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