A historian reading Ibn Battuta's account of the subcontinent notices that strange and unfamiliar things are given special attention in it. Which of the following best explains why such things were highlighted?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → To make sure the listener or reader was impressed by tales of distant yet reachable worlds
Option (1) To make sure the listener or reader was impressed by tales of distant yet reachable worlds — Correct. Travellers like Ibn Battuta shared stories in cosmopolitan towns. Whatever was unfamiliar was stressed so that the listener or reader was suitably impressed by distant lands that could still be reached.
Option (2) To compare the society of the subcontinent with Europe and show how it differed — Incorrect. Comparing the subcontinent with Europe is the method of the French traveller Bernier. Ibn Battuta stressed unfamiliar things for another reason, to impress his audience.
Option (3) To guide merchants about trade routes and the prices of goods in Indian markets — Incorrect. Ibn Battuta did write about markets and goods. Still, his account was a traveller's tale, and unfamiliar things were stressed to impress his audience.
Option (4) To warn rulers in Morocco about the cruelty of the Sultan of Delhi — Incorrect. His stories did speak of kings who could be both cruel and generous. Yet the stress on the unfamiliar was meant to impress readers.
NCERT (2026-27): “5. Ibn Battuta and the Excitement of the Unfamiliar |