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Medieval Africa

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 40mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which Medieval African king helped create new relationships between West Africa, Asia, Europe and other African nations?

a)

King Nzinga

b)

Mansa Musa

c)

Sundiata Keita

d)

Nelson Mandela

2.

Which geographical feature was a barrier to African trade?

a)

Mount Kilimanjaro

b)

Amazon River

c)

Hadrian's Wall

d)

Sahara desert

3.

Pick the two trade items that helped West Africa grow.

a)

paper

b)

gold

c)

silk

d)

salt

4.

Which conclusion is supported by information provided by the map above?

a)

traders depended mainly on rivers as avenues of transportation

b)

more products were carried on the ocean than across the land

c)

silk was the principal product traded

d)

traders often depended on both sea and land routes

5.
How did the empire of Ghana become rich?
a)
trade routes
b)
taxing traders
c)
mining gold 
d)
trading salt
6.

What city in Africa was the leading center of Islam?

a)

Mohenjo-Daro

b)

Gao

c)

Kumbi-Saleh

d)

Timbuktu

7.
Ghana grew very rich after they took over the ___________ trade routes.
a)
trans-saharan
b)
silk road
c)
sub-saharan
d)
european
8.

Which of the following is NOT a kingdom of W. Africa?

a)

Songhai

b)

Cairo

c)

Mali

d)

Ghana

9.

The MOST LIKELY reason that Mansa Musa is featured so prominently on the Catalan Atlas below is...

a)

To provide a reference point for the kingdom of Mali

b)

To show that Mansa Musa is the region’s monarch

c)

To enhance the decorative elements of the map

d)

To emphasize the wealth, power, and importance of Mansa Musa

10.

The commodities gold and salt were important to many regions of West Africa because they

a)

helped create great wealth and vast trade networks that spread new ideas

b)

were both vital to health and very rare in the region, which made them valuable

c)

were abundant in the region, allowing it to develop self-sufficiently and become wealthy

d)

increased trade, bringing in great wealth and spreading new ideas such as Christianity, which became the official religion

11.

How was Sonni Ali able to turn Songhai into such a wealthy kingdom?

a)

he converted to Islam, strengthening commerce between Songhai and other kingdoms

b)

he forged military alliances with other nations, beinging more wealth to Songhai

c)

he expanded the expolitation of Songhai's natural resources, allowing Songhai to prosper

d)

He brought trade routes under Songhai's control, allowing the kingdom to flourish

12.

Which statement, described in the passage, describes a major effect that increased Indian Ocean trade had on the East African city states? "By the 600s, sailors had learned that the annual monsoon winds could carry sailing ships plying the waters of the Indian Ocean between India and Africa. On the East African coast, rulers took advantages of the opportunities for trade that these winds of the Indian Ocean provided. They welcomed ships from Arabia, Persia, and China. From India, Southeast Asia, and China came cotton cloth, silk, spices, porcelain, glassware and swords."

a)

the region became a sphere of influence for rising Christian powers

b)

the region became a center for multiculturalism and cultural diffusion

c)

the region became dominated by the cultural influences of Islam

d)

the region became more war-like as competitive foreign powers vied for control

13.

What caused the West African kingdom of Ghana to grow powerful, wealthy, and to incorporate Islamic values and ideas in its society and government?

a)

the enlightened and wise rule of Mansa Musa

b)

commerce and Islam spread by Arab invaders

c)

influence of the neighboring Songhai

d)

control of the gold-salt trade routes

14.

Explain the point of view of this old African proverb: "salt comes from the north, gold from the south . . but the treasures of wisdom are to be found only in Timbuktu."

a)

the author was saying that the only place to find wisdom is in Timbuktu

b)

the author was saying that salt and wisdom are more valuable than gold

c)

the author was explaining how Timbuktu, as a center of learning, was just as important as other precious commodities

d)

the author was explaining that Gold is more valuable than salt or wisdom

15.

The Great Enclosure, a portion of which is shown here, is one of the two major ruins of Great Zimbabwe. Why would the ruler of Great Zimbabwe build such a tremendous structure?

a)

to keep merchants from trading outside of the city

b)

to keep grazing animals fenced in and prevent theft

c)

as a way for the ruler to show off his power and the kingdom's wealth

d)

to provide jobs for the poor citizens of Great Zimbabwe

16.

What revolutionized trade across the Sahara Desert?

a)

boats

b)

horses

c)

camels

d)

trains

17.

What religion did King Ezana of Axum help bring to Africa?

a)

Buddhism

b)

Judaism

c)

Islam

d)

Christianity

18.

What was the culture and language of East Africa?

a)

Songhai

b)

Islam

c)

Christianity

d)

Swahili

19.

African storytellers are called

a)

griots

b)

priests

c)

shaman

d)

author

20.

What religion spread from Arabia into Africa beginning in the A.D. 600's?

a)

Judaism

b)

Islam

c)

Daoism

d)

Christianity