Answer Close-Reading Questions
Have students write their responses or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.
• What is the central idea of the article? (Central Ideas)
The central idea is that the Silk Road was a network of trading routes developed around 130 B.C. that began in China and connected Asia, Europe, and Africa. It spread goods, cultures, and religions throughout the ancient world.
• Summarize the section “New Ideas and Cultures.” (Summarizing)
In addition to goods, the Silk Road helped spread knowledge, cultures, and religions. Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism reached more people and places. The Silk Road also spread diseases like the Black Death, which killed millions in the 1300s.
• What contributed to the decline of the Silk Road? (Cause and Effect)
By the 1400s, traveling by sea had become safer, faster, and cheaper than traveling by land. More and more merchants used ships instead of camel caravans.