Question

Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched ?

• A. Afanasii Nikitin — Spain
• B. Jean-Baptiste Tavernier — Netherlands (Dutch)
• C. Marco Polo — Italy
• D. Pelsaert — Portugal

Hint:

• Marco Polo is often referred to as the "Prince of Medieval Travellers."
• Most 17th-century French travellers like Bernier and Tavernier wrote extensively about the Mughal court.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept:

• Many foreign travellers visited India between the 13th and 18th centuries, leaving behind detailed accounts of the social, political, and economic conditions.
• Identifying their countries of origin is essential for understanding the perspective from which they wrote.

Step 1: Analyzing the origin of each traveller
Afanasii Nikitin was a Russian merchant who visited India in the 15th century and wrote 'A Journey Beyond the Three Seas'. He was from Russia, not Spain.
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was a 17th-century French gem merchant and traveller who famously described the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Noor diamond. He was from France, not the Netherlands.
Marco Polo was a 13th-century Venetian merchant and explorer. Venice is in modern-day Italy. He visited South India on his way back from China.
Francisco Pelsaert was a merchant of the Dutch East India Company who visited India during the reign of Jahangir. He was from the Netherlands (Dutch), not Portugal.

Step 2: Selecting the correctly matched pair
Comparing the origins, only Marco Polo is correctly matched with Italy (Venice). The others have incorrect countries assigned in the options.