, Book II, chapter 24; English translation by Henry Yule, revised by Henri Cordier, 1903, p. 423): "He makes them take of the bark of a certain tree, in fact of the Mulberry Tree, the leaves of which are the food of the silkworms… and this they make into something resembling sheets of paper, but black. When these sheets have been prepared they are cut up into pieces of different sizes." Source card "Ibn Battuta on paper money". Who made it: Ibn Battuta, a traveler and scholar from Tangier, Morocco. When: he traveled from 1325 to 1354 and dictated his account near the end of his life. Where: about China; told in North Africa. For whom: readers at home, who used gold and silver coins. Why: to record the wonders of the cities he visited. Excerpt (Ibn Battuta, Travels, chapter on China; English translation by H. A. R. Gibb, 1929, p. 283): "Their buying and selling is carried on exclusively by means of pieces of paper, each of the size of the palm of the hand, and stamped with the sultan's seal… When these notes become torn by handling, one takes them to an office corresponding to our mint, and receives their equivalent in new notes on delivering up the old ones." Source card "Paper money: what historians say today". Who made it: historians writing today. When: today. Where: China. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what research has found. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The first paper money, called jiaozi, appeared in the city of Chengdu in the 1000s CE, under the Song dynasty, before Marco Polo's time.
Noah's note says, "Both travelers say the notes were made of mulberry bark." Which fix is right?
- Change "mulberry" to "palm"
- Change "notes" to "roads"
- Change "Both travelers say" to "Polo says"
- Leave it: they agree on each point