WorksheetsUnit 2 Chapter 3 Guided Notes: Songhai Empire
Total questions: 18
Worksheet time: 9mins
Songhai’s Empire did not cover which southern area that made Ghana and Mali wealthy?
Mediterranean ports
Coastal fishing towns
Forest goldfields
Nile floodplains
Which new routes weakened trans-Saharan caravans?
Arabian camel paths
Indian Ocean monsoons
Silk Road caravans
Portuguese sea routes
Local officials in Songhai commonly oversaw which task at trading posts?
Mining silver
Planting rice
Building pyramids
Weighing goods
In Songhai’s social hierarchy, which group would be at the top?
Artisans and traders
Slaves and captives
Emperor and nobles
Farmers and herders
How did Portuguese sea routes affect the Songhai Empire’s trade?
They competed with caravans
They increased camel sales
They made deserts wetter
They ended ocean fishing
Which leader conquered most of Mali’s territory by 1468, helping form the Songhai Empire?
Ahmad al-Mansur
Sundiata Keita
Mansa Musa
Sunni Ali
Which river’s location helped make the Songhai Empire ideal for trade?
Zambezi River
Congo River
Nile River
Niger River
Which improvement is linked to Askia Muhammed’s rule?
Ended use of money across the empire
Banned all foreign merchants from markets
Moved the capital far from trade routes
Developed more trade with Asia and Europe
Which city remained an important trade area where mosques and Islamic schools were built?
Timbuktu
Gao
Jenne
Kano
How did Portuguese sea routes affect trans-Saharan trade?
They made caravans faster across the desert
They created new gold fields in the south
They stopped sailing to West Africa completely
They increased competition and weakened caravans
What type of rulers were the nine kings of the Songhai Empire?
Absolute monarchs
Elected presidents
City-state councils
Military governors
Which statement describes Askia Muhammed’s centralized government?
Army was disbanded to save gold
Each province had a local governor
Provinces were independent city-states
No officials oversaw trade taxes
Which new feature was first for West African empires under Askia Muhammed?
Imperial council of senior officials
Democratic town meetings for laws
Rotating kings every two years
Eliminating taxes at trading posts
Who typically filled most local official positions, overseeing policing and trade?
Traveling scholars from Timbuktu
Elected village elders
Foreign traders from Portugal
Relatives of Askia Muhammed or nobles
Which group was at the top of the Songhai social hierarchy?
King and nobility
Soldiers and merchants
Farmers and craftspeople
Slaves with legal rights
Which group made up the biggest part of Songhai society?
Foreign traders
Professional soldiers
Farmers and craftspeople
Royal families
Which statement about slaves in the Songhai Empire is correct?
Only foreigners could be enslaved
Local slaves could buy freedom and marry
Slaves had no rights or protections
Slaves held government offices
What is believed about the Great Mosque of Gao?
It was the first school in Timbuktu
It housed the imperial council
It was built by Portuguese sailors
It is the tomb of Askia
