Item 3 SOURCE A

Ancient China was bordered by two of the world’s largest deserts: the Gobi Desert to the north and northwest and the Takla Makan Desert to the west. These two deserts helped to protect China from outside invaders, but they also limited Chinese expansion.

The Gobi Desert stretches across the northern portion of modern China and the southern part of modern Mongolia. Although some of the Gobi Desert is sand, most of it is made up of bare rock. Today, vehicles can drive across the rock, but in ancient times, travel through the desert was more difficult, so most people avoided it. For the most part, those who crossed the desert were traders, who traveled by camel in large caravans.

The Takla Makan Desert is located in western China. It has a milder climate than the Gobi, and there are some water sources and areas of vegetation. However, the size of the desert and its large dunes still limited travel.

These two deserts provided China with a natural defense against outside forces. Invaders could not invade a region using camels; they needed horses, and travel with horses through the deserts was difficult. However, while the deserts provided a barrier against invasion, they also limited Chinese expansion. Rulers could not invade other lands across the desert, and the harsh environment limited even peaceful expansion into these regions. This restrained the size of China’s empire.

Which quote from Source A corroborates this statement: "Chinese traders using the Gobi Desert as a trade route experienced harsh travel conditions"?

A.) "The Takla Makan Desert is located in western China. It has a milder climate than the Gobi, and there are some water sources and areas of vegetation."

B.) "Today, vehicles can drive across the rock, but in ancient times, travel through the desert was more difficult..."

D.) "...those who crossed the desert were traders, who traveled by camel in large caravans."

C.) "These two deserts provided China with a natural defense against outside forces."