Check one source against another before trusting it
Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
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."
Both writers describe what the money was. What do both say it was, Luz asks?
- Pieces of silk cloth
- Leaves of the mulberry tree
- Pieces of paper
- Coins of black metal
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."
Polo says the notes worked as well as gold coins; Ibn Battuta says the bazaar wanted paper, not coins. What do both suggest, Milo asks?
- The ruler alone used paper
- Coins were worth more everywhere
- Paper money was accepted for buying
- Paper money was refused in the markets and shops
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."
Which detail appears in Polo's account but not Ibn Battuta's, Noah asks?
- Notes were roughly the size of the palm of a hand
- The paper was made from mulberry bark
- Notes had the sultan's seal
- Torn notes were swapped for new ones
Which detail appears only in Ibn Battuta's account, Pia asks?
- Torn notes were swapped for new ones
- Notes were made from mulberry bark
- Ten bezants of paper weighed less than one gold bezant
- Notes were black
Polo calls the paper black; Ibn Battuta gives its size. Do these details disagree, Ren asks?
- No: they describe different things
- Yes: both are wrong
- No: they are the same detail
- Yes: one must be lying
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."
Why are these two accounts useful checks on each other, Tala asks?
- They are by the same writer
- They agree on each detail
- Ibn Battuta copied Polo's book word for word
- Two separate travelers saw it
Polo's book was written down by Rustichello, a writer of romances. Why is a second account useful, Ari asks?
- It is by Rustichello too
- It can confirm what Polo's book says
- It shows Rustichello made it up
- It makes Polo's book useless
Bo claims paper money was used across China. How strong is the support?
- Strong: both travelers describe it
- No support: neither mentions it
- Weak: just one traveler of the two says it
- Strong: Polo alone is enough
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."
Esme claims the notes were made from mulberry bark. How strong is the support?
- One source only: Polo
- Two sources: both say it
- Strong: Ibn Battuta says it
- None at all
Jun claims notes were the size of the palm of a hand. How strong is the support?
- One source only: Ibn Battuta
- Two sources: both say it
- None at all
- Strong: Polo says it in the first card