Question 28 from UPSC CSE 2019 - Modern History

Question

Which one of the following groups of plants was domesticated in the 'New World' and introduced into the 'Old World'?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. Tobacco, cocoa, and rubber

Strategy: Identify the option where all plants are native to the New World. Confirm that tobacco, cocoa, and rubber originated in the Americas, while other options include Old World crops like cotton, coffee, or wheat. Select the option containing only New World plants.

Key Info: The New World refers to the Americas, while the Old World includes Europe, Asia, and Africa. The Columbian Exchange, initiated after 1492, led to large-scale biological exchanges between these two worlds.

- **Tobacco** (Nicotiana tabacum): Native to the Americas and widely introduced to the Old World after Columbus's voyages; became a major global cash crop.
- **Cocoa** (Theobroma cacao): Indigenous to Central and South America; introduced to Europe and Africa, forming the basis of the global chocolate industry.
- **Rubber** (Hevea brasiliensis): Native to Amazon rainforest regions; introduced to Asia in the late 19th century, where it became a commercial crop.
- **Cotton** (Gossypium): Old World species (Africa/Asia) and New World species exist, but historical large-scale domestication predates the Columbian exchange in the Old World.
- **Coffee** (Coffea arabica): Native to Ethiopia and Yemen (Old World).
- **Sugarcane** (Saccharum): Origin in Southeast Asia (Old World), though widely cultivated in the New World post-Columbian exchange.
- **Wheat** (Triticum spp.): Originated in the Fertile Crescent (Old World).

Thus, tobacco, cocoa, and rubber uniquely represent crops first domesticated in the Americas and later spread globally.

Answer

Option B: Tobacco, cotton, and rubber

Answer

Option C: Cotton, coffee, and sugarcane

Answer

Option D: Rubber, coffee, and wheat