Q 01/05

Marco Polo was a merchant and explorer from which city?

A) Genoa

B) Florence

C) Pisa

D) Venice

Answer · why

D) Venice

Theories that he was born on Korčula or in Constantinople have not won acceptance.

Q 02/05

Which Mongol ruler's court received the Polos in China?

A) Kublai Khan

B) Ögedei Khan

C) Genghis Khan

D) Möngke Khan

Answer · why

A) Kublai Khan

He was the founder of the Yuan dynasty and, impressed by Marco's intelligence, made him a foreign emissary.

Q 03/05

How many years did the Polos spend away from home on the journey that began in 1271?

A) 7

B) 18

C) 24

D) 12

Answer · why

C) 24

They travelled almost 15,000 miles and came home in 1295 with their fortune converted into gemstones.

Q 04/05

How old was Marco when his father Niccolò came home around 1269 and met him for the first time?

A) 5

B) 8

C) 15

D) 12

Answer · why

C) 15

Niccolò had left his wife pregnant; she died while he was away and an aunt and uncle raised the boy.

Q 05/05

What was the name of Marco Polo's uncle who travelled with him and his father?

A) Vitale

B) Matteo Rustichello

C) Maffeo

D) Lorenzo

Answer · why

C) Maffeo

Niccolò and Maffeo had already met the Great Khan on an earlier trip.