Lesson 1: A New Faith

What was the driving force behind the Arab Empire?

• Trade

• Food

• Islam

• Christianity

In ancient times, the Arabian Peninsula was surrounded by many different civilizations. What kept them from invading the peninsula?

• Strong borders

• Arabian climate

• Mediterranean Sea

• Red Sea

Answer explanation

The Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert and third largest desert after Antarctica and the Arctic worldwide. It’s often known as the largest desert as many associate desert with hot conditions and thus discount both the Arctic and Antarctica. The Sahara desert has a surface area of 9,400,000 square kilometres (3,600,000 sq mi) including the Libyan Desert. In terms of sheer size the desert is comparable to the land area of the United States of America. This vast desert make the Arabian climate extremely hard to travel through!

Long ago, many Arabs were ____________ who herded animals and lived in tents.

• Muslims

• sheikhs

• caravans

• nomads

Answer explanation

A nomad is a person who moves from place to place. Long ago, before the development of farming and cities, many people were nomads. They moved from one area to another in search of food for themselves or for their animals.

The leader of an Arab tribe.

• Safavid

• caravan

• sheikh

• king

Answer explanation

Sheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh or Shekh — is an honorific in the Arabic language. It means "elder" and often means "leader and/or governor". It is commonly used for the front man of a tribe. He can be an Islamic scholar who got this title after graduating from a basic Islamic school. Sheikha is the female term. These are uncommon in the Arabic world. A sheikh who is wise is called ḥakīm and can rule.

The word is also generally used for a man over forty or fifty years of age.

What was the safest way for merchants to travel across the desert?

• Alone

• With their family

• With weapons

• With a caravan

What was the most important Arab trading town?

• Rome

• Constantinople

• Makkah

• Kaaba

Answer explanation

What increased contact between Arabs and other civilizations?

• War

• Travel

• Exploration

• Trade

When did Islam rise in the Arabian Peninsula?

• 400s

• 600s

• 700s

• 800s

What important religious monument was in Makkah?

• sheikh

• Hagia Sophia

• Colosseum

• Kaaba

Answer explanation

The Kaaba or Ka'abah, is a building located inside the mosque known as Masjid al Haram in Mecca (Makkah). The mosque has been built around the Kaaba. The Kaaba is the holiest place in Islam.

Islam grew from the preachings of what man?

• Allah

• Saladin

• Muhammad

• Aladin

Answer explanation

The prophet Muhammad was the founder of the religion of Islam. Followers of Islam, called Muslims, believe that Muhammad received messages from Allah (God). These messages were later collected into the Koran, the holy book of Islam.