South Asia was less severely affected by the Black Death than were settlements along the Silk Road and Mediterranean Sea because
A) South Asian societies had escaped the Mongol conquest and were not directly linked to Mongol-controlled trade routes.
B) South Asians had a natural immunity to the microbes that caused the plague.
C) no rats live in South Asia because the climate does not support them.
D) most people in South Asia are not pastoralists, but live in settled agricultural villages.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

South Asian societies were less directly connected to the Mongol-controlled trade routes that facilitated the rapid spread of the Black Death across Eurasia. The Mongol Empire played a crucial role in the spread of the disease through its vast network of trade routes, but South Asia's relative isolation from these routes helped shield it from the worst impacts of the pandemic.

South Asia Was Less Severely Affected by the Black Death