According to Dr Frances Wood of the British Museum, what may have been a possible source of Marco Polo’s account?

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The question concerns Dr Frances Wood’s view on a possible source of Marco Polo’s account according to her perspective at the British Museum. 
Option a: 'a. His father’s and uncle’s notes from their trip.' This would suggest that Marco Polo’s account was essentially a direct family-written document. While plausible as a narrative source, Wood’s discussion emphasizes other documentary foundations as potential influences, making this option less aligned with her specific claim. 
Option b: 'b. A Persian travelogue.' This choice reflects Wood’s argument that Marco Polo’s account could have been shaped or filtered through existing Persian travel literature, which could have influenced how his experiences were rendered or interpreted. If Wood proposed that Persian travelogues contributed to the framing or transmission of Polo’s stories, this option directly matches that line of reasoning. 
Option c: 'c. An early historian’s account of the Silk Road.' This would imply a more overt scholarly intermediary shaping Polo’s narrative, such as a historian’s compilation. While historians and chroniclers did influence travel narratives, Wood’s specific suggestion tends to emphasize literary sources like travelogues from the broader caravan routes, rather than a single historian’s account. Thus, this option may mischaracterize her emphasis. 
Option d: 'd. Chinese records.' Invoking Chinese records as a source would place Polo’s narrative within a Chinese documentary framework. Although Chinese sources exist for Silk Road journeys, Wood’s claim about a Persian travelogue points away from Chinese records as the primary proximate source for Polo’s account, making this option less consistent with her stated position. 
Overall, evaluating the options, the reasoning behind Option b hinges on the idea that Marco Polo’s account could have drawn on or been shaped by Persian travel literature circulating in the regions Polo traversed. The other options rely on alternative intermediaries or sources, which do not align as closely with Wood’s asserted possibility. 
In summary, Option b presents the source type that best matches Dr Frances Wood’s suggested influence, while options a, c, and d either overemphasize familial documentation, a single historian’s view, or Chinese records as the primary conduit, respectively, which diverge from the Persian travelogue framing.

ARTS2457-China Imagined and Perceived (T2 25)

According to Dr Frances Wood of the British Museum, what may have been a possible source of Marco Polo’s account?

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