Which one of the following groups of plants was domesticated in the 'New World' and introduced into the 'Old World'?
- (a) Tobacco, cocoa and rubber ✓ UPSC's answer
- (b) Tobacco, cotton and rubber
- (c) Cotton, coffee and sugarcane
- (d) Rubber, coffee and wheat
Why the answer is (a)
• After 1492 the 'Columbian Exchange' carried crops first domesticated in the Americas (the New World) to Europe, Asia and Africa (the Old World).
• Tobacco, cocoa and rubber were all domesticated in the Americas and introduced into the Old World, so option (a) fits fully.
• Cotton was domesticated independently in the Old World too (Indus Valley and Africa), so it was not an introduction from the New World; this rules out (b).
• Coffee (Ethiopia/Arabia), sugarcane (New Guinea/South Asia) and wheat (Fertile Crescent) are Old World crops, ruling out (c) and (d).
• Hence option (a), as in the official UPSC key.
Why the other options are wrong
- (b) Tobacco, cotton and rubber
- Cotton was also domesticated in the Old World (Indus Valley, Africa), so it was not introduced from the New World.
- (c) Cotton, coffee and sugarcane
- Cotton, coffee and sugarcane are not New World introductions; coffee and sugarcane are Old World crops.
- (d) Rubber, coffee and wheat
- Coffee and wheat are Old World crops.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2019, held on 2 June 2019. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.