Question

Brother, you had written to me that you sent roughly 6,300 pounds of block iron to me from India in the ship of the Muslim captain Abu'l-Kata'ib. But when the ship arrived here, it only carried 5,100 pounds and the Muslim shipowner said that that was everything he had received from your Indian agent before setting sail.To compensate for the difference, I have charged you the Muslim captain's transportation fee for the above-mentioned iron that was sent to me here in Aden and for pepper that was sent with it. I am also charging you the transportation fee for items that I am sending to you in India, including twenty-five pounds of copper bars, ten Berbera mats in a package, cloth, a piece of lead weighing two hundred and forty-five pounds, two large boxes of sugar, and a package of the best Egyptian paper."*Aden and Berbera were prominent Indian Ocean port cities.Letter from Madmun ibn al-Hassan, a Jewish merchant in Aden, to his brother in India, circa 1133 C.E. The letter was written in Judeo-Arabic, a form of the Arabic language written in the Hebrew script.Trade in the items referred to in the second paragraph is best understood in the context of which of the following?A) The development of cash-crop plantations in IndiaB) The adoption of traditional African religious practices in the Muslim worldC) The increasing demand for high-value goods and manufactures in Afro-EurasiaD) The spread of literacy across the Muslim world

Answer 1

Answer:

The increasing demand for high-value goods and manufactures in Afro-Eurasia is the correct answer.

Explanation:

As explained in the question, Madmun ibn al-Hassan was an important Jewish merchant. Aden has always been important for the region due to its characteristic as a port.

Letter C is the correct option since the merchandise discussed in the letter is not very common. It is important to remember that the prices for those goods was very high and so the demand was. The amount of them only emphasizes the increasing demand in Afro-Eurasia.