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West African Kingdoms

Total questions: 25

Worksheet time: 12mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which kingdoms were the major kingdoms in West Africa? (multiple answers)

a)

Mali

b)

Dahr

c)

Niani

d)

Songhai

e)

Ghana

2.

Which of the following lists accurately reflects the correct chronological order of the West African empires?

a)

Songhai, Nubia, Ghana

b)

Songhai, Mali, Ghana

c)

Timbuktu, Songhai, Mali

d)

Ghana, Mali, Songhai

3.

Each of the following was a valuable trade good from West Africa except:

a)

gold

b)

horses

c)

slaves

d)

ivory

4.

What caused the empire of Ghana to fall from power?

a)

diseases decimated the population

b)

the loss of trade

c)

a series of poor leaders

d)

the slave trade

5.

What trade did Ghana control that allowed them to become a powerful kingdom?

a)

ivory and wool

b)

leather and porcelain

c)

rugs and silk

d)

gold and salt

6.

How did the kings of Ghana become rich?

a)

selling their gold mines

b)

borrowing money

c)

taxing merchants from foreign countries

d)

selling iron weapons

7.
Mansa Musa, even today, is the richest man in the world valued at $400 billion dollars.  But his greatest impact was that he...
a)
He spread Islam and the Islamic culture throughout West Africa
b)
He controlled the gold and salt trade
c)
He made a pilgrimage to Mecca to show off all of his wealth
d)
He was a model of behavior as a Muslim King who is charitable.
8.
The most important West African city, for trade and education, was
a)
Timbuktu
b)
Cairo
c)
Gao
d)
Rome
9.
The buildings pictured in the Catalan Atlas may represent "mosques".  What is a mosque?
a)
Christian place of worship
b)
Muslim place of worship
c)
Jewish place of worship
d)
Buddhist place of worship
10.
All three West African Empires fell from...
a)
Disease
b)
Invasion/Rebellion
c)
Natural Disaster
d)
Hand of God
11.

This king of Mali was best known for his pilgrimage to Mecca and the amount of gold he gifted.

a)

Mansa Khalifa

b)

Mansa Musa

c)

Mansa Sakura

d)

Sundiata Keita

12.

How do we know about Mali's history?

a)

From books in Timbuktu

b)

From journals kept by Columbus

c)

From trade records found in the Sahara

d)

From stories handed down by storytellers

13.

What happened to the Mali Empire after Mansa Musa returned from his hajj?

a)

The Mali Empire was attacked and conquered by Songhai Empire

b)

Mansa Musa hired architects to build mosques, libraries, and universities

c)

Mansa Musa forced the citizens to convert to Islam

d)

Mansa Musa passed away upon his return and was replaced by his son

14.

Arab traders from North Africa made their way along the _________________to West Africa where they introduced the faith of Islam.

a)

Silk Road

b)

trans-Saharan trade Route

c)

Road of Mali

d)

Niger River

15.

Which kingdom completes the graphic organizer?

a)

Timbuktu

b)

Ghana

c)

Mali

d)

Songhai

16.
The kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, & Songhai prospered primarily due to their 
a)
exchanges with Indian ports
b)
direct access to the Arabian Sea
c)
control of trade routes
d)
abundance of diamonds
17.

Why was salt so valuable?

a)

It was a good fertilizer for crops.

b)

It was used for gold mining.

c)

It kept food from spoiling.

d)

All of the above.

18.

Although they were located in Africa, the Songhai and Mali Empires both adopted the main religion of the Middle East at the time, which was:

a)

Judaism

b)

Christianty

c)

Buddhism

d)

Islam

19.

The history of Islam centers around one person named _______.

a)

Jesus

b)

Muhammad

c)

Abraham

d)

Allah

20.

Islam believes in one God, called ______.

a)

Allah

b)

Jesus

c)

Yahweh

d)

Lord

21.

Muhammad started to have religious visions from Allah. These visions are recorded in the Islamic Holy Book ___________.

a)

Bible

b)

Torah

c)

Koran

d)

New Testament

22.

A person who follows Islam is called a ________

a)

Muslim

b)

Christian

c)

Jew

d)

Heathen

23.

Who turned the disorganized Songhai state into a strong and unified empire?

a)

Mansa Musa

b)

Muhammad Ture

c)

Sunni Ali

d)

Mansa Kente

24.

Which of the following reasons was a reason to explain how the Moroccan army was able to defeated the powerful Songhai?

a)

The Moroccans had a new weapon, earlier version of the gun—the arquebus.

b)

The Moroccans had more money, thanks to the invention of a new machine to mine salt.

c)

The Moroccan army joined in alliance with the Mali Empire

d)

The Moroccans had a navy along with a large army

25.

The result from the defeat of the Songhai empire and trading routes moving more towards the coast

a)

allowed the Yoruba people to build the next empire

b)

led to the decline of Islam in the region

c)

opened the door for the Europeans to become trade partners with African Kings

d)

ended the practice of slavery in the territory