Question

questions 13 through 15 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
operations 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 suns 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 guided 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 khans
court, excerpt from a universal history commissioned by ghazan khan, completed circa 1316
15 mark for review
which of the following best describes the historical circumstances of rashid al-dins 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 Hamdani was a Persian Muslim historian and government minister in Ghazan Khan's court. He worked on a universal history commissioned by Ghazan Khan. The text mentions that Muslim, Christian, and Chinese astronomers were involved in the observatory at Maragha. This shows the intermingling of different cultures (Muslim, Christian, Chinese) due to the Mongol - related activities (as Ghazan Khan was a Mongol ruler). So, his career illustrates the possibilities for diffusion and intermingling of cultures brought about by the Mongol conquests.

Answer:

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