Medieval Islam and Africa

What is the root language of the West Africans?

• Bantu

• Latin

• Arabic

• Swahili

Which factor allowed the ancient kingdom of Ghana to become so successful?

• The kingdom was able to resist being overtaken by the neighboring kingdom of Mali.

• The kingdom's rulers were godlike figures who ruled with absolute authority.

• The kingdom's location allowed it to control the gold-salt trade.

• The kingdom produced a surplus of food that it traded with people in the modern day countries of Nigeria and Senegal.

Which is the best conclusion to draw from this passage?

"There was so much salt in the Sahara, that people in Taghaza, in the central part of the desert, built homes out of blocks of salt. But in the savanna, several hundred miles south, salt was so scarce that it was worth its weight in gold. In the kingdom of Ghana, merchants paid one pound of gold for one pound of salt."

• The uneven distribution of natural resources promotes trade.

• The surplus of a given natural resource affects its value.

• The scarcity of a given natural resource affects its value.

• The even distribution of natural resources promotes trade.

What caused the West African kingdom of Ghana to grow powerful, wealthy, and to incorporate Islamic values and ideas in its society and government?

• control of the gold-salt trade routes

• Islam spread by Arab invaders

• influence by the neighboring Songhai

• the enlightened and wise rule of Mansa Musa

In what important trade city did Mansa Musa build a University?

• Axum

• Timbuktu

• Sofala

• Meroe

What lead to the decline of the Axum Empire?

• Civil war

• Religions severed trading ties

• Distance from Europe

• All of the above

What evidence suggests that Great Zimbabwe was a great commercial center?

• Oral histories describe Great Zimbabwe as a great commercial center.

• Architecture similar to Zimbabwe's Great Stones houses has been found in China and India.

• Travelers who journeyed through Great Zimbabwe commented on the kingdom's wealth.

• Artifacts such as beads from India and porcelain from China have been found among the ruins.

In African villages that were part of a larger kingdom, decisions that had to be obeyed were made

• through consensus.

• in distant courts.

• by village women.

• by village elders.

Which was a core social factor gave people a sense of community and shared responsibility in medieval African culture?

• royal duty

• identification with extended lineages

• identification with the nuclear family

• religious obligations

Select the statement that best analyzes the critical role that the structure shown in the photo plays in Islam.

• Muhammad destroyed the idols at the Kaaba and rededicated it to Allah, making it the holiest place in the newly founded monotheistic religion of Islam.

• Muhammad dedicated the Kaaba to his military victory at the site over Arab tribes who had opposed his religious messages.

• Muhammad received holy messages from an angel of God at this sacred site, making it the birthplace of the newly founded monotheistic religion of Islam.

• Muhammad rededicated the Kaaba to the idol Allah, making it the holiest place in the newly founded polytheistic religion of Islam.