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WorksheetsWorld History Ch. 8 Test
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 40mins
Read the passage and use context clues to complete the statement that follows.
"Muhammad was troubled by the moral ills of Meccan society, especially greed. He often went to a cave in the hills near Mecca to meditate. According to Muslim belief, when he was about 40 years old he heard the voice of the angel Gabriel calling him to be the messenger of God. Muhammad was terrified and puzzled. How could he, an illiterate merchant, become the messenger of God? [His wife] Khadija encouraged him to accept the call."
This passage predicts that...
Muhammad established the first caliphate.
Muhammad began to urge Arabs to give up pagan gods and worship the one true God.
Muhammad won the loyalty of his first converts.
Muhammad first formulated the Five Pillars.
Which answer best categorizes the importance of the items listed in the chart?
commandments from each of the five books comprising the holy Quran
duties common to Islam, Judaism, and Christianity
the fundamental duties comprising the Pillars of Islam
the most important laws comprising Islamic Sharia
What events caused the decline of the Abbasid dynasty?
The Abbasids willingly gave up their lands to the Seljuk Turks and the Mongols.
The Abbasid empire fragmented, and other peoples gained control.
The invaders from Spain created small kingdoms throughout the former empire.
The Umayyads and the Abbasids waged a civil war that destroyed the empire.
Some of the characteristics of Muslim art include
the use of calligraphy, geometric shapes, and an arabesque style.
the depiction of Muhammad and Mecca to illustrate religious buildings and the Quran.
the use of oil paintings and mosaics to show Muslims in their daily life.
the blending of classical and Gothic styles of architecture in mosques.
Which characteristic would be placed under “Shia” in the diagram?
follows the teachings of Muhammad as told in the Quran
monotheistic, Abrahamic faith worshiping Allah as one true god
believe only descendants of Muhammad may lead
believe any good Muslim can lead
Which list places events in the correct sequence?
Muhammad dies, Abu Bakr unifies followers, Arab Muslims defeat Byzantines and Persians, Abbasid Caliphate established, Umayyad Caliphate established
Arab Muslims defeat Byzantines and Persians, Muhammad dies, Abu Bakr unifies followers, Abbasid Caliphate established, Umayyad Caliphate established
Abu Bakr unifies followers, Muhammad dies, Umayyad Caliphate established, Arab Muslims defeat Byzantines and Persians, Abbasid Caliphate established
Muhammad dies, Abu Bakr unifies followers, Arab Muslims defeat Byzantines and Persians, Umayyad Caliphate established, Abbasid Caliphate established
Based on what you learned about Islam, which statement offers the best analysis of the saying?
"I commend the merchants to you, for they are the couriers of the horizon and God’s trusted servants on Earth."—Sayings of the Prophet
Commerce was an honored profession because Muhammad communicated that it was one of the Five Pillars of the Islamic faith.
Trade was a forbidden profession because Muhammad believed the spread of commercial goods led to the worship of false idols.
Commerce was tolerated because it helped spread Islamic ideas to new regions; however, Muhammad did not respect merchants in general.
Trade was held in high esteem by Muslims because Muhammad was a merchant, and trade helped spread Islam across a wide area spanning several continents.
Given the importance of class divisions in the Ottoman empire, the best hope for the sons of those peoples the Ottomans conquered was to become
merchants
farmers
tax collectors
janizaries
Which list shows accomplishments from Islam’s Golden Age that could be classified as not mainly mathematical?
development of navigational devices such as the astrolabe, sextant
study of eclipses, calculation of Earth’s circumference
refinement of Arabic numerals, study of algebra
the composition of The Rubáiyát by Omar Khayyám
What evidence suggests that Great Zimbabwe was a great commercial center?
Oral histories describe Great Zimbabwe as a great commercial center.
Travelers who journeyed through Great Zimbabwe commented on the kingdom's wealth.
Architecture similar to Zimbabwe's Great Stones houses has been found in China and India.
Artifacts such as beads from India and porcelain from China have been found among the ruins.
This historical description of Nubia provides evidence to support which claim?
"Here gold is found in great abundance and huge elephants, and ebony, and all sorts of trees growing wild."—Greek Historian Herodotus, writing about Nubia, 450 BC
Nubia was a strategically located center of wealth, trade, and commerce.
Nubia depended on outsiders for the resources it needed to flourish.
Nubia flourished because it was geographically isolated from other powers.
Nubia declined because its geography was a limiting factor to its natural growth.
What can you infer about Mansa Musa’s character and the kingdom of Mali based on this account of his pilgrimage to Mecca?
"From the beginning of my coming to stay in Egypt I heard talk of the arrival of this sultan Musa on his Pilgrimage and found the Cairenes eager to recount what they had seem of the Africans’ prodigal [massive] spending. I asked the emir Abu...and he told me of the opulence [wealth], manly virtues, and piety [religious faith] of his sultan. 'When I went out to meet him {he said} that is, on behalf of the mighty sultan al-Malik al-Nasir, he did me extreme honour and treated me with the greatest courtesy. He addressed me, however, only through an interpreter despite his perfect ability to speak in the Arabic tongue. Then he forwarded to the royal treasury many loads of unworked native gold and other valuables. I tried to persuade him to go up to the Citadel to meet the sultan, but he refused persistently saying: 'I came for the Pilgrimage and nothing else. I do not wish to mix anything else with my Pilgrimage.''"—Al-Umari, who visited Cairo several years after Mansa Musa’s visit
Masa Musa was an arrogant leader who likely oppressed his subjects by exploiting them to generate wealth.
Masa Musa was a devoted man of faith and charity whose kingdom was rich in wealth and in culture.
Masa Musa was a simple, humble man of religion whose kingdom was isolated from trade and foreign ideas because he rejected material goods.
Masa Musa used his pilgrimage only to impress upon other cultures how wealthy and prosperous his kingdom was and to extend its military power.
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 even 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 uneven 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?
the enlightened and wise rule of Mansa Musa
influence by the neighboring Songhai
control of the gold-salt trade routes
commerce and Islam spread by Arab invaders
What conclusion does this description from the 30-year voyage of the medieval-era African explorer Ibn Battuta support?
"...we sailed for fifteen days and came to Maqdashaw [Mogadishu], which is an enormous town. Its inhabitants are merchants... When a vessel reaches the port, it is met by sumbuqs, which are small boats, in each of which are a number of young men, carrying a covered dish containing food. He presents this to one of the merchants on the ship saying "This is my guest" ... Each merchant on disembarking goes only to the house of the young man who is his host...the host then sells his goods for him and buys for him, and if anyone buys anything from him at too low a price, or sells to him in the absence of his host, the sale is regarded by them as invalid."—Ibn Battuta, the Rihlah
Trade with distant cultures such as the Chinese, Persians, and Arabians was central to the economies of East African kingdoms.
Ocean travel on the Indian Ocean helped to connect different cultures, leading to greater understanding and tolerance of new traditions and ideas in East Africa.
East African kingdoms such as Axum and Ethiopia were largely disconnected from distant cultures due to the enormous geographical barrier of the Indian Ocean.
Islam had a much stronger influence on the daily lives of East African peoples compared to Judaism or Christianity due to the region’s proximity to the Middle East.
In African villages that were part of a larger kingdom, decisions that had to be obeyed were made
in distant courts.
by village elders.
through consensus.
by village women.
What makes the Swahili language a valid example supporting the conclusion that East Africa’s geographic proximity to the coast affected its culture?
Swahili incorporates the languages of India with Bantu.
Swahili blends Islamic and Christian terms.
Swahili means “of the coast.”
Swahili blends aspects Bantu with Arabic.
Based on your reading and this excerpt, select the statement that best describes the role of the griot.
Naré Fa Maghan ruled over the small kingdom of Mali, beginning C.E.or A.D. 1200. King Maghan was the son of a long lineage of distinguished hunters, known for their bravery, skill and their ability to communicate with jinns, spirits that hold influence over human lives. At this time, Manding [or Mande] rulers like Maghan had adapted the religion of Islam, but the new faith from the north had not altered their belief in the world of spirits. So when a hunter from the north came to Maghan and made a prophecy, the king and his griot took it very seriously....”—excerpt of the epic story of Sundjata as told aloud by a modern traditional African griot
Griots were charged with promoting a sense of community by amusing leaders with literature, and by offering the people spiritual advice.
Griots were like a librarians charged with preserving the written tales, histories, and myths of the past.
Griots' main function was to entertain audiences with traditional folk tales and myths.
Griots were a combination of advisors, historians, and entertainers charged with preserving rich oral traditions for future generations.
Which was a core social factor gave people a sense of community and shared responsibility in medieval African culture?
matrilineal inheritance
nuclear family
extended lineages
patrilineal inheritance
Which factor allowed the ancient kingdom of Ghana to become so successful?
The kingdom's location allowed it to control the gold-salt trade.
The kingdom's rulers were godlike figures who ruled with absolute authority.
The kingdom was able to resist being overtaken by the neighboring kingdom of Mali.
The kingdom produced a surplus of food that it traded with people in the modern day countries of Nigeria and Senegal.
