Quiz on Oral Traditions in West Africa

Which of these is the best example of an oral tradition?

• A great-grandmother's photo album

• A grandfather playing a game with his grandchildren

• A grandmother's diary found at the base of ancient ruins

• A grandfather telling a story about his childhood

How did West Africans preserve their history before writing was introduced?

• Booksellers made marks with sharp sticks on wet clay.

• Painters made a long series of paintings like a comic strip.

• Foreign visitors kept the only record of events in the region.

• Poet-musicians memorized the stories and passed them down.

Which term best describes a job of a griot?

• trading goods

• carving masks

• curing diseases

• keeping records

The genealogy of a family gives information about the family members’

• jobs.

• houses

• ancestry.

• recreation.

Stories about Sundjata tell about

• the king who founded Mali's empire.

• the hajj by the great ruler Mansa Musa.

• the trade caravans across the Sahara.

• the tasks and importance of griots.

Some of the most famous griots today are known through their

• popular music.

• large museums.

• printed calendars.

• scientific discoveries.

How did traditional West African folktales come to the Americas?

• Traders sold them.

• Enslaved people brought them.

• Explorers discovered them.

• Missionaries wrote them down.

Many West African folktales feature a hare. In these stories, the hare:

• wins by physical strength.

• outsmarts other characters.

• tells stories of local history.

• has a great deal of good luck.

What does the proverb below indicate about West African society?

• the value placed on books

• the significance of visual arts

• the importance of oral tradition

• the respect paid to young people

In which language were most of the earliest books written in West Africa?

• Latin

• Arabic

• Mande

• Egyptian