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Worksheets

African Kingdoms Unit

Total questions: 25

Worksheet time: 25mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which ocean borders Africa to the east?

a)

Pacific

b)

Atlantic

c)

Indian

d)

Mediterranean

2.

Which of the following statements is NOT true about the Sahara?

a)

The Sahara is nothing but sand.

b)

The Sahara is the largest desert on Earth.

c)

The Sahara is the hottest dessert.

d)

There are lots of oases in the Sahara.

3.

Why was Africa once called "the dark continent" by Europeans?

a)

African skies are usually overcast.

b)

The soil in Africa is black.

c)

The nights are longer in Africa than Europe.

d)

Europeans had explored very little of Africa.

4.

What is the Sahel?

a)

a desert to the south of the Sahara

b)

a semidry rolling plain south of the Sahara

c)

the Arabic word for "desert"

d)

the rain forest in central Africa

5.

Which are important rivers in Africa?

a)

Nile, Amazon, Congo

b)

Yellow, Nile, Niger

c)

Nile, Congo, Niger

d)

Victoria, Niger, Congo

6.

What was another name for the kingdom of Kush?

a)

Eqypt

b)

Aksum

c)

Nubia

d)

Mali

7.

Why was the war with Aksum the worst war of all for Kush?

a)

The Kush survivors had to accept the Aksumites' religion.

b)

The Aksumites were the most brutal rulers.

c)

The Aksumites took all the important cities of Kush.

d)

The war with Aksum destroyed the kingdom of Kush.

8.

What contributed most to Aksum's power?

a)

war

b)

its many oases

c)

trade

d)

slaves

9.

In what uncommon way was salt used in northern Africa?

a)

as a building material

b)

to pave roads

c)

in crowns for emperors

d)

all of the above

10.

Which qualities do NOT help camels survive in the desert?

a)

They are nasty and smelly.

b)

The have broad, splayed feet.

c)

They store fat in their hump.

d)

They have a double row of eyelashes.

11.

What invisible things did traders carry across the desert?

a)

ideas

b)

culture

c)

religion

d)

all of the above

12.

What did Muslim scholars call Ghana?

a)

King Tunka's Land

b)

Kumbi Saleh

c)

Land of Gold

d)

Mali

13.

How was Ghana's location important for its success?

a)

It was located in the Mediterranean Sea.

b)

It was located in the middle of many trade routes.

c)

It was located where the Nile and Congo rivers meet.

d)

It was surrounded by mountains and protected from its neighbors.

14.

Why was salt so valuable?

a)

It keeps food from spoiling.

b)

It is a good fertilizer for crops.

c)

It is used in gold mining.

d)

all of the above

15.

Which enemies raided Ghana?

a)

Berbers

b)

Egyptions

c)

Kushites

d)

Aksumites

16.

Why didn't Sumanguru kill young Sundiata?

a)

Sundiata was weak and handicapped.

b)

Sumanguru couldn't find Sundiata.

c)

Samanguru was afraid of Sundiata.

d)

Sundiata disguised himself as someone else.

17.

Why was "Hungering Lion" a good name for Sundiata?

a)

He was always hungry for meat.

b)

He liked to go hunting with his friends.

c)

He was fearless in battle.

d)

He spoke in a low, growling voice.

18.

For what was Timbuktu NOT famous?

a)

its universities

b)

its great army

c)

its mosques

d)

its librairies

19.

Why did Mansa Musa make a pilgrimage to Mecca?

a)

His family lived there.

b)

As a Muslim, he was required to.

c)

He was invited to visit Mecca.

d)

He was forced to leave Mali by the new king.

20.

Why is the history of western Africa in the 1300s sometimes called "the century of Musa"?

a)

because Mansa Musa lived for 100 years

b)

because he was the only Muslim king in the fourteenth century

c)

because Manda Musa's reign was so long and successful

d)

because Musa means "hundred"

21.

What happened in the years after Mansa Musa's death?

a)

Mali because the strongest empire in Africa.

b)

Mali had a civil war.

c)

Mali became eclipsed by the Songhai Empire.

d)

There was an earthquake and Mali was destroyed.

22.

In what important way was Askia Muhammed different from Sonni Ali Ber and the other Sonni kings?

a)

He was a devout Muslim.

b)

He beleived in democracy.

c)

He was fierce and brave.

d)

He came from a different country.

23.

Why do we remember the travels of Ibn Batutta today?

a)

He wrote a book about his travels.

b)

He talked about his travels to everyone.

c)

People started legends about Ibn Batutta.

d)

An important author wrote a book about him.

24.

What place did Ibn Batutta NOT visit?

a)

Arabia

b)

China

c)

India

d)

Europe

25.

What did Ibn Batutta call his book?

a)

Koran

b)

Rihlah

c)

Africa

d)

autobiography