wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

History of Africa

Total questions: 23

Worksheet time: 6hrs 45mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Beginning around A.D. 750, in the salt trade, Africans traded gold for Arab traders' salt.

Where did the salt trade take place?

a)

1.2 Western & Central Africa

b)

2.2 Southern & Eastern Africa

c)

3.2 North Africa

2.

The first of the great West African empires was active between A.D. 600 and A.D. 1200.

a)

Ghana empire

b)

Mali empire

c)

Songhai empire

d)

Great Zimbabwe

3.

The second of the great West African empires was active between the mid-1200s A.D. and about the mid-1400s A.D.

a)

Ghana empire

b)

Mali empire

c)

Songhai empire

d)

Great Zimbabwe

4.

The largest empire in African history was active between the mid-1400s A.D. and about the early-1600s A.D. It took over the great trading cities of Tombouctou and Djenne.

a)

Ghana

b)

Mali

c)

Songhai

d)

Great Zimbabwe

5.

The emperor Mansa Musa made a grand pilgrimage to Mecca during his reign, strengthening his empire's ties to North Africa.

During which empire did Mansa Musa rule?

a)

Ghana Empire

b)

Mali Empire

c)

Songhai Empire

d)

Great Zimbabwe

6.

Tombouctou flourished as a center of the salt trade and of Islamic learning and culture.

Where was Tombouctou located?

a)

1.2 Western & Central Africa

b)

2.2 Southern & Eastern Africa

c)

3.2 North Africa

7.

CHECK ALL which are correct. In the late 1800s, European countries looked to Africa for more colonies.

Which region(s) of Africa were affected by European colonization?

a)

1.2 Western & Central Africa

b)

2.2 Southern & Eastern Africa

c)

3.2 North Africa

8.

Nubia became a center for trade, especially with Egypt. Skills and technologies that they learned from Egyptians - for example: iron-making - were then passed to other parts of Africa.

Where was Nubia located?

a)

1.2 Western & Central Africa

b)

2.2 Southern & Eastern Africa

c)

3.2 North Africa

9.

The Aksum empire had traders who sold gold, ivory, and other goods. They traded with Rome and India.

Where was Aksum located?

a)

1.2 Western & Central Africa

b)

2.2 Southern & Eastern Africa

c)

3.2 North Africa

10.

Great Zimbabwe was a large trading city founded by Bantu speakers. Its traders took gold and ivory to Africa's east coast ports where they traded for goods from China, India, and Southeast Asia.

Where was Great Zimbabwe located?

a)

1.2 Western & Central Africa

b)

2.2 Southern & Eastern Africa

c)

3.2 North Africa

11.

CHECK ALL that are correct. This man played a key role in ending the policy of apartheid. He was imprisoned for 28 years, but continued to protest from prison. When he was released from prison in 1990, he worked to end apartheid and then became the elected president in 1994.

Who was this person?

What country was he from?

a)

country: Egypt

b)

person: Gamal Abdel Nasser

c)

person: Nelson Mandela

d)

country: South Africa

12.

The ancient Egyptian culture lasted for more than 3,000 years, developing agriculture, architecture, government, art, education, and religion.

Where was the Egyptian civilization located?

a)

1.2 Western & Central Africa

b)

2.2 Southern & Eastern Africa

c)

3.2 North Africa

13.

Beginning in the A.D. 600s, Arab Muslim armies built an empire that stretched from Spain to Iran. After the armies, religious leaders established mosques and merchants established trading centers. Then, many

Arab migrants traveled to the region, spreading their language and religion.

Where did the Arab conquest take place?

a)

1.2 Western & Central Africa

b)

2.2 Southern & Eastern Africa

c)

3.2 North Africa

14.

In 1952, this man led a group of military officers to overthrow his country's government and seize control. He ruled like a dictator until 1970.

What was the dictator's name, and which country did he rule?

a)

dictator: Gamal Abdel Nasser

b)

dictator: Joseph Mobutu

c)

country: Belgian Congo (renamed Zaire)

d)

country: Egypt

15.

What did West Africans trade to North Africans in exchange for salt?

a)

camels

b)

gold

c)

silver

d)

masks

16.

Why did Mansa Musa, the Mali empire's greatest emperor, go to Mecca?

a)

to go on a military campaign

b)

to go on a religious pilgramage

c)

to trade salt for gold

d)

to escape his enemies

17.

What is the idea of Pan-Africanism?

a)

All African ethnic groups should have their won country.

b)

All Africans should be united, regardless of ethnicity.

c)

All Africans should speak a European language like French or English.

d)

Nigeria should be the dominant country in Africa.

18.

How did the policy of apartheid separate people in South Africa?

a)

by colony

b)

by language

c)

by race

d)

by religion

19.

Nelson Mandela was a key member in the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa. What was one of the main goals of the ANC?

a)

to expand the Nubian civilization

b)

to expand the slave trade

c)

to gain national independence

d)

to end apartheid

20.

A theocracy is a government based on

a)

democracy.

b)

communism.

c)

religion.

d)

agriculture.

21.

What is Pan-Arabism?

a)

Arabs will travel to an afterlife.

b)

Arabic-speaking countries should unite.

c)

Arabic should be Morocco's language.

d)

Berbers should live in Western Sahara.

22.

Which culture was led by pharaohs?

a)

ancient Egypt

b)

Arab Muslim

c)

French Algerian

d)

Berber

23.

What was the purpose of mummification?

a)

to bring ideas to new cultures

b)

to house the bodies of dead kings

c)

to preserve dead bodies for the afterlife

d)

to communicate ideas in writing