--- title: The spice trade and the Indian Ocean — how Mova does on the tests · Geography description: Lesson 29 of the geography course of Mova's primary school: 9 of 11 tests right, exam 2 of 4, every question with the options, the student's choice, the right answer and why it chose. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/) / [Geography](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/geography/) / 29 # The spice trade and the Indian Ocean **Tests:** 9 of 11 right · **Exam:** 2 of 4 right · **Kind:** ★ · **Understood:** 9 of 15 · **Run:** 2026-10-18, commit `f3c23ea72` Lesson 29 of the geography course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose. The lesson itself, sentence by sentence with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/). Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson's questions in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/). ### Test 1 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t1} Why did pepper cost so much more in Europe than in India? - **1.** Each trader along the way added a profit and a cost — **✓ the right answer** · no support - **2.** Indian pepper was mixed with gold dust — no support - **3.** European pepper was a different and much rarer plant — no support - **4.** It was cheaper in Europe, not dearer — **← Mova's choice** · score 4 **Why:** It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 4 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 29, line 6: «Pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg were very valuable in medieval Europe because they grew only in tropical Asia and passed through many traders.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «pepper» (+2); the same place «medieval europe» (+2). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/t1/) ### Test 2 · ★ · right ✓ {#t2} My mate says the Indian Ocean was an empty sea till the Portuguese showed up. Right? - **1.** No, it was a busy trade world long before them — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support - **2.** Yes, nobody sailed it before 1498 — no support - **3.** No, but only Chinese ships ever used it — no support - **4.** Yes, only the Romans had ever sailed across it before them — no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/t2/) ### Test 3 · ★ · right ✓ {#t3} In the game, a trade company is a handy mechanic. What did the real companies become? - **1.** Armed powers, and the English one later ruled much of India — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support - **2.** Small shops selling tea and coffee to the people of London — no support - **3.** Charities sending food to hungry people in Asia — no support - **4.** Clubs for retired sailors — no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/t3/) ### Test 4 · ★ · right ✓ {#t4} How was Portuguese trade different from the trade that was already there? - **1.** It used only peaceful bargaining — no support - **2.** It was carried out entirely by hired Chinese ships — no support - **3.** It used warships and forts to force others to pay — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 5 - **4.** It paid higher prices to every merchant — no support **Why:** It took the question to ask what something is like. It chose option 3 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 29, line 4: «The Portuguese did not simply join this trade: they used warships and forts to force others to buy passes and pay duties, and later the Dutch East India Compan…», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same action «use» (+2); the same thing acted on «warships» (+2); its «because» matches the remembered cause (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/t4/) ### Test 5 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t5} Why were tiny islands like Banda so important? - **1.** They held the biggest gold mines in all of Asia — **← Mova's choice** · score 6 - **2.** They were the capitals of great empires — score 4 - **3.** They had the best harbours for whaling — no support - **4.** They were almost the only places nutmeg grew — **✓ the right answer** · score 5 **Why:** It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 1 with score 6, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 8, line 7: «Great Britain is the island holding England, Scotland and Wales, while the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland also includes Northern Ireland.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «hold» (+3); the same doer «island» (+2); a different thing acted on (counts against) (+1). The right option, 4, scored 5. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/t5/) ### Test 6 · ★ · right ✓ {#t6} Why was Malacca a perfect place for a port? - **1.** Every ship between India and China passed through its strait — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support - **2.** It lay in the middle of a desert — no support - **3.** It was far from every trade route, so it was safe from pirates — no support - **4.** It had the coldest and cleanest water in the whole of Asia — no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/t6/) ### Test 7 · ★ · right ✓ {#t7} Why did merchants share the cost of voyages in companies? - **1.** Each merchant only wanted a tiny profit — no support - **2.** Companies were cheaper to sink — no support - **3.** The king forbade anyone to own a ship on their own — no support - **4.** Voyages were costly and risky, so sharing spread the risk — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 5 **Why:** It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 4 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 29, line 15: «The English East India Company was founded in 1600 and the Dutch East India Company in 1602 to trade with Asia; merchants shared the cost of costly, risky voya…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «merchants» (+3); the same action «share» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/t7/) ### Test 8 · ★ · right ✓ {#t8} why's pepper so cheap now if it was like gold back then - **1.** It is grown and shipped in huge amounts now — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support - **2.** It is made in factories from sand — no support - **3.** Old pepper was a different spice — no support - **4.** Pepper has lost almost all its taste over the years — no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/t8/) ### Test 9 · ★ · right ✓ {#t9} What would have happened to Venice's spice trade after ships sailed around Africa straight to India? - **1.** Nothing, as Venice never traded spices at all — score 2 - **2.** It faced strong new competition and declined — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 12 - **3.** It became the only spice route to Europe forever — score 0 - **4.** The whole city of Venice moved to India to trade — no support **Why:** It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 2 with score 12, against 2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 29, line 7: «Venice grew rich buying spices in ports such as Alexandria and Beirut and selling them across Europe, but once ships sailed round Africa straight to India, its…», reached through what followed the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «face» (+4); the same doer «spice trade» (+4); the same thing acted on «strong competition» (+4). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/t9/) ### Test 10 · ★ · right ✓ {#t10} Zheng He's biggest ships were larger than Columbus's. Do historians agree how large? - **1.** No, they argue about the exact size — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 6 - **2.** No, Zheng He never had any ships at all — no support - **3.** Yes, they were exactly 1 kilometre long — no support - **4.** Yes, they were smaller than rowing boats — no support **Why:** It took the question to ask what something is like. It chose option 1 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 29, line 13: «Between 1405 and 1433 the Chinese admiral Zheng He led seven great fleets for the Ming across the Indian Ocean, as far as East Africa; his biggest ships were l…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «argue» (+2); the same doer «historians» (+2); the same circumstance (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/t10/) ### Test 11 · ★ · right ✓ {#t11} Kilwa was very rich in the 1300s. What happened to it in 1505? - **1.** It became the capital of China — no support - **2.** It sank into the sea — no support - **3.** It was bought by the Dutch for gold — no support - **4.** It was sacked by the Portuguese — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 6 **Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 29, line 12: «Swahili city-states such as Kilwa, Mombasa and Zanzibar traded gold, ivory and other goods from Africa across the Indian Ocean, and rich Kilwa was sacked by th…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «portuguese» (+4); the same action «sack» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/t11/) ### Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e1} Identify the principal reason for which spices commanded exceptionally high prices in medieval Europe. - **1.** They were manufactured exclusively in the workshops of Venice — no support - **2.** They were cultivated solely in tropical Asia and passed through numerous intermediaries — **✓ the right answer** · no support - **3.** They were cultivated throughout Europe in negligible quantities by monastic houses alone — **← Mova's choice** · score 4 - **4.** Their consumption was restricted by law to the clergy — no support **Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 29, line 7: «Venice grew rich buying spices in ports such as Alexandria and Beirut and selling them across Europe, but once ships sailed round Africa straight to India, its…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «spices» (+4); the same circumstance (+4). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-2); a different doer (counts against) (-2). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/e1/) ### Exam question 2 · formal language · right ✓ {#e2} Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the Indian Ocean prior to the arrival of the Portuguese? - **1.** An extensive commercial world linking East Africa, Arabia, India, South-East Asia and China — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support - **2.** A sea navigated exclusively by vessels of Roman origin — no support - **3.** An expanse of sea traversed by no merchant vessels whatsoever prior to the year 1498 — no support - **4.** A region closed to commerce by the decree of the Ming emperor — no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/e2/) ### Exam question 3 · formal language · right ✓ {#e3} Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the conduct of the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean. - **1.** They employed warships and fortresses to compel others to purchase passes and pay duties — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 5 - **2.** They were invited by every port to assume its government — no support - **3.** They participated in the existing trade solely by peaceful competition — no support - **4.** They declined to establish any fortified positions in Asia — no support **Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 29, line 14: «The Portuguese did not simply join the Indian Ocean trade but used warships and forts to force others to buy passes and pay duties.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «use» (+2); the same thing acted on «warships» (+2); its «because» matches the remembered cause (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/e3/) ### Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e4} It is given that Admiral Zheng He commanded seven expeditions between 1405 and 1433. Ascertain the furthest region attained by these fleets. - **1.** Western Europe — **← Mova's choice** · no support - **2.** Antarctica's coast — no support - **3.** The Americas — no support - **4.** East Africa — **✓ the right answer** · no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/e4/) - ← previous: [28. The Silk Road](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/geography/28-the-silk-road/) - next →: [30. The Atlantic routes and the slave trade](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/geography/30-the-atlantic-routes-and-the-slave-trade/) - ↑ back to [Geography](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/geography/)