Question

What was it about the land of Mongolia that caused its people to live as nomads throughout history?

It was not the land that causes the people to be nomadic but their love of traveling to exotic places.

There is very little water in the region that is safe to drink, so people on the steppe are constantly looking for new sources.

There was never enough land to accommodate the number of people in a single tribe.

The land is poorly suited for farming--most people living on the steppe survive by herding animals.

Answer 1

Correct answer: The land is poorly suited for farming—most people living on the steppe survive by herding animals.

Explanation: Mongolia is dominated by grassland steppe and desert with a short growing season, sparse soils and an often harsh, dry climate. Those conditions make settled agriculture difficult across most of the region, but they support large herds of horses, sheep, goats, camels and cattle. Pastoralism (seasonal movement to follow pasture and water) was therefore the most practical way to make a living, which produced the nomadic lifestyle historically characteristic of Mongolian peoples.

(Other choices are inaccurate: it wasn’t a romantic love of travel; while water can be scarce in places, the main factor is unsuitability for farming and the availability of grazing; and land shortage within a tribe wasn’t the primary cause.)