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WorksheetsCh 8 African Civilizations
Total questions: 50
Worksheet time: 25mins
The Sahel is a "coastline" of what geographic feature?
Red Sea
Sahara
Kalahari Desert
Mediterranean Sea
What were the main directions of the migrations of the Bantu-speaking peoples?
south or southeast
north or northwest
west or southwest
north or northeast
What are Africa's savannas?
deserts
jungles
grassy plains
coastal regions
Where are Africa's rain forests located?
in the west-central region
along the southern coast
along the entire west coast
throughout the continent
What does the word Bantu mean?
"nomad"
"speaker"
"those with iron"
"the people"
What was the way of life of Africa's earliest people?
settled herders
settled farmers
nomadic farmers
hunter-gatherers
What was West Africa's earliest known culture?
San
Nok
Kush
BaMbuti
What city was the center of trade in Aksum?
Meroe
Aksum
Djenne-Djeno
Adulis
What did King Ezana establish as the kingdom's official religion during his reign?
Islam
Buddhism
Christianity
Judaism
What are push-pull factors?
ways population is shifted
opportunities for jobs
reasons for migration
changing environmental conditions
What reason is believed to have prompted the Bantu migrations?
they developed iron smelting
they were victims of ethnic conflict
they were fleeing the slave trade
they needed more land for a growing population
What is the main belief of followers of animism?
there is only one god
spirits play an important role in regulating life
people are organized into family groups and clans
storytellers are sacred beings who keep history alive
Why is the city of Djenne-Djeno famous?
it was the capital of Aksum and a very metropolitan city
it was the oldest known city in Africa
it was the oldest known city in Africa south of the Sahara
it was the location of the first human habitation
What is one way historians can trace the patterns of migration?
through the spread of religions
by looking at carvings
by tracing dynasties
through the pattern of languages spoken
What conflict contributed to the fall of Aksum?
the conflict between the various Bantu-speaking peoples
the conflict between the Christian Aksumites and Islamic invaders
the conflict between the Kushites and Egyptians
the conflict between the Roman Empire and the Persian Empire
From which region did the Bantu-speaking peoples migrate south?
the region near the Red Sea
the region near the Mediterranean Sea
the region near the southern border of the Sahara
the region near the southern border of the Kalahari Desert
What was unusual about the West African Iron Age?
West Africa did not go through a Copper or Bronze Age
there is no physical evidence of an Iron Age
they did not have the technology or skills to smelt iron
West Africans had to learn smelting from Arab traders
What was the major reason that the city of Adulis attracted foreigners?
it had a diverse culture
it was a center of trade
Christianity was practiced there
many languages were spoken there
Which of the following roles is similar to the role of the griot in West African society?
scientist
musician
historian
military leader
What is one result of the migrations of the Bantu-speaking peoples?
there are 60 million African people who speak one of the Bantu languages
every part of Africa has been influenced by the Bantu-speaking peoples
the continent of Africa has been completely urbanized
territorial wars broke out, and civilizations were taken over
What is the relationship of push-pull factors to causes of migration?
they are how language is traced
they only occur in desperate situations
they act as reasons for migration
they are reasons governments use to drive out populations
Which of the following events is an example of migration?
the movement of Aksum south
the spread of Christianity
the development of written languages
the movement of trade goods
What is the most likely cause of the beginnings of the Bantu migrations?
the development of agriculture
an ethnic conflict
a sudden change in climate
the development of trade
What was the effect of the migration of the Bantu-speaking peoples?
a clan that continues to move throughout Africa
a diversity of cultures and a widespread family of languages in Africa
civil wars and the isolation of many peoples
all of the above
The Aksum civilization probably began as a blend of what two cultures?
the Arab peoples and the Nok
the Greeks and the Nok
the Kushites and the Syrians
the Arab peoples and the Kushites
In Africa, as elsewhere, what led to specialization and permanent villages?
the development of agriculture
the invention of the wheel
the ability to make iron tools
the belief in one god
What was the basis for the power of Adulis?
its location in relation to trade routes
its fertile farming regions
its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea
its location near the paths of the Bantu migrations
When did the kingdom of Aksum decline and fall?
when it became isolated from other Christian states
when it became unable to maintain its trade
when it depleted its environment
all of the above
How does the pattern of where languages are spoken help experts trace the movement of people through history?
languages never change, so you know migration by the local language
if two languages have similar words, it is likely the people who spoke them were in close contact
languages can tell experts what type of jobs its people had and whether those jobs would force people to move
if a language has words for technology, it means that group migrated
What lasting legacies did the Aksum kingdom leave?
a written alphabet, a numeric system, and stone architecture
a numeric system, Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and democracy
terrace farming, a written alphabet, and the calendar
Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, stone architecture, and terrace farming
A technology developed by the Nok
iron-working
clan
animism
copper-smelting
A grassy plain that covers about 2/3's of Africa
Sahel
Sahara
savanna
rain forest
This person is responsible for keeping and passing down the history of a people
clan
extended family
savanna
griot
Although only a small part of this consists of sand dunes, it is the largest desert in Africa.
Sahel
Sahara
savanna
griot
This is the belief in, or worship of, spirits, including those of plants, animals, people, and natural forces.
griot
animism
savanna
extended family
This is West Africa's oldest known city. It appears to have been inhabited between 250 BC and AD 1400.
Nok
Adulis
Djenne-Djeno
Sahel
This is the name of West Africa's earliest known culture. This people lived in what is now Nigeria between about 500 BC and AD 200.
Nok
Sahal
Djenne-Djeno
Aksum
The name for this southern borderland, meaning "coastline" in Arabic, probably comes from the fact that the desert it borders seems like a vast ocean of sand.
clan
savanna
Sahara
Sahel
The availability of fertile land for farming is an example of
pull factor
push factor
push-pull factor
The chief seaport of Aksum was
Adulis
Ezana
Nok
Djenne-Djeno
The African kingdom that became an international trading power, adopted Christianity, and reached its height in the AD 300s was
Kush
Aksum
Ezana
Cairo
In order to farm hilly land, the Aksumites constructed steplike ridges called
griots
savanna
terraces
stairways
Over the course of about 1,500 years, the Bantu-speaking people spread out from a small area south of the Sahara to the tip of Africa.
True
False
A permanent move from one country or region to another is called cultural exchange.
True
False
Ezana was a Nok king who led the first Bantu migrations.
True
False
Aksum was located in parts of what are now the countries of Eritrea and Kenya.
True
False
Aksum's territory extended to areas located along both shorelines of the Red Sea.
True
False
Aksum was located south of the kingdom of Kush.
True
False
The written language of Aksum, Ge'ez, was originally the language of the Kushites who populated the region.
True
False
Before they became Christian, the Aksumites were monotheistic.
True
False
