Questions - African Empires

Question 1

What was the primary freshwater source for fishing, growing crops, and transportation in West Africa?

Answer 1

Niger River

Question 2

List the following early West African civilizations in chronological order based on their start and end dates: Aksum, Ghana, Great Zimbabwe, Mali, Nok, Songhai

Answer 2

Nok, Aksum, Ghana, Great Zimbabwe, Mali, Songhai

Question 3

What type of religion did most Africans practice prior to the introduction of Christianity and Islam on the continent?

Answer 3

Polytheism

Question 4

Why did Africans practicing indigenous religions say prayers, build shrines, designate sacred objects, and make offerings?

Answer 4

They believed they maintained a connection with their deceased ancestors, who could positively or negatively influence their lives

Question 5

Why is Ezana of Aksum considered an important figure in world history?

Answer 5

He was a king who established the first Christian kingdom in Africa after adopting Christianity as the official religion of Aksum

Question 6

Why did the Church of Alexandria break away from the global Christian community and adopt Coptic Christianity?

Answer 6

The Church of Alexandria believed ideas about Jesus of Nazareth that conflicted with other Christians’ perspectives

Question 7

Which group of rulers promoted the spread of Christianity in modern-day Ethiopia and oversaw the construction of eleven rock-cut churches in their attempt to build Jerusalem in Africa?

Answer 7

Zagwe Dynasty

Question 8

How did Islam spread to sub-Saharan Africa after the Rashidun and Umayyad caliphates established the religion in North Africa?

Answer 8

Muslim traders shared their beliefs with locals while doing business with several kingdoms along the trans-Saharan trade

Question 9

Which language became the official choice for government business, trade, and scholarship in West Africa due to the spread of Islam?

Answer 9

Arabic

Question 10

How did the Nok contribute to the achievements and progress of the early African civilizations?

Answer 10

They discovered how to extract iron from rock to build stronger farming tools and weapons

Question 11

What is the saying, “Every time an old man dies, it is as if a library has burnt down,” an example of?

Answer 11

Proverb

Question 12

Which scholar published a famous book about his travels and observations across the Muslim world in Africa and Asia, including the Mali Empire?

Answer 12

Ibn Battuta

Question 13

Which ethnic group founded the Ghana Empire in West Africa?

Answer 13

Soninke

Question 14

How did the Ghana Empire become wealthy from the success of the trans-Saharan trade?

Answer 14

The empire taxed merchants each time they entered and exited Ghana with gold, salt, and other goods.

Question 15

Why did Ghanaian kings store gold nuggets in their treasuries while only allowing their people to own gold dust?

Answer 15

The kings guaranteed that they were the wealthiest people in the empire because they knew that gold nuggets were more valuable than gold dust

Question 16

Why did the Almoravids invade the Ghana Empire?

Answer 16

The Almoravids desired to increase their control over trade routes and spread their version of Islam

Question 17

Which ruler led an alliance between the Mandinka people and neighboring kingdoms that overthrew a foreign ruler and formed the Mali Empire?

Answer 17

Sundiata Keita

Question 18

What is the historical significance of the Mali Empire’s Manden Charter?

Answer 18

The charter was a verbal contract of laws that guaranteed certain human rights to the Mandinka people

Question 19

Which world record is Mansa Musa known for?

Answer 19

He was the richest person in history, with an estimated wealth of $400 billion U.S. dollars

Question 20

Which city became the center for studying Islam and academics in West Africa, as well as an important trading location during the Mali and Songhai empires?

Answer 20

Timbuktu

Question 21

Why were several communities near the boundaries of the Mali Empire able to break away and win their independence during the empire’s decline?

Answer 21

The ruling family could not manage the large size of the empire, and they fought several civil wars against each other for power

Question 22

How did Sunni Ali establish the Songhai Empire in West Africa?

Answer 22

He commanded a cavalry and navy that conquered most of the Mali Empire and took control over trade routes in the region

Question 23

How did Askia Muhammad change the government of the Songhai Empire?

Answer 23

He chose Muslim officials to enforce Islamic laws and used religion to justify war against non-Muslim kingdoms

Question 24

Why was the Songhai Empire unable to defend itself against the Moroccan invasion despite having a larger military?

Answer 24

The Moroccans had superior weapons with their guns and cannons

Question 25

What name refers to hundreds of different ethnic groups who speak several unique languages and live in Central Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa?

Answer 25

Bantu

Question 26

What was the most important part of the economy in the early African civilizations?

Answer 26

Trade

Question 27

Which pack animals made trade across the Sahara doable since they could carry heavy amounts of goods while consuming little water?

Answer 27

Camels

Question 28

Why was salt considered as valuable as gold in trades among the early African civilizations?

Answer 28

Salt is an essential nutrient that can also preserve and season food

Question 29

Why did gold merchants refuse to negotiate and exchange goods with salt traders face-to-face?

Answer 29

The gold merchants wanted to keep the location of nearby gold fields a secret from the salt traders

Question 30

How did the Swahili city-states play an important role in global trade?

Answer 30

The city-states linked trade routes along the Indian Ocean between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, Persia, India, and China

Question 31

Which goods did the Swahili city-states primarily help exchange in global trade?

Answer 31

Gold, copper, ivory, ceramics, glass beads, porcelain, silk

Question 32

Why did merchants and traders enslave millions of people from West Africa and East Africa?

Answer 32

They exchanged enslaved people with buyers in North Africa, Asia, and Europe for profits and goods

Question 33

Who most often became victims of enslavement in early African civilizations?

Answer 33

Prisoners of wars and kidnapped people

Question 34

How did the Kingdom of Aksum acquire enough wealth to build architecture, such as the Obelisk of Aksum, and form a military that conquered part of the Arabian Peninsula?

Answer 34

The Aksumites collected taxes and tribute from other civilizations trading through East Africa

Question 35

What role did the Berbers from North Africa play in the trans-Saharan trade?

Answer 35

They used their knowledge of the Sahara to guide merchants and caravans safely through the region to their destinations

Question 36

How did the Swahili culture form on the coastline of East Africa?

Answer 36

Arab and Persian merchants looking for new trade markets married local Bantu women and settled in the area. They blended their ideas about religion, language, and architecture

Question 37

What contributed to a golden age in Islamic scholarship in West Africa during the Songhai Empire?

Answer 37

Mosques, universities, and collectors acquired numerous manuscripts and copied texts in Arabic

Question 38

Why did Mansa Musa embark on a 4,000-mile (6,435-kilometer) journey to Mecca?

Answer 38

He was completing a holy pilgrimage called the hajj required in Islam

Question 39

Which structure did the Mali Empire construct under orders from Mansa Musa for prayer and study in Timbuktu?

Answer 39

Djinguereber Mosque

Question 40

What was the long-term impact of Mansa Musa’s journey on the Mali Empire and the world?

Answer 40

He returned with scholars and architects who spread Islam in the Mali Empire, and the journey brought global attention to Africa’s wealth