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Q21 (IAS/2019) Geography › World Human & Economic Geography › World agriculture patterns Official Key

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

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: A
Explanation

The correct answer is option A because tobacco, cocoa, and rubber were all domesticated in the 'New World' (the Americas) and later introduced into the 'Old World' (Afro-Eurasia). Rubber (Hevea Brasiliensis) had its original home in Brazil, from which wild Para rubber was first brought by Sir Henry Wickham to Kew Gardens, London, and was then introduced into Peninsular Malaysia in 1877.[1] This exemplifies the transfer of a New World crop to the Old World. Crops from the "New World" revolutionized cuisines in the "Old World," and before the Columbian Exchange, none of these crops were known in Europe, Asia, or Africa.[2]

The other options are incorrect because they include crops domesticated in the Old World. Coffee and sugarcane were Old World crops that had been domesticated in Afro-Eurasia.[3] Wheat was also an Old World crop, as Indigenous Americans did not cultivate [5]wheat before Spanish colonization, and European[4] settlers brought their wheat bread tradition. Cotton has origins in both worlds, making options B, C, and D incorrect.

Sources
  1. [1] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 26: Agriculture > 1. RUBBER (Fig. 26.16) > p. 259
  2. [5] https://www.vos.noaa.gov/MWL/dec_08/great_exchange.shtml
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Q. Which one of the following groups of plants was domesticated in the 'New World' and introduced into the 'Old World'? [A] Tobacco, cocoa …
At a glance
Origin: Mixed / unclear origin Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 2.5/10 · 0/10
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This is a classic 'Columbian Exchange' question, sitting at the intersection of History (NCERT Class 10/12) and Geography (GC Leong). It rewards clarity on which crops moved across the Atlantic post-1492 versus those that sustained ancient Old World civilizations.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Were tobacco, cocoa and rubber domesticated in the New World and later introduced into the Old World?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 26: Agriculture > 1. RUBBER (Fig. 26.16) > p. 259
Presence: 5/5
“(a) Hevea Brasiliensis is commercially the most important. Its original home was Brazil, from which the wild Para rubber was first brought by Sir Henry Wickham in the form of a few thousand seeds to Kew Gardens, London. It was then introduced into Peninsular Malaysia the following year in 1877, which became one of the world's greatest natural rubber producers. Much also comes from neighbouring South-East Asian countries. (b) There are other non-commercial species, e.g. Kok saghyz of the U.S.S.R., Guayule of Mexico, Belata of S. America and Funumia/ast cd of West Africa. The commercially prized Hevea Brasiliensis is now improved through bud-grafting and the use of other clonal seedlings.”
Why this source?
  • Names Hevea brasiliensis (commercial rubber) and identifies its original home as Brazil/Amazon.
  • Records transfer of seeds to Kew Gardens and subsequent introduction into Peninsular Malaysia, demonstrating movement from New World to Old World plantation regions.
India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 3: The Making of a Global World > 1.2 Food Travels: Spaghetti and Potato > p. 54
Presence: 4/5
“These foods were only introduced in Europe and Asia after Christopher Columbus accidentally discovered the vast continent that would later become known as the Americas.”
Why this source?
  • States that foods were introduced into Europe and Asia only after Columbus's discovery of the Americas.
  • Provides a general framework that New World species were transferred to the Old World after contact.
Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 13: Cultural Setting > International Migration > p. 100
Presence: 4/5
“The Europeans emigrated in two different directions: • (i) They entered into the sparsely populated tropical and sub-tropical coastslands which were easily accessible and which possessed potential for the production of exotic crops because of their hot and humid climates. Consequently, commercial production of rubber, sugarcane, cotton, tobacco, coffee, tea, coco, a banana, spices, indigo, and rice, and so on flourished in the eastern coastlands of North and South America. In order to cultivate these virgin lands, labour had to be imported from the African and Asian countries. It gave rise to slave trade from Africa.”
Why this source?
  • Describes Europeans entering the tropical Americas and developing commercial production of crops including tobacco, cocoa and rubber.
  • Implies these crops were present in the Americas and became globally traded/cultivated through European mediated diffusion.
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Statement analysis

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