Question

questions 10 through 12 refer to the following.
in 1271, ghazan khan went to the observatory at maragha and watched the
muslim, christian, and chinese astronomers make their observations. he looked at all the
instruments and mechanisms, studied them, and asked about their procedures, which he
understood with ease and never difficulty. he also ordered the construction of a dome in order to
model 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.

1. the mongol khansate, whose territories included most of the muslim middle east,

engaged 1295 - 1304
was established in present - day azerbaijan, established by a grant from the first
khanid ruler in the mid - thirteenth century
based on do handan, persian muslim historian and government minister in ghazan khans
court, excerpt from a universal history commissioned by ghazan khan, completed circa 1316
which of the following best describes the authors purpose in the passage?
10 mark for review
a to provide detailed descriptions of the instruments used at the
maragha and tabriz observatories
b to evaluate the importance of the astronomical discoveries made
by ilkhanid scientists
c to portray his patron as a generous supporter of the sciences and
a man of unusual intelligence
d to criticize ghazan for his vanity and remind him to focus on
religious and spiritual pursuits

Explanation:

The passage describes Ghazan Khan's role in commissioning the observatory. It mentions that he was a patron who supported the sciences. Options A, B, and D are not supported by the text. Option A focuses on instruments, but the text doesn't detail them. Option B is about Ilkhanid scientists, which isn't the main purpose. Option D's criticism of Ghazan isn't in the text. Option C aligns with portraying the patron (Ghazan Khan) as a supporter of the sciences.

Answer:

C. To portray his patron as a generous supporter of the sciences and a man of unusual intelligence