Question

Read the statements given below and choose the correct answer:
Statement I: A good example of thriving pre-modern commercial and cultural ties connecting far flung regions of the world are silk routes.
Statement II: The significance of Chinese silk cargoes traveling the silk route to the west is indicated by the term 'silk routes'.

• A. Statement (I) is correct and (II) is incorrect
• B. Statement (I) is incorrect and (II) is correct
• C. Both (I) and (II) are correct
• D. Both (I) and (II) are incorrect

Hint:

Recall what the silk routes carried and why they got that name.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Recall what the silk routes were:
The silk routes were a network of land and sea trade routes that joined Asia with Europe and northern Africa. They were used long before the modern age.
Chinese silk was carried along these routes to the west, and this is how the routes got their name. Chinese pottery, textiles from India and spices from southeast Asia travelled on them too.

Step 2: Check Statement I:
The silk routes did not carry only goods. Along with traders, ideas, religions and customs also moved. Christian missionaries, Muslim preachers and Buddhist monks travelled on them.
This is why NCERT calls them a good example of pre-modern trade and cultural links between far apart regions. Statement I is correct.

Step 3: Check Statement II:
The name 'silk routes' comes from the large quantity of Chinese silk that was sent west along these paths. The name itself points to how important these silk cargoes were.
So Statement II is also correct.

Step 4: Check the options:
Option A says II is incorrect and option B says I is incorrect. Both are wrong because both statements are correct.
Option D says both are incorrect, which is also wrong. Only option C, both correct, fits.

Final Answer:
Both statements are correct, so the answer is option C. \[\boxed{\text{Option C: Both I and II are correct}}\]