WorksheetsTCI 31-34 (Africa)
Total questions: 40
Worksheet time: 22mins
Which of these clues about the African past describes an artifact?
a palm forest
a farming tool
a family legend
a traditional dance
Few large settlements developed in the Sahara because it was too:
dry
hilly
large
rocky
Compared to the West African savanna, the Sahel has:
better soil
taller grass
more cattle
less rainfall
What is the main reason why people in different vegetation zones traded with each other?
Large empires ruled over different zones
Different resources were found in each zone
The Niger River passed through different zones
The zones were home to different cultural groups
How did the Niger River encourage trade?
It was a source of food
It was a transportation route
Its annual floods provided rich soil
It provided water for baking
What did extended-family groups do for defense against dangerous floods or enemies?
They dug ditches around their communities
They lived in isolated areas far from danger
They joined other communities to form villages
They offered gifts to the leaders of hostile bands
Which technology did the Nok people adopt as early as 500 B.C.E.?
the wheel
the aqueduct
ironworking
paper making
From the discovery of Jenne-jeno, what did historians learn about the history of West Africa?
It was a vast area with four zones
It became organized into kingdoms
It depended on several kinds of crops
It existed for more than 1,600 years
Which of these was an advantage of becoming part of an empire?
paying tribute to the king
trading with the governor
having to serve in the army
getting protection from raiders
Which product of West Africa was most important in the trade across the Sahara?
oil
gold
timber
clothing
How have historians learned about the kingdom of Ghana?
from writings of Arab scholars
from wood carvings in the forest
from royal tax collection records
from paintings on salt mine walls
How did Ghana raise money to pay government officials?
by mining salt
by selling gold
by taxing goods
by buying camels
How did the king in Ghana conduct imperial business and address the people’s concerns?
in secret councils
in a grand daily court
in one large yearly meeting
in a room nobody else could enter
Which phrase best describes Ghana’s military troops?
enslaved people chosen for their skill and strength
adult male members of the king's family
regular career army plus trained reserves
free soldiers from conquered kingdoms
Which factor contributed most to Ghana’s power?
resources
water routes
education system
central location
The trans-Saharan trade increased after about 300 C.E. as a result of the:
growth of cities
discovery of salt
population increase
introduction of camels
Why do historians not know the location of the gold mines of Wangara?
The written records were lost
Arab traders agreed not to tell
Oral traditions name two places
The miners kept the site a secret
People who lived in the southern forests had to trade to get which essential product?
salt
gold
leather
iron
Which term best describes the role of Ghana in the trans-Saharan trade?
consumer
gold miner
middleman
salt merchant
Caravans were very important to the people of Taghaza, because without caravans the people would:
die for lack of food
get hot for lack of salt
become poor for lack of gold
grow isolated for lack of contact
Which factor caused the resources of Ghana to decline?
decrease in the population able to produce food
raids to capture and enslave Ghanaian people
heavy rains that carried away the fertile topsoil
iron furnaces for which people cut trees for fuel
What protected Ghana from being conquered by Muslim armies in the 700s?
strong walls
elite warriors
a peace treaty
the vast desert
Islam was first brought to West Africa by:
foreign scholars
armed nomads
caravan traders
religious pilgrims
Which event in Kumbi, in Ghana, in 1076 contributed to the spread of Islam?
construction of a university
conquest by the Almoravids
discovery of gold in the forest
order for all men to go on a hajj
One way the Mande people built Mali into an empire was to:
construct large irrigation systems
find the secret gold mines
take control of trans-Saharan trade
require military service from women
Which of these resulted from the hajj of Mansa Musa?
Egypt began paying tribute to the kingdom of Mali
People in West Africa began to adopt Islamic ideas
Armies from West Africa raided as far north as Spain
People in other lands learned that Mali was rich and important
How did the Songhai empire differ from the empire of Mali?
It spread Islam by force
It began and ended earlier
It controlled a smaller area
It restored traditional beliefs
Why did Islam spread fairly easily in Mali?
Rulers of Mali expelled anyone who opposed Islam
Arab rulers visited Mali and explained Islamic beliefs
Muslim leaders conquered Mali and imposed Islamic law
People in Mali blended Islam with their traditional religions
Why did people studying at the University of Sankore copy books by hand?
They made students write texts by memory
They did not have printing press technology
They wanted to keep books rare and precious
They thought handmade books were more holy
For what was the city of Timbuktu especially well known?
its productive salt mines
its talented portrait artists
its community of scholars
its sea trade with East Asia
As the use of Arabic spread, how were native West African languages maintained?
They were spoken in everyday life
They were taught in children's schools
They were required in the royal courts
They were used for trade and commerce
How did West Africans preserve their history before writing was introduced?
Booksellers made marks with sharp sticks on wet clay
Painters made a long series of paintings like a comic strip
Foreign visitors kept the only record of events in the region
Poet-musicians memorized the stories and passed them down
Which term best describes a job of a griot?
trading goods
carving masks
curing diseases
keeping records
The genealogy of a family gives information about the family members’:
jobs
houses
ancestry
recreation
Some of the most famous griots today are known through their:
popular music
large museums
printed calendars
scientific discoveries
How did traditional West African folktales come to the Americas?
Traders sold them
Enslaved people brought them
Explorers discovered them
Missionaries wrote them down
Many West African folktales feature a hare. In these stories, the hare:
wins by physical strength
outsmarts other characters
tells stories of local history
has a great deal of good luck
Which of these musical styles was most influenced by West African call-and-response songs?
blues
opera
country
classical
Masks were often worn by:
visitors to the king's palace
dancers in ritual ceremonies
weavers making special textiles
traders conducting secret business
Sculptures from the ancient Nok culture were formed from:
terra-cotta
gold plate
iron and brass
rare wood
