Natural Resources and Trade in West Africa

Multiple Choice

What was the main reason Ghana and Mali became wealthy?

• They conquered European kingdoms.

• They controlled and taxed trade routes for gold and salt.

• They created large factories to make goods for export.

• They discovered new farming methods using iron tools.

Multiple Choice

Which statement best shows how trade led to cultural diffusion in West Africa?

• Merchants competed to sell more gold and salt.

• Islam spread peacefully through trade and travel.

• Farmers began growing new crops in Mali.

• Kings forced people to adopt African traditions

Multiple Choice

How did Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca affect Mali?

• It weakened Mali because he gave away too much gold.

• It caused Mali to convert to Christianity.

• It led to wars with neighboring kingdoms

• It helped spread Mali’s fame and brought back new knowledge and culture.

Multiple Choice

If Ghana had not been located between the gold mines of the south and the salt mines of the north, how might history have been different?

• Ghana would still have been rich from farming alone.

• Ghana would have conquered Mali for its resources.

• Ghana would have focused only on spreading Islam.

• Ghana might not have become a powerful trading kingdom.

Multiple Choice

What does the success of cities like Timbuktu show about the role of trade in West Africa?

• Trade made kingdoms depend completely on salt imports

• Trade caused people to leave rural areas for Europe.

• Trade created cities that became centers of learning and cultural exchange.

• Trade only brought wealth, not knowledge.

Multiple Choice

Based on the passage, how did religion influence West African kingdoms?

• Religious changes caused the gold-salt trade to end.

• West Africans stopped using their own languages after converting.

• Islam helped promote education, writing, and architecture while blending with African traditions

• Islam changed every aspect of African culture overnight.

Multiple Choice

How did trade across the Sahara Desert influence both the economy and culture of West Africa?

• It forced West Africans to abandon their traditions completely.

• It created economic growth while spreading new ideas, religions, and technologies.

• It led to war and isolation from other regions.

• It brought only economic wealth but little cultural change.

Multiple Choice

Which statement best explains how Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca reflected both the wealth and cultural connections of Mali?

• His journey showed that Mali wanted to avoid contact with the Islamic world.

• His pilgrimage weakened Mali’s economy and isolated it from trade.

• His trip demonstrated Mali’s vast riches and brought back scholars and artists who advanced learning.

• His journey showed Mali’s military strength and led to new conquests.