Deck 13: Early African Societies, 1500 Bce-1500 Ce

Question 1

The late appearance of a kingdom in Kongo is evidence of

A) the influence of Mali on Central Africa.
B) the Bantu tradition of decentralized rule.
C) the Bantu migration.
D) the influence of Islam.

Answer 1

the Bantu migration.

Question 2

Which of the following was widely practiced in China as well as in Africa?

A) racial slavery
B) animist religion
C) Buddhism
D) ancestor worship

Answer 2

ancestor worship

Question 3

Which of these describes animism?

A) a belief in a pantheon of gods
B) the belief that natural forces such as wind are animate
C) belief in one supreme deity
D) use of sacred writings

Answer 3

the belief that natural forces such as wind are animate

Question 4

In Sudan, which of the following were prized as status symbols and were used in commercial and political bargaining?

A) camels
B) cattle
C) sons
D) daughters

Question 5

Which of the following was a major factor in the success of Muslim invaders of North Africa?

A) The North Africans had already adopted Islam and begun to write in Arabic.
B) The North African tribes were not unified and distrusted each other.
C) The North African tribes were pacifist and would not fight back.
D) The North Africans were worn down by years of fighting with the Christians.

Question 6

Over half of Africa's land surface is comprised of

A) desert.
B) savannas.
C) cacti.
D) rivers.

Question 7

Which of these was True in pre-Islamic African society?

A) Patriarchy was the rule.
B) Patriarchal and matrilineal families existed.
C) Matriarchy was the rule.
D) Matrilineal families disappeared with the Bantu migrations.

Question 8

Which area of Africa was first conquered by Muslim Arabs?

A) Sudan
B) Nubia
C) Egypt
D) Morocco

Question 9

After September 11, 2001, a small Kenyan village wanted to offer condolences to the United States, so they sent

A) 911 copies of the Qur'an.
B) twenty camels.
C) fourteen cattle.
D) handmade blankets with pictures of the Twin Towers.

Question 10

What shared trait defines the Bantu peoples?

A) language
B) cattle-herding
C) mining techniques
D) origins in southern Africa

Question 11

Which of these modern nations was NOT part of the western Roman Empire following Diocletian's division of the Roman Empire?

A) Morocco
B) Algeria
C) Tunisia
D) Egypt

Question 12

African history is often interpreted through the eyes of foreigners because

A) Africa has always been under the domination of foreigners.
B) Africa had no written records prior to the coming of Islam.
C) African natives have never shared their earliest history with outsiders.
D) early African writing systems have yet to be deciphered.

Question 13

Which of these is the large region that lies between the Sahara and the rain forests of Africa?

A) the Kalahari Desert
B) Ethiopia
C) the Sudan
D) Somalia

Question 14

Muslim invaders were stopped in France in 732/733 at

A) the Rhone River.
B) Tours.
C) Paris.
D) the Loire River.

Question 15

Which of these was introduced across Africa by the Bantu peoples?

A) farming
B) Islam
C) ironworking
D) herding

Question 16

Where was the original Bantu homeland?

A) Egypt
B) East Africa
C) Central Africa
D) West Africa

Question 17

What was the period of the Bantu migrations?

A) 500 C.E. to 1000 C.E.
B) 1000 C.E. to 1500 C.E.
C) 500 B.C.E. to 1000 C.E.
D) 500 B.C.E. to 500 C.E.

Question 18

When Muslims Arabs entered Africa, they found

A) most Africans were already Muslim.
B) a lack of organized religious beliefs.
C) a mostly Christian population.
D) a wide variety of religious creeds.

Question 19

Which of the following does NOT accurately describe the Berbers?

A) They were fishermen and farmers.
B) They engaged in trade.
C) They adopted the Persian language and culture.
D) They were Caucasian.

Question 20

How did Coptic Christianity differ from other forms of Christianity?

A) Coptic Christians did not believe in the resurrection.
B) Coptic Christians believed that Jesus was a purely divine being.
C) Coptic Christians believed in the Trinity.
D) Coptic Christians saw all men as priests.

Question 21

Which of the following best describes the arrival of Muslims in West Africa?

A) They arrived with trading caravans.
B) They arrived in ships carrying cargo.
C) They led slaving raids.
D) They came with Muhammad's largest army.

Question 22

Slaves were highly desired by upper class Muslims to

A) fight in Muslim armies.
B) work as household servants.
C) work in salt mines.
D) work in gold mines.

Question 23

Which of these spurred the amirs of al-Andalus to claim the title caliph?

A) foundation of the Abbasid dynasty
B) the creation of Fatimid Egypt
C) the fall of Constantinople
D) the advent of the Ottoman Turks

Question 24

Who were the Fatimids?

A) a Sunni dynasty in Egypt
B) a Shi'ite dynasty in Egypt
C) a Coptic Christian dynasty in Egypt
D) a Byzantine dynasty in Egypt

Question 25

Tariq was interested in Toledo because

A) Toledo was a major commercial center.
B) he believed that Muhammad would return as Messiah in Toledo.
C) he believed that King Solomon's treasure was hidden in Toledo.
D) Toledo was mentioned in the Qur'an as the prophet's favorite city.

Question 26

Which of these defended Jerusalem against the Christian crusaders before overthrowing the Fatamids?

A) Salah al-Din
B) Hārūn al-Rashīd
C) Tariq ibn Ziyad
D) the Caliph of Córdoba

Question 27

What was the main problem facing the Abbasids' rule of Egypt?

A) the Abbasids were Muslim while most Egyptians were Christians
B) pagan raiders from Sub-Saharan Africa constantly attacked Egypt
C) the Abbasids were Shi'ites while most Egyptian Muslims were Sunnis
D) Coptic Christians from Ethiopia cut off Egypt's trade with the rest of Africa

Question 28

The "land of gold" was

A) Mali.
B) Ethiopia.
C) Zimbabwe.
D) Ghana.

Question 29

Where did the Fatimids establish their new capital?

A) Constantinople
B) Cairo
C) Damascus
D) Baghdad

Question 30

What was the major doctrine of the Almoravids?

A) The last imam would return as the Messiah.
B) Their imams were direct descendents of Ishmael.
C) Faithful Muslims should purify their own souls before jihad.
D) Muslims should practice animism to assimilate into African society.

Question 31

Who brought the first system of writing to the Africans?

A) Nubians
B) Persians
C) Egyptians
D) Arabs

Question 32

Complexes of inns and markets developed for camel merchants were called

A) Swahili markets.
B) caravanserais.
C) al-Mirabitun.
D) Tuaregs.

Question 33

How did Isma'ilis theology differ from that of Orthodox Shi'ites?

A) Orthodox Shi'ites expected the last imam to return as the Messiah.
B) Orthodox Shi'ites did not believe that Muhammad was the last prophet.
C) Orthodox Shi'ites rejected the idea of jihad.
D) Orthodox Shi'ites rejected the practice of polygamy.

Question 34

The Sanhaja were

A) Berber tribesmen who engaged in the Salt Trade.
B) Bantu clans who ruled West Africa.
C) Swahili-speaking Africans who mined gold.
D) Coptic Christians.

Question 35

What is the name given to Muslim Iberia?

A) Leon
B) Iberia
C) al-Andalus
D) España

Question 36

Which of the following does NOT accurately describe the Caliphate of Cordoba?

A) It lasted for a little more than a hundred years.
B) It was noted for its immense paper mills.
C) It was noted for its intellectual life.
D) It was governed by Shi'ite Muslims.

Question 37

Which of these describes the impact of Islam on Ghana?

A) the power of the kings was fractured.
B) Ghana's control of trade routes strengthened.
C) Its society became rigidly hierarchical.
D) Ghana first emerged as a nation.

Question 38

The wealth of Ghana was based on

A) iron production
B) the slave trade
C) trade in salt and gold
D) farming

Question 39

Who brought Islam to Ghana?

A) the Almoravids
B) the Sanhaja
C) the Abbasids
D) the Bantu

Question 40

Which European country's culture was most heavily influenced by Arab culture?

A) Spain
B) France
C) Italy
D) Germany

Question 41

Ethiopian kings claimed to be descendents of

A) Ishmael.
B) Muhammad.
C) Solomon.
D) Mansa Musa.

Question 42

Which king formed the foundation for the state of Mali?

A) Mansa Musa
B) Ibn Rushd
C) Sundiata
D) Kumbi

Question 43

Who was the most formidable and wealthy ruler in the recorded history of West Africa?

A) Mansa Musa
B) Ibn Rushd
C) Sundiata
D) Kumbi

Question 44

Why did early European explorers declare Great Zimbabwe to be influenced by Solomon's Temple?

A) It is unlike any other African building.
B) It housed Hebrew texts.
C) It is relatively close to West Asia.
D) It was then inhabited by members of the Diaspora.

Question 45

The "Christian island in a Muslim sea" of Africa was

A) Mali.
B) Ethiopia.
C) Zimbabwe.
D) Ghana.

Question 46

The original Bantu homeland is in West Africa.

Question 47

Which region of Africa was least affected by the spread of Islam?

A) West Africa
B) North Africa
C) East Africa
D) South Africa

Question 48

Most of our information about the earliest Africans comes from written historical accounts.

Question 49

Kongo was the first centralized Bantu kingdom in Central Africa.

Question 50

Which of the following does NOT accurately describe Ethiopia in the 600s?

A) It was a military power.
B) It was a Christian state.
C) It was a Berber state.
D) It was revered by Muhammad.

Question 51

How did commerce differ in West and East Africa?

A) East African trade was land-based; West African was sea-based.
B) West African trade was land-based; West African was sea based.
C) West African trade was prosperous; East African was not.
D) East African trade was prosperous; West African trade was not.

Question 52

Mansa Musa strengthened Mali's connections with other Islamic states by

A) marrying the Saudi princess.
B) making a pilgrimage to Mecca.
C) offering gold from the gold mines at a reduced price for Muslims.
D) offering salt to all Muslims for free.

Question 53

Which of these benefitted most from the rule of King Ezana?

A) Berber traders
B) the Christian church
C) Arab traders
D) Muslim princes

Question 54

Some African tribes believed that their chief was the only one who could communicate with the major deity.

Question 55

Bantu-Islamic East African culture is known as

A) Fatimid.
B) Samanid.
C) Swahili.
D) Coptic.

Question 56

Which of these typified Central African societies?

A) trading towns
B) farming and herding villages
C) large kingdoms
D) Muslim empires

Question 57

Which of these was the Mali's source of power?

A) religious leadership of sub-Saharan Africa
B) control of trade in gold, copper, and salt
C) control of the slave trade
D) taxing the pilgrimage routes

Question 58

Muslims first brought literacy to sub-Saharan Africa.

Question 59

According to legend, whose Christian kingdom could help crusaders fighting Muslims over control of the Holy Land?

A) Mansa Musa's
B) Prester John's
C) King Solomon's
D) Fatimid's

Question 60

What was Ghana's successor state?

A) Ethiopia
B) Axum
C) Mali
D) Zimbabwe

Question 61

What was Ethiopia's religion from at least the 300s?

Question 62

How did some African men establish links with numerous families, especially in pre-Islamic Africa?

Question 63

What is the world's largest desert?

Question 64

Discuss the geographical conditions that make survival in Africa difficult.

Question 65

Who was the most powerful ruler in the history of West Africa?

Question 66

What was the belief system of most Ghanaians even after the coming of Islam?

Question 67

Discuss the blending of Hispano-Arab culture in Spain.

Question 68

Muslim invaders were defeated in North Africa due to the fierce unity among Berber tribes.

Question 69

Mansa Musa forged connections with many Islamic states during his pilgrimage to Mecca.

Question 70

Who are the Mbuti?

Question 71

In the Sudan, what commodity is a major status symbol?

Question 72

What is the origin of the term "Swahili?

Question 73

Timbuktu was the capital of what kingdom?

Question 74

Evaluate Mansa Musa's legacy in Africa.

Question 75

Discuss the state of Ethiopia and how it differed from the rest of Africa.

Question 76

Who was the last publicly seen imam?

Question 77

Discuss traditional African religious beliefs before the coming of Islam.

Question 78

West African councils and rulers became literate in Arabic due to the trans-Saharan trade.

Question 79

Before the arrival of Muslim Arabs, the trans-Saharan trade was financed by Jewis merchants.

Question 80

Rome and Constantinople supported Coptic Christianity in Egypt.