Marco Polo - Exam
Marco Polo
  • 1. What was Marco Polo's nationality?
A) Italian
B) Spanish
C) German
D) French
  • 2. In which century did Marco Polo live?
A) 15th
B) 10th
C) 17th
D) 13th
  • 3. How many years did Marco Polo's journey to the East last?
A) 18
B) 30
C) 12
D) 24
  • 4. Which famous ruler of the Mongol Empire did Marco Polo serve under?
A) Attila the Hun
B) Genghis Khan
C) Emperor Taizong
D) Kublai Khan
  • 5. Which book did Marco Polo dictate about his travels?
A) Journey to the East
B) Around the World in 80 Days
C) The Silk Road Chronicles
D) The Travels of Marco Polo
  • 6. How many years did Marco Polo spend in Chinese service before returning to Venice?
A) 17
B) 15
C) 10
D) 20
  • 7. On which renowned trading route did Marco Polo travel to reach China?
A) Incense Trail
B) Silk Road
C) Amber Road
D) Spice Route
  • 8. Which country was Kublai Khan ruling over when Marco Polo arrived in Asia?
A) Japan
B) India
C) China
D) Mongolia
  • 9. Marco Polo's journey to the East began when he accompanied which relatives on a trip to Asia?
A) His brothers
B) His cousins
C) His father and uncle
D) His grandparents
  • 10. Which city-state was the birthplace of Marco Polo?
A) Milan
B) Florence
C) Venice
D) Naples
  • 11. In Polo's Travels, what did he claim to have seen people using as paper?
A) Bark
B) Silk
C) Leaves
D) Papyrus
  • 12. In Polo's Travels, what name did he give to Japan?
A) Cipangu
B) Izanagi
C) Yamato
D) Nihon
  • 13. Which famous explorer cited Marco Polo's accounts as inspiring his own travels to the East?
A) Vasco da Gama
B) Ferdinand Magellan
C) James Cook
D) Christopher Columbus
  • 14. What was the primary occupation of Marco Polo's father and uncle?
A) Artists
B) Scholars
C) Soldiers
D) Merchants
  • 15. What role was Marco Polo appointed to by Kublai Khan?
A) Advisor
B) Foreign emissary
C) General
D) Trade ambassador
  • 16. Which war did Venice engage in when the Polos returned home?
A) Hundred Years' War
B) War with Genoa
C) Crusades
D) Peloponnesian War
  • 17. Who did Marco Polo dictate his travel stories to while imprisoned?
A) Dante Alighieri
B) Rustichello da Pisa
C) Leonardo da Vinci
D) Giovanni Boccaccio
  • 18. Which of the following did Marco Polo's account include as a Western record?
A) Electricity, airplanes, radios
B) Steam engines, telegraphs, computers
C) Plastics, antibiotics, television
D) Porcelain, gunpowder, paper money
  • 19. Which empire did Marco Polo describe as wealthy and large?
A) Mongol Empire
B) Ottoman Empire
C) British Empire
D) Roman Empire
  • 20. What was the name of the Mongol princess Marco Polo accompanied to Persia?
A) Aisha
B) Kököchin
C) Eleanor
D) Roxelana
  • 21. What is the approximate birth year of Marco Polo?
A) 1275
B) 1254
C) 1240
D) 1269
  • 22. What nickname was Marco Polo known by during his lifetime?
A) Kublai
B) Emilione
C) Niccolò
D) Milione
  • 23. What does the Italian word 'Milione' literally mean?
A) 'Merchant'
B) 'Explorer'
C) 'Traveler'
D) 'Million'
  • 24. Who was the 19th-century philologist that suggested 'Milione' might be a shortened version of 'Emilione'?
A) Luigi Foscolo Benedetto
B) Marco Polo
C) Niccolò Polo
D) Giovanni Battista Ramusio
  • 25. What was the profession of Marco Polo's father, Niccolò Polo?
A) Travelling merchant
B) Scholar
C) Explorer
D) Writer
  • 26. In which year did Niccolò Polo return to Venice and find out about his wife's death?
A) 1275
B) 1280
C) 1269
D) 1254
  • 27. What was the age of Marco Polo when his father returned to Venice in 1269?
A) 18 years old
B) 20 years old
C) 10 years old
D) 15 years old
  • 28. Where did Niccolò and Maffeo foresee a political change in 1260?
A) Beijing
B) Venice
C) Constantinople
D) Baghdad
  • 29. What did Niccolò and Maffeo convert their assets into before leaving Constantinople?
A) Gold coins
B) Silk
C) Jewels
D) Spices
  • 30. In which year did Marco Polo, his father, and his uncle set off for Asia?
A) 1265
B) 1271
C) 1290
D) 1280
  • 31. Who was ruling Venice when the Polos departed for Asia in 1271?
A) Doge Lorenzo Tiepolo
B) Doge Enrico Dandolo
C) Doge Marco Cornaro
D) Doge Pietro Gradenigo
  • 32. What was the first major stop for the Polos on their journey to Asia?
A) Acre
B) Beijing
C) Venice
D) Constantinople
  • 33. How old was Marco Polo when he arrived at Kublai Khan's palace?
A) Seventeen
B) Thirty
C) Fifteen
D) Twenty-one
  • 34. In which year did the Polos return to Venice?
A) 1295
B) 1275
C) 1285
D) 1305
  • 35. What type of weapon was equipped on the galley that Marco Polo armed during his time in Genoese captivity?
A) Cannon
B) Crossbow
C) Catapult
D) Trebuchet
  • 36. What was the original title of Marco Polo's book in Franco-Italian?
A) Livres des Merveilles du Monde
B) The Book of Marvels
C) Il Milione
D) The Travels of Marco Polo
  • 37. What was the name of Marco Polo's wife?
A) Fantina
B) Donata Badoèr
C) Moreta
D) Agnese
  • 38. Who did Marco Polo discuss astronomical observations with in Padua?
A) Pietro d'Abano
B) Giovanni Battista Ramusio
C) Bartolomeo
D) Rustichello da Pisa
  • 39. In which year was Marco Polo mentioned in a Venetian document as among local sea captains regarding tax payment?
A) 1321
B) 1310
C) 1299
D) 1305
  • 40. What did Marco Polo describe to Pietro d'Abano besides a comet?
A) An elephant
B) The Sumatran rhinoceros
C) A tiger
D) A dragon
  • 41. What was the name of Marco Polo's first daughter, born before 1300?
A) Moreta
B) Fantina
C) Bellela
D) Agnese
  • 42. In which year did Marco Polo become the owner of some estates of his deceased father?
A) 1299
B) 1305
C) 1319
D) 1321
  • 43. In what year did Marco Polo become bedridden due to illness?
A) 1322
B) 1323
C) 1325
D) 1330
  • 44. On which date was Marco Polo on his deathbed despite medical efforts?
A) 10 January 1324
B) 8 January 1324
C) 9 January 1323
D) 7 January 1325
  • 45. Who was requested to write and certify Marco Polo's will?
A) Giovanni Giustiniani
B) Donata, his wife
C) Peter, the Tartar servant
D) Friar Benvenuto
  • 46. To which church was a portion of Marco Polo's estate legally entitled?
A) San Lorenzo
B) San Paolo of the Order of Preachers
C) San Giovanni
D) The Church
  • 47. How much was ordered to be paid to Giovanni Giustiniani for his work as a notary?
A) 220 soldi
B) 300 lire
C) 50 soldi
D) 100 lire
  • 48. According to Venetian law, when does the day end?
A) At dawn
B) At noon
C) At sunset
D) At midnight
  • 49. Where is the original copy of Marco Polo's testament held?
A) The Vatican Archives
B) San Lorenzo
C) Biblioteca Marciana
D) Venice City Hall
  • 50. According to Biblioteca Marciana, when was the will dated?
A) June 1324
B) 9 January 1324
C) 10 January 1325
D) 8 January 1323
  • 51. What rule validated Marco Polo's will despite it not being signed?
A) The 'holographic signature' rule
B) The 'testamentum scriptum' rule
C) The 'signum manus' rule
D) The 'notary validation' rule
  • 52. In which language was the first English translation of Marco Polo's book published?
A) Latin manuscript by Francesco Pipino in 1302
B) Castilian translation of 1503
C) Elizabethan version by John Frampton in 1579
D) Italian by Giovanni Battista Ramusio in 1559
  • 53. Which city did Marco Polo's family first travel to with Prince Berke Khan?
A) Ukek
B) Bolghar
C) Dadu
D) Bukhara
  • 54. Which languages did Marco Polo know?
A) Three languages
B) Five languages
C) Two languages
D) Four languages
  • 55. What was the reason the Polos could not sail directly into China?
A) They did not have enough supplies
B) They encountered pirates
C) The ships there were not seaworthy
D) They lacked a proper map
  • 56. What was the name of Kublai Khan's summer palace?
A) Zaitun
B) Shangdu
C) Dadu
D) Beijing
  • 57. How did Marco Polo and his family escape a bandit attack during their journey?
A) They hid in the desert until morning
B) They fought through to a nearby town
C) They negotiated with the bandits
D) They were rescued by local villagers
  • 58. Where did the Polos travel to after leaving Hormuz?
A) Trebizond on the Black Sea
B) Shangdu
C) Beijing
D) Singapore
  • 59. In what language was 'Devisement du Monde' written?
A) Latin
B) Franco-Venetian
C) Italian
D) Arabic
  • 60. Who translated 'The Book of Marvels' into Latin shortly after Marco Polo's return to Venice?
A) Francesco Pipino
B) Jacopo d'Acqui
C) Rustichello of Pisa
D) Antonio Montefusco
  • 61. Why were some contemporaries sceptical about the content of 'The Book of Marvels'?
A) Because it contained unbelievable stories.
B) Because Marco Polo refused to share his experiences.
C) Because it lacked detailed maps.
D) Because it was written in a foreign language.
  • 62. Who suggested that local Dominican fathers collaborated on a Latin version of the book?
A) Ronald Latham
B) Francesco Pipino
C) Antonio Montefusco
D) Luigi Foscolo Benedetto
  • 63. What was discussed at the Second Council of Lyon regarding the Mongols?
A) The translation of 'The Book of Marvels' into Latin.
B) Trade agreements between Europe and China.
C) The conversion of Marco Polo to Christianity.
D) A possible Christian-Mongol alliance against Islam.
  • 64. How did some people in the Middle Ages view Marco Polo's book?
A) As a scientific journal
B) As a romance or fable
C) As an accurate historical document
D) As a religious text
  • 65. Who founded six Nestorian Christian churches in Zhenjiang?
A) A Sogdian named Mar-Sargis from Samarkand
B) Chinese emperors
C) Marco Polo himself
D) The Mongol ruler Kublai Khan
  • 66. What dynasty built the Great Wall that is familiar today?
A) The Yuan dynasty
B) The Ming dynasty
C) The Qing dynasty
D) The Han dynasty
  • 67. Which scholar argued that Marco Polo's account is more extensive and accurate compared to other travelers?
A) Herbert Franke
B) Frances Wood
C) John W. Haeger
D) Stephen G. Haw
  • 68. Who criticized Frances Wood's book for its lack of scholarly rigor?
A) Stephen G. Haw
B) David Morgan
C) John W. Haeger
D) Igor de Rachewiltz
  • 69. Which scholar refuted Frances Wood's arguments by pointing out her confusion between the Liao and Jin dynasties?
A) John W. Haeger
B) David Morgan
C) Herbert Franke
D) Stephen G. Haw
  • 70. Who concluded that Haw settled the controversy about Polo's visit to China?
A) David Morgan
B) Igor de Rachewiltz
C) Frances Wood
D) Peter Jackson
  • 71. Which city is mentioned as being governed by Marco Polo for three years?
A) Shanghai
B) Nanjing
C) Yangzhou
D) Beijing
  • 72. According to David Morgan, do Chinese sources mention Marco Polo as a governor of Yangzhou?
A) As an advisor only
B) Only in some sources
C) Yes
D) No
  • 73. Which historian noted that all occurrences of Po-lo or Bolod in Yuan texts were names of Mongol or Turkic origin?
A) David Morgan
B) Herbert Franke
C) Peng Hai
D) Ronald Latham
  • 74. Who claimed to have identified Marco Polo with a courtier named 'Boluo' in the History of Yuan?
A) David Morgan
B) Stephen G. Haw
C) Herbert Franke
D) Peng Hai
  • 75. Which historian thought Marco Polo might have served in the government salt monopoly in Yangzhou?
A) David Morgan
B) Herbert Franke
C) Peng Hai
D) Paul Pelliot
  • 76. What is a 'keshig' as mentioned by Stephen G. Haw?
A) A religious order
B) A type of ship
C) The imperial guard
D) A trade guild
  • 77. Which official mentioned by Marco Polo is believed to be a Nestorian Christian bishop?
A) Boluo
B) Xiangwei
C) Saman
D) Mar Sarchis
  • 78. How many arches did Marco Polo incorrectly describe the bridge later known as Marco Polo Bridge to have?
A) Twenty-four
B) Five
C) Eleven or thirteen
D) Twelve
  • 79. What was the incorrect number of gates that Marco Polo claimed the city wall of Khanbaliq had?
A) Thirteen
B) Twelve
C) Ten
D) Eleven
  • 80. How many masts did Marco Polo incorrectly describe on ships in his accounts?
A) Five
B) Six
C) Three
D) Four
  • 81. Who accused Marco Polo of taking other people's accounts in his book?
A) Historian Igor de Rachewiltz
B) Historian Frances Wood
C) David O. Morgan
D) Sinologist Francis Woodman Cleaves
  • 82. Which work confirmed the voyage of princess Kököchin from China to Persia?
A) The Yongle Encyclopedia
B) The Travels of Marco Polo
C) Jami' al-tawarikh
D) The Secret History of the Mongols
  • 83. According to de Rachewiltz, why could Marco Polo not have learned information from any Persian book?
A) The only Persian source mentioning the princess was completed after 1310–1311.
B) There were no Persian books available during his time.
C) Polo did not speak Persian.
D) All Persian sources had been lost by then.
  • 84. Who is credited with calling Cathay as China?
A) Christopher Columbus
B) Bento de Góis
C) Matteo Ricci
D) Marco Polo
  • 85. What map was said to be partially based on Marco Polo's maps?
A) Mercator projection
B) Ptolemaic map
C) The 1453 Fra Mauro map
D) Zeno Map
  • 86. Who disputed the claim that the Fra Mauro map was based on Marco Polo's maps?
A) Marco Polo
B) Matteo Ricci
C) Giovanni Battista Ramusio
D) Piero Falchetta
  • 87. In which video game does Marco Polo appear as a Great Explorer?
A) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
B) Assassin's Creed: Origins.
C) Civilization Revolution (2008).
D) Age of Empires III.
  • 88. Which game uses Marco Polo's voyage as a backdrop for its plot?
A) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
B) Final Fantasy XV.
C) Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009).
D) Red Dead Redemption II.
  • 89. Which novel by Italo Calvino features Marco Polo as a pivotal character?
A) The Journeyer (1984)
B) Marco Millions (1928)
C) Invisible Cities (1972)
D) Messer Marco Polo (1921)
  • 90. Who directed the television miniseries 'Marco Polo' that won two Emmy Awards?
A) John Fusco
B) Giuliano Montaldo
C) Denis Belliveau
D) Miro Branković
  • 91. Which actor played Marco Polo in the 2007 television film?
A) Mark Eden
B) Ken Marshall
C) John Cassavetes
D) Ian Somerhalder
  • 92. Which novel by Gary Jennings is about Marco Polo's travels?
A) Marco Millions (1928)
B) Messer Marco Polo (1921)
C) The Journeyer (1984)
D) Invisible Cities (1972)
  • 93. Who co-authored the novel 'Marco Polo and the Sleeping Beauty'?
A) Grania Davis
B) Italo Calvino
C) Eugene O'Neill
D) John Fusco
  • 94. Which SIGMA Force book interweaves facts about Marco Polo's travels with modern-day action?
A) The Judas Strain (2007)
B) Marco Polo and the Sleeping Beauty (1988)
C) The Journeyer (1984)
D) Invisible Cities (1972)
  • 95. Who voiced Marco Polo in the 1979 anime 'The Adventures of Marco Polo'?
A) John Cassavetes
B) Mark Eden
C) Kei Tomiyama
D) Ken Marshall
  • 96. Who portrayed Kublai Khan in the 2007 television film 'Marco Polo'?
A) Ken Marshall
B) Ian Somerhalder
C) Ruocheng Ying
D) Brian Dennehy
  • 97. Which actor played Marco Polo in the television miniseries 'Marco Polo' (1982)?
A) Burt Lancaster
B) Ken Marshall
C) Ian Somerhalder
D) Brian Dennehy
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