East Africa
What is a dhow?
A. A large sailing ship used by the Arab navy to defend against pirates.
B. A valuable crop grown in East Africa and traded across the Indian Ocean.
C. A simple sailing ship with a triangular sail, used for trade on the Indian Ocean.
D. A special breed of camel used to trade across the Sahara.
C. A simple sailing ship with a triangular sail, used for trade on the Indian Ocean.
What animal was critical to crossing the Sahara, due to its adaptations to a desert environment?
A. Llama
B. Siberian husky
C. Mule
D. Camel
D. Camel
Berber traveler who journeyed across Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia during the Middle Ages. His travels were recorded in a book.
A. Mansa Musa
B. Marco Polo
C. Sundiata
D. Ibn Battuta
D. Ibn Battuta
Seasonal winds in the Indian Ocean, which allowed merchants to travel between East Africa and India.
A. Monsoons
B. Savanna
C. Hurricane
D. Typhoon
A. Monsoons
Geographic term for a broad grassland dotted with small trees and shrubs.
A. Plateau
B. Isthmus
C. Peninsula
D. Savanna
D. Savanna
Which kingdom of Africa adopted Christianity as its main religion?
A. Mogadishu (East Africa)
B. Mali (West Africa)
C. Axum (Ethiopia)
D. Zimbabwe (South Africa)
C. Axum (Ethiopia)
Which river in West Africa were Ghana, Mali, and Songhai founded along?
A. Nile River
B. Zambezi River
C. Orange River
D. Niger River
D. Niger River
King of Mali who is known for spending large amounts of gold during his pilgrimage to Mecca. He also established Timbuktu as a major center of Islamic learning.
A. Sundiata
B. Sunni Ali
C. Mansa Musa
D. Muhammad Ture
C. Mansa Musa
Extended family groups united by their descent from a common (read or legendary) ancestor.
A. Matrilineal
B. Patrilineal
C. Lineage Group
D. Nation-State
C. Lineage Group
Geographic term for a relatively high, flat area.
A. Mountain
B. Plateau
C. Savanna
D. Archipelago
B. Plateau
City located in present-day Somalia. It specialized in exporting gold and ivory across the Indian Ocean.
A. Mogadishu
B. Kilwa
C. Mombasa
D. Timbuktu
A. Mogadishu
Which important trading city in Mali also became a major city of Islamic learning, complete with libraries and a university?
A. Timbuktu
B. Cairo
C. Kilwa
D. Great Zimbabwe
A. Timbuktu
A sultan of Morocco who ordered the invasion of Songhai, conquering most of its territory.
A. Ahmad al-Mansur
B. Sundiata
C. Mansa Musa
D. Ibn Battuta
A. Ahmad al-Mansur
Tracing lineage or descent through the mother, instead of through the father.
A. Patrilineal
B. Matrilineal
C. Lineage Group
D. Nonlinear
B. Matrilineal
What was the capital city of Zimbabwe?
A. Zimbabwe City
B. Great Zimbabwe
C. Little Zimbabwe
D. Timbuktu
B. Great Zimbabwe
City located in present-day Kenya. It specialized in exporting gold and ivory, as well as agricultural products.
A. Mogadishu
B. Zimbabwe
C. Mombasa
D. Kilwa
C. Mombasa
Put the major west African trading kingdoms in order, from earliest to latest:
A. Mali, Songhai, Ghana
B. Songhai, Mali, Ghana
C. Ghana, Mali, Songhai
D. Ghana, Songhai, Mali
C. Ghana, Mali, Songhai
West African ruler who conquered Ghana and founded the Kingdom of Mali.
A. Sundiata
B. Mansa Musa
C. Ibn Battuta
D. Ahmad al-Mansur
A. Sundiata
In traditional African religion, individuals believed to have the power to tell the future.
A. Griot
B. Diviner
C. Monk
D. Bishop
B. Diviner
A member of the Askia dynasty. He ruled Songhai when it became the largest empire in African history.
A. Askia Dawud
B. Muhammad Ture
C. Ibn Battuta
D. Ahmad al-Mansur
A. Askia Dawud
City located in present-day Tanzania. It was a rival of Mogadishu that eventually took control of a large portion of East Africa’s coastline, and even part of Madagascar. It was a major participant in the slave trade.
A. Mogadishu
B. Kilwa
C. Zimbabwe
D. Mombasa
B. Kilwa
What happened at the Battle of Tondibi?
A. A Moroccan army defeated a much larger Songhai army, because the Moroccan army had guns and Songhai did not.
B. A Songhai army defeated a Moroccan army, because Songhai had a powerful fleet of war canoes.
C. A Ghanaian army defeated a group of Berber raiders by luring them into a trap.
D. A Zimbabwe army was defeated by an invasion force from Kilwa, because Kilwa had adopted new strategies from the Mongols.
A. A Moroccan army defeated a much larger Songhai army, because the Moroccan army had guns and Songhai did not.
A skilled Songhai military commander who overthrew the Sunni dynasty and established his own Askia dynasty to rule the kingdom.
A. Muhammad Ture
B. Askia Dawud
C. Shaka Zulu
D. Ibn Battuta
A. Muhammad Ture
A special class of African storytellers who help to keep a people’s history alive.
A. Griot
B. Troubadour
C. Diviner
D. Lineage Group
A. Griot
The Swahili language is a blend of what two earlier languages?
A. English and French
B. Bantu and Arabic
C. Nigerian and Ghanaian
D. Somali and Arabic
B. Bantu and Arabic