John D. Rockefeller is said to be the richest person ever to live, with an estimated wealth of $336 billion. But evidence suggests that an African named Mansa Musa probably surpassed that staggering amount. Musa lived in western Africa and became a surprisingly selfless emperor of the Mali people in 1312 A.D. By trading gold and salt, he amassed an enormous fortune, now estimated at $400 billion dollars in today's money. He is most famous for his pilgrimage to Mecca. Members of his caravan numbered some 60,000 people, and he made the journey with hundreds of animals and plenty of gold. He freely gave this gold to the poor that he met along the route. He had a number of mosques built, too. Legend has it that he built one every Friday during his reign. The most famous of these is the Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu, Mali.
Which of the following sentences from the passage supports the author's claim that Mansa Musa was "surprisingly selfless?"

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

"He freely gave this gold to the poor that he met along the route" is correct. If someone is selfless, he or she thinks of and tries to help other people. By giving away gold to the poor, Mansa Musa was displaying selfless actions.
"But evidence suggests that an African named Mansa Musa probably surpassed even that staggering amount," is incorrect. This sentence was provided to compare the wealth of a Mansa Musa with that of a well-known American. 
"By trading gold and salt, he amassed an enormous fortune, now estimated at $400 dollars in today's money," is incorrect. This sentence describes the extent of Mansa Musa's wealth, but does not suggest that he was selfless. 
"He is most famous for his pilgrimage to Mecca," is incorrect. We have no way of knowing whether Mansa Musa was selfless from this sentence.

John D Rockefeller Is Said to Be the Richest Person Ever