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African Civilizations

Total questions: 25

Worksheet time: 16mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Africa is a…

a)

capital

b)

country

c)

county

d)

continent

2.

Which of the following climate zones in Africa would be the most ideal for farming?

a)

Desert

b)

Semiarid

c)

Savanna

d)

Tropical rainforest

3.

What do we call a group of animals and humans traveling with goods to sell?

a)

a fief

b)

a republic

c)

a caravan

d)

a plateau

4.

How did the kingdom of Ghana gain so much wealth?

a)

They charged taxes to merchants traveling through their land during the gold-salt trade.

b)

Their land was ideal for agriculture so they sold a wide variety of crops.

c)

The kingdom of Ghana controlled diamond mines.

d)

The kingdom of Ghana had control over gold mines.

5.

Which of these was not an African Kingdom?

a)

Songhai

b)

Zimbabwe

c)

Azteca

d)

Mali

6.

In Ancient Africa, which commodity was once as valuable as gold?

a)

jade

b)

silver

c)

copper

d)

salt

7.

The purpose of the silent barter system that took place in West Africa was...

a)

to reduce conflict due to a language barrier.

b)

to protect location of salt mines.

c)

to protect location of gold mines.

d)

all of these answers are true.

8.

How did Mansa Musa establish West Africa as a center of Islamic culture?

a)

He spent so much gold on his haij that it upset the economy of Egypt for years.

b)

He extended Mali’s territory and made Mali one of the largest empires of its time.

c)

He brought Muslim scholars, artists, and teachers from his haij to work in Timbuktu.

d)

He established trade links with Muslim salt merchants in North Africa.

9.

What religion came to dominant the empires of Mali and Songhai?

a)

Islam

b)

Buddhism

c)

Judaism

d)

Christianity

10.

Which of these is true about Ethiopia?

a)

First to control the gold trade.

b)

Never conquered by Europeans

c)

Mali's Lion KingConquered Mali

d)

First to control the salt trade.

11.

Why were both the written and oral traditions important to West African culture?

a)

Both were necessary to preserve history

b)

They needed them to make exciting stories

c)

They bragged about their family's history

d)

They wanted to build libraries

12.

What is the main belief of followers of animism?

a)

There is only one god

b)

Spirits play an important role in daily life

c)

People are organized into family groups

d)

Storeytellers are sacred beings who keep history alive

13.
Which of the following products was NOT traded during the early African trading empires? 
a)
gold
b)
ivory
c)
oil
d)
slaves
14.

How was Axum different from Songhai? Choose the TWO correct answers.

a)

Axum was in East Africa, while Songhai was in West Africa

b)

Axum had a powerful army, while Songhai focused more on scholarship

c)

Axum controlled trade routes across the Sahara, while Songhai controlled trade routes to Arabia

d)

Axum was a Christian empire, while Songhai was a Muslim empire.

15.

Why were Songhai's laws written in Arabic?

a)

Arabic was the official language of the government and Islam

b)

They hated Latin

c)

Arabic was the common language for all Africans

d)

Chinese was too difficult to learn

16.

Look at the map. Axum's importance as a trading kingdom in East Africa was MAINLY the result of its...

a)

location.

b)

rulers.

c)

wealth.

d)

religion.

17.

What is lineage?

a)

a group of people descended from a common ancestor

b)

people lining up in straight lines

c)

people who played sports together

d)

art work

18.

Where was the Swahili coast?

a)

The Eastern Coast of Africa

b)

Above the Sahara desert

c)

Right next to the empire of Mali

d)

The Western Coast of Africa

19.

Which of the following is a key idea about the culture of the Swahili coast?

a)

It doesn't have a culture.

b)

They are a Christian country.

c)

It has a unique culture that is a mix of languages and religions from various parts of the world.

d)

They adopted the language and cultural practices of the Berbers.

20.

Which of the following were important goods that were traded from the Swahili coast?

a)

Silver and wood

b)

They traded many different types of goods

c)

A variety of minerals

d)

potatoes and tomatoes

21.
True or False:  Zimbabwe is a complex stone city that became the center of trade.
a)
False
b)
True
22.

Which civilization did the people of Great Zimbabwe trade with the most?

a)

The Songhai Empire

b)

The Mali Empire 

c)

The Swahili Coast

d)

Aksum

23.

Which of the following statements are true about the fall of Constantinople?

a)

It was conquered by the Doge of Venice

b)

Its fall drove many Classical scholars to migrate to Asia

c)

Its fall led to the rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire

d)

Its fall marks the beginning of the Age of Exploration

24.

Why was the journey from Africa to the Americas so difficult?

a)

20-60% of enslaving people could die during the journey

b)

Kingdoms such as Dahomey and Ashanti demanded African goods.

c)

Europeans were inexperienced at making the journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

d)

Slave ships had too much food for the long journey to the Americas.

25.

What was the original purpose of the Republican political party in the United States?

a)

To build a trans-continental railroad

b)

To end slavery in the United States

c)

To expand slavery into the Northern States

d)

To end indentured servitude in the United States