Medieval Africa

What allowed the medieval African kingdoms like Ghana and Mali to thrive?

• their extensive and valuable land for farming

• their skill with diplomacy

• their control of the trans-Saharan trade network

• their dominance of the Mediterranean Sea trade

In the late Medieval period, products traded across the Sahara and in and out of Timbuktu included all of the following EXCEPT:

• gold

• salt

• slaves

• silver from Peru

King Lalibela was best known for

• going on the hajj

• establishing an alliance with Portugal

• his conversion to Christianity

• the construction of eleven rock churches

Which of the following is NOT a language which influenced Swahili?

• Persian

• Ge'ez

• Arabic

• Bantu

Which outside faith played a role in influencing Great Zimbabwe between 1200 and 1500 CE?

• Christianity

• Sunni Islam

• Shi'a Islam

• none of the above

In order to increase their agricultural output, the Aksumite Kingdom's population used which of the following technologies?

• the steel plow

• the seed drill

• terraced farming

• passive irrigation

In preliterate West African societies, this individual was responsible for remembering the history of the kingdom.

• the troubadour

• the scribe

• the griot

• the bard

Why was Islam accepted by rulers within sub-Saharan Africa?

• they were all conquered by Muslim armies and forced to convert

• many of the merchants crossing the Sahara were Muslim, and rulers converted voluntarily

• Islam was very similar to the traditional religions in sub-Saharan Africa

• Islam gave greater rights and privileges to women than was common in most of West Africa

Which of the following provides the best evidence of the extent of the migrations of Bantu peoples?

• similarities of languages

• similarities of political structures

• continuity of religious organization

• archaeological remains of religious buildings

What is unique about the construction of buildings at Great Zimbabwe?

• all the construction is carved out of one single rock

• none of the construction uses mortar or cement to hold the stones in place

• several of the largest structures appear to be large barns for cattle

• the pointed archways indicate significant contact with the Islamic world