Chapter 18

Question 1

The great epic of Mali is known as
A. story of Sundiata.
B. Mansa Musa.
C. Adventures of the Lion.
D. King’s Journey.
E. legend of the Lion of Mali.

Answer 1

A. story of Sundiata.

Question 2

Griots were
A. the legendary kings of Mali.
B. aqueducts that were essential for life in the oasis towns of the Sahara.
C. singers and storytellers.
D. Swahili slave traders.
E. tribal shamans.

Answer 2

C. singers and storytellers.

Question 3

The legendary Mali king, Sundiata, built his capital at
A. Jenne.
B. Niani.
C. Kongo.
D. Ghana.
E. Alexandria.

Answer 3

B. Niani.

Question 4

The introduction of a new food crop about 400 C.E. encouraged a fresh migratory surge in Africa. What was the crop?
A. bananas
B. wheat
C. beans
D. potatoes
E. corn

Answer 4

A. bananas.

Question 5

By 1000, most parts of Africa south of the equator had been settled by people speaking what language?
A. Mali
B. Swahili
C. Kongo
D. Indo-European
E. Bantu

Answer 5

E. Bantu.

Question 6

By the middle of the first millennium B.C.E., the Bantu had mastered ________ metallurgy.
A. bronze
B. iron
C. copper
D. tin
E. steel

Answer 6

B. iron.

Question 7

Which food, first domesticated in southeast Asia, provided a nutrutious supplement to Bantu diets and allowed the Bantu to expand into forested regions?
A. yams
B. wheat
C. potatoes
D. bananas
E. pineapples

Answer 7

D. bananas.

Question 8

By 1000 C.E., the population of sub-Saharan Africa had risen to around
A. eight million.
B. twenty-two million.
C. forty-one million.
D. sixty-five million.
E. one hundred million.

Answer 8

B. twenty-two million.

Question 9

In regard to political structure, the early Bantu societies
A. governed themselves mostly through family and kinship groups.
B. depended a strong, centralized kingship.
C. developed an elaborate hierarchy of officials.
D. were influenced by their trading contacts with Rome.
E. were governed by a centralized, theocratic structure.

Answer 9

A. governed themselves mostly through family and kinship groups.

Question 10

A Bantu district, which consisted of a group of villiages,
A. was headed by a powerful greater chief.
B. was ruled by a district council.
C. was usually not ruled by a chief or by a larger government.
D. never numbered more than a few hundred in total population.
E. was a tightly centralized structure under a core of educated bureaucrats.

Answer 10

C. was usually not ruled by a chief or by a larger government.

Question 11

A Bantu villiage ruling council was made up of
A. the land-owning aristocracy.
B. villagers wealthy enough to qualify for citizenship.
C. the male heads of families.
D. a matriarchal hierarchy.
E. shamanistic elite.

Answer 11

C. the male heads of families.

Question 12

Mali became the wealthiest kingdom in sub-Saharan Africa because of its
A. technological leadership.
B. alliance with Spain.
C. control of gold trade.
D. control of spice trade.
E. domination of the oasis towns.

Answer 12

C. control of gold trade.

Question 13

Ife and Benin were both
A. kingdoms with broadly democratic rule.
B. monarchies ruled by centralized dynasties.
C. city-states ruled by family relationships and political alliances.
D. empires that dominated the gold trade.
E. oasis towns that began to exercise some power over a larger region.

Answer 13

C. city-states ruled by family relationships and political alliances.

Question 14

Perhaps the most tightly centralized of the fourteenth-century Bantu kingdoms, in which the central government maintained a royal currency system based on cowries, was
A. Kongo.
B. Axum.
C. Swahili.
D. Songhay.
E. Kush.

Answer 14

A. Kongo.

Question 15

One of the central factors in the establishment of trans-Saharan trade was the
A. invention of lighter, but still powerful, artillery.
B. use of large caravans of donkeys.
C. spread of a common religion.
D. invention of a wider horseshoe.
E. increased use of the camel.

Answer 15

E. increased use of the camel.

Question 16

Gao was an important trading center
A. in central Asia.
B. in the Sahara desert.
C. on the east African coast.
D. in southeast Asia.
E. in northern China.

Answer 16

B. in the Sahara desert.

Question 17

The most powerful state in west Africa at the time of the arrival of Islam was
A. Swahili.
B. Ghana.
C. Axum.
D. Kongo.
E. Kush.

Answer 17

B. Ghana.

Question 18

The capital of Ghana, a major trading center, was
A. Koumbi-Saleh.
B. Jenne.
C. Timbuktu.
D. Alexandria.
E. Gao.

Answer 18

A. Koumbi-Saleh.

Question 19

By the 10 century C.E., the kings of Ghana had coverted to
A. Christianity.
B. Buddhism.
C. Islam.
D. Judaism.
E. Manichaeism

Answer 19

C. Islam.

Question 20

The legendary founder of the kingdom of Mali was
A. Great Zimbabwe.
B. Niani.
C. Sundiata.
D. Mansa Musa.
E. al-Bakri.

Answer 20

C. Sundiata.

Question 21

Mali would reach its peak during the reign of
A. Sundiata.
B. Ibn Battuta.
C. al-Bakri.
D. Mansa Musa.
E. Chaghatai.

Answer 21

D. Mansa Musa.

Question 22

Who made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324-1325?
A. Mansa Musa
B. Koumbi-Saleh
C. Sundiata
D. Ibn Battuta
E. Zanj

Answer 22

A. Mansa Musa.

Question 23

Swahili is an Arabic term meaning
A. “adventurous seafarers.”
B. “subjects of god.”
C. “servants of the one god.”
D. “possessors of god.”
E. “coasters.”

Answer 23

E. “coasters.”

Question 24

The Swahili city-states
A. succeeded in uniting Africa for the first time.
B. strongly maintained their Christian roots.
C. dominated trade along the east African coast.
D. became the dominant political force in west Africa after the collapse of the Mali kingdom.
E. spread Islam throughout Africa

Answer 24

C. dominated trade along the east African coast.

Question 25

What large kingdom, situated between the Zambesi and Limpopo rivers, was dominated by a magnificent capital of stone towers, palaces, and public buildings? A. Kush B. Mogadishu C. Zimbabwe D. Ghana E. Mali

Answer 25

C. Zimbabwe.

Question 26

The term "zimbabwe" originally referred to A. the dwelling of a chief. B. the animistic spirit of nature. C. a cavalry force. D. the principal crop of east and central Africa. E. a lion, which was considered sacred.

Answer 26

A. the dwelling of a chief.

Question 27

Just as the kingdoms of west Africa were linked to the wider world by trans-Saharan trade, the kingdoms of east Africa were linked mainly by A. Egyptian trade. B. Indian Ocean trade. C. trans-Atlantic trade. D. south African trade. E. Persian Gulf trade.

Answer 27

B. Indian Ocean trade.

Question 28

The capital of Zimbabwe was A. Great Zimbabwe. B. Niani. C. Kilwa. D. Koumbi-Saleh. E. Gao.

Answer 28

A. Great Zimbabwe.

Question 29

The conversion to Islam by east African merchants and princes did all the following EXCEPT A. eliminate native religions. B. allow for the formation of alliances with other Islamic princes. C. give a greater sense of legitimacy for east African princes. D. help Islam become one of the principal cultural and religious traditions of the region. E. allow for greater cooperation with other Islamic merchants.

Answer 29

A. eliminate native religions.

Question 30

By the 11th century, how many different languages were spoken in Africa A. 50 B. 75 C. 125 D. 190 E. 800

Answer 30

E. 800.

Question 31

In the smaller states of sub-Saharan Africa, the chief considerations for determining social position were A. personal wealth and landholdings. B. military might and personal courage in battle. C. kinship, age groupings, and sex and gender expectations. D. ownership of slaves and ownership of weapons. E. a successful marriage and number of children.

Answer 31

C. kinship, age groupings, and sex and gender expectations.

Question 32

In regard to gender issues in sub-Saharan Africa, A. the position of women was essentially the same as in other societies of the time. B. women played the dominant role in society. C. women played a strictly subservient role. D. women had more opportunities open to them than did their counterparts in other societies. E. women had no opportunities and suffered more than their counterparts elsewhere.

Answer 32

D. women had more opportunities open to them than did their counterparts in other societies.

Question 33

In sub-Saharan Africa, an age grade was A. a publicly recognized group that performed tasks appropriate to their level of development. B. a ceremony marking the passage from childhood to adulthood. C. the ritual suicide of tribal members, who were too old to contribute to the tribe. D. one aspect of the elaborate educational system. E. the infanticide of female babies.

Answer 33

A. a publicly recognized group that performed tasks appropriate to their level of development.

Question 34

Since there was no concept of private ownership of land in sub-Saharan Africa, A. all members of the tribe lived in complete social equality. B. slave ownership formed an important aspect of determining personal wealth. C. social differentiation was based entirely on physical strength and military prowess. D. all land was owned by the chief. E. the land was owned by the church.

Answer 34

B. slave ownership formed an important aspect of determining personal wealth.

Question 35

Historians estimate that between 750 and 1500 C.E., the number of slaves transported north as part of the trans-Saharan slave trade exceeded A. five hundred thousand. B. two million. C. ten million. D. thirty million. E. fifty million.

Answer 35

C. ten million.

Question 36

The term Zanj refers to A. the chief god in the African pantheon. B. an African shaman. C. ritual circumcision. D. an African chieftain. E. a Swahili slave.

Answer 36

E. a Swahili slave.

Question 37

Ali bin Muhammad A. founded the kingdom of Zimbabwe. B. traveled widely throughout Africa and recorded his observances. C. was the author of the Story of Sundiata. D. led the Zanj revolt.

Answer 37

D. led the Zanj revolt.

Question 38

Most sub-Saharan African religions A. developed an elaborate theology. B. were based on a belief in a powerful creator god, who took a very active role in everyday human affairs. C. were based on a belief in a main powerful fertility goddess. D. centered on the practical business of explaining and predicting the experiences of individuals. E. were influenced by Zoroastrian thought

Answer 38

D. centered on the practical business of explaining and predicting the experiences of individuals.

Question 39

Axum was A. a Christian kingdom in Ethiopia. B. the founder of the Ghana state. C. the capital of the Swahili city-states. D. the great creator god of most sub-Saharan religions. E. a Swahili slave.

Answer 39

A. a Christian kingdom in Ethiopia.

Question 40

Ethiopian Christianity A. was identical to Roman Catholicism. B. was influenced much more profoundly by the Greek Orthodox church. C. retained both traditional African and Christian beliefs. D. was much closer to certain Islamic beliefs than to Roman Catholicism. E. was almost entirely African in nature.

Answer 40

C. retained both traditional African and Christian beliefs.

Question 41

Christian churches carved from solid rock are an example of the influence of A. trade connections with India. B. pre-Christian values. C. contacts with Greek Orthodox missionaries. D. Muslim conquest. E. neolithic architectural design.

Answer 41

B. pre-Christian values.

Question 42

"One of the customs of the people of this city is that when a ship arrives at the anchorage, the sunbuqs (these are small boats) come up to it. In every sunbuq is a group of young people of the town, and every one of them brings a covered dish with food in it. Each offers it to one of the merchants and says, "This is my guest." When the merchant disembarks, he goes nowhere but to the house of his host from among these young people. When he lodges with his host, he [the host] sells his good for him and buys on his behalf. There is a profit for them [the hosts] in this custom." - Ibn Battuta on Muslim Society at Mogadishu, 1331 Judging by the nature of the custom described above, the prime motivation of the hosts is most likely I. traditional hospitality. II. the desire for personal profit. III. an edict from the Sultan. A. I only B. II only C. III only D. I and II only E. I, II, and III

Answer 42

D. I and II only.