Ravi's grandmother in a Rajasthan village often recalls that their ancestors lived far away and came to settle here long ago in search of land. In his history textbook Ravi reads of an ancient trade route along which merchants carried goods across Asia. When a classmate claims that their village came into contact with the outside world only when cheap mobile phones and foreign brands arrived, Ravi disagrees with him and cites both his grandmother and his textbook.
The ancient route in Ravi's textbook connected India to the great civilisations that existed in which of the following?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → China, Persia, Egypt and Rome
Option (1) Korea, Arabia, Greece and Java — Incorrect. This route did not link India to any of these four lands. Korea comes up only in the list of Asian lands whose languages show contact with India, and Java only as the place where Yi Jing learned Sanskrit.
Option (2) China, Arabia, Greece and Rome — Incorrect. China and Rome are right. But Arabia and Greece take the place of Persia and Egypt, so the set is wrong.
Option (3) Korea, Persia, Egypt and Java — Incorrect. Persia and Egypt are right. But Korea and Java replace China and Rome, so the set does not match the route.
Option (4) China, Persia, Egypt and Rome — Correct. The ancient route in Ravi's textbook is the famous Silk route. Centuries ago it connected India to the great civilisations of China, Persia, Egypt and Rome. So India was not cut off from the world in early times.
NCERT (2026-27): “The Early Years |