Trivia questions and answers, drawn fresh from the well

• Easy Easy difficulty.
• The Silk Road

Which religion spread along the Silk Road from India into Central Asia and China?

Answer

Buddhism

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• Intermediate Intermediate difficulty.
• The Silk Road

Which oasis city in Xinjiang was an important Silk Road gateway between China and Central Asia?

Answer

Kashgar

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• Easy Easy difficulty.
• The Silk Road

Which Venetian traveler described his journey to Yuan China in the book known as The Travels of Marco Polo?

Answer

Marco Polo

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• Intermediate Intermediate difficulty.
• The Silk Road

Which 751 conflict is often linked to paper-making knowledge spreading westward from China?

Answer

Battle of Talas

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• Easy Easy difficulty.
• The Silk Road

What type of roadside inn gave Silk Road caravans shelter, food, water, and stabling?

Answer

Caravanserai

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• Easy Easy difficulty.
• The Silk Road

Which Central Asian city was a major Silk Road crossroads and the capital of the Timurid Empire under Timur?

Answer

Samarkand

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• Intermediate Intermediate difficulty.
• The Silk Road

Which Iranian-speaking people became the leading merchants of the Silk Road during late antiquity?

Answer

Sogdians

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• Hard Hard difficulty.
• The Silk Road

Which Byzantine emperor received silkworm eggs from monks in the sixth century, enabling silk production in the Byzantine Empire?

Answer

Justinian I

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• Easy Easy difficulty.
• The Silk Road

Which desert did Silk Road travelers commonly skirt by following its northern and southern edges?

Answer

Taklamakan Desert

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• Intermediate Intermediate difficulty.
• The Silk Road

Which Chinese monk traveled from Chang’an to India between 629 and 645 and later recorded his Silk Road journey?

Answer

Xuanzang

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• Hard Hard difficulty.
• The Silk Road

What name did ancient Roman writers use for the people believed to live beyond the eastern silk-producing lands?

Answer

Seres

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• Intermediate Intermediate difficulty.
• The Silk Road

Which Central Asian oasis was especially famous for producing high-quality nephrite jade traded along the Silk Road?

Answer

Khotan

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