Question

questions 10 through 12 refer to the following.
on several occasions, ghazan khan went to the observatory at maragha * and watched
the muslim, christian, and chinese astronomers make their observations. he looked at
all the operators and instruments, studied them, and asked about their procedures,
which he understood in spite of their difficulty. he also ordered the construction of a
dome in order to investigate the sun’s motion and he spoke out with his astronomers
about it. all of them said that although they had never seen such an instrument, it was
reasonable and sensible.
he gave orders for the construction of an observatory next to his tomb in tabriz in
persia. he explained how to construct the observatory with such clarity that local wise
men marveled at his intelligence, because such work had not been done in any era.
those wise men said that constructing the observatory would be extremely difficult. he
guarded them, whereupon they commenced building it and they finished it following his
instructions. those wise men and all the engineers agreed that nobody had done such a
thing before nor had imagined doing it.

• ruler of the mongol ilkhanate, whose territories included most of the muslim middle

east, reigned 1295–1304
**an astronomical observatory in present-day azerbaijan, established by a grant from the
first ilkhanid ruler in the mid-thirteenth century
rashid al-din hamdani, persian muslim historian and government minister in ghazan
khan’s court, excerpt from a universal history commissioned by ghazan khan, completed
which of the following best describes the historical circumstances of rashid al-din’s
career?
a his career illustrates the destructive impact of the mongol
conquests on many established urban centers.
b his career illustrates the possibilities for diffusion and
intermingling of cultures brought about by the mongol
conquests.
c his career illustrates the mongols’ success in preserving their
nomadic and tribal culture despite the growing diversity of
their subjects.
d his career illustrates the importance of traveler accounts
written by foreign visitors to the mongol court.

Explanation:

Rashid al - Din was a Persian Muslim historian and government minister in Ghazan Khan's court. He was involved in a project that included people from different cultures (Muslim, Christian, Chinese astronomers). This intermingling of cultures (as he worked with them, studied their instruments, etc.) shows the possibilities for diffusion (exchange of knowledge, ideas) among different cultural groups.

• Option A: The text does not focus on the destructive impact of Mongol conquests. The main activity described is the construction of an observatory with people from different cultures.
• Option C: There is no mention of preserving nomadic and tribal culture. The work was on an observatory, which is more of a scientific and possibly urban (as observatories are often in fixed locations) - related project.
• Option D: There is no indication that his career was written by foreign visitors. The text only says he was commissioned by Ghazan Khan to write a universal history.

Answer:

B. His career illustrates the possibilities for diffusion and intermingling of cultures brought about by the Mongol conquests.