What were the main goods exchanged on Silk Road and Indian Ocean trade networks?

• A. Iron, timber, wool, leather
• B. Gold, oil, coffee, silk
• C. Silk, porcelain, spices, precious metals
• D. Rice, tea, jade, silk

Answer: (C)

Goods traded along Silk Road and Indian Ocean networks were driven by demand for luxury fabrics, fine ceramics, spices, and precious metals that connected distant regions. Silk from China and porcelain from East Asia became iconic exports, showing how Chinese crafts reached markets far to the west. Spices from India and Southeast Asia moved by sea across the Indian Ocean, fueling demand across Muslim lands and Europe and illustrating the maritime side of these networks. Precious metals such as gold and silver circulated widely as currency and valuable trade goods, tying together merchants from different cultures. This combination best captures the main exchanges that defined these networks. Other options lean on goods that aren’t the defining staples of these routes—for example, some items reflect later or regional trade, or goods that were not the principal commodities driving long-distance exchanges on these networks.