Trade Routes Trivia Quiz

Answer: Inca

The Inca Road begins somewhere near the present-day city of Cali, Colombia and ends near Santiago, Chile. While the road served many purposes, one of its primary reasons was an easy way to transport goods throughout the Incan Empire as it was very large in area. The Inca were able to build the road winding through the Andes so that the high mountains posed little problem for them.

Answer: Matthew

The Latin "Via Maris" literally means "way of the sea" in English. The passage is Matthew 4:15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles." Despite its name that would suggest an aquatic route, most of the road is on land, albeit near water especially the Sea of Galilee.

Answer: Darius the Great of Persia

The Royal Road couriers had a reputation of crossing the empire in seven days, as opposed to the ninety days that it took to travel by foot before the road was built. Legend has it that the historian Herodotus said of the couriers "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." That quote (or similar adaptations) is often used to describe the postal workers in the United States.

Answer: Cattle and oxen

Haervejen means "Army Road" while Ochsenweg translates to "Ox Road." The trading route ran along the Jutland Peninsula from Denmark to the region of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. The animals traveled south in exchange for glass and metal. Today, paved highways cover most the distance of the Haervejen.

Answer: Central Asia and Europe

The New Silk Road is also called the Eurasian Land Bridge and serves much of the same purposes as the original. The Trans-Siberian Railway encompasses much of the route as well. The New Silk Road connects Siberia and China with Eastern Russia. It also runs through Kazakhstan and the Chinese terminus is also used to reach India and Southeast Asia.

Answer: Wood

Slaves were transported from Africa to the Caribbean (although some did go to the United States as well.) There a ship would pick up sugar, grown in the Caribbean, and transport it to New England where it would be distilled into rum. The rum was then brought to Africa (with other goods) and sold to British citizens living either in Europe or Africa.

The whole process was repeated again. Prior to New England's manufacturing of rum, that step took place in England, which is why some models show four stops on the Triangle Trade or omit New England for Europe.

Answer: Amber

The Amber Road has existed since at least the sixteenth century B.C. when it was used to trade amber down into Ancient Egypt. The road began in several small towns in modern-day Poland and Russia and utilized the Dnieper and Vistula rivers for easier transport.

Answer: Tibetan horses were better for battle

The Chinese were constantly being invaded by nomadic warriors from the north and found themselves depleted of horses and weapons. Traders would load up their own horses with tea and almost 200 pounds on their own backs before setting out for Tibet. The Tea-Horse Route was established around 700 A.D. and remained in use into the 1960s.

Answer: Germany

Salt was an important commodity in Europe at the time as it was used to preserve and flavor food. Salt was produced in Luneberg, Germany and moved the sea port of Lubeck. From Lubeck, it was then sold across Europe.

Answer: Chittagong, Bangladesh and Kabul, Afghanistan

The Grand Trunk Road was originally called Uttarapatha, which means "the road to the north." The trade route was a land alternative to the path the Ganges River flowed. Historians are not certain exactly who built the road or when, but it has existed since at least the third century B.C. when it was used by the Maurya Empire to trade with Greece.