Chapter 8 Test ReviewChapter 8 Test Review

AfricaAfrica

Poems, songs, and stories that are passed by word of mouth from one generation

to another

• Oral Traditions

Vast area of dry grasslands

• Savanna

The first kingdom to be established in West Africa

• Ghana

A people who settled in what is now Zimbabwe

• Shona

An East African language that has Persian and Arabic influences

• Swahili

The Muslim ruler of Mali whose travels made others aware of West African power

and wealth

• Mansa Musa

A family of related languages that is one of Africa’s largest language groups

Bantu

A king of Aksum whose religious conversion helped Christianity become a powerful influence in Eastern Africa?

• Ezana

A Songhai ruler who helped turn his kingdom into a center of trade and

learning

• Mohammed I Askia

A prosperous African kingdom that declined after A.D. 150, possibly because

its land was no longer fertile

• Kush

A major river in southeast Africa

• Zambezi

Which of the following does NOT describe most early African societies?

1. They were nomadic

2. They were matrilineal

3. They were religious

4. They herded, farmed, or fished

Which ancient African kingdom conquered part of Egypt and copied its

culture by building pyramids?

1. Aksum

2. Great Zimbabwe

3. Kush

4. Songhai

A carved stone pillar

• Stela

The two major natural regions of the Sub-Saharan Africa are the

1. Deserts and grasslands

2. Grasslands and rain forest

3. Deserts and rain forest

4. Mountains and desserts

In most early African societies the farming was done by…

1. Women

2. Men

3. Children

4. Slaves

All of the Following peoples set up trading centers along the East African

coast EXCEPT

1. Arabs

2. Ghanaians

3. Indonesians

4. Persians

Which is NOT a reason that gold mining was important in the early African

economies1. West African kingdoms

traded gold to obtain salt2. The kingdoms of East

Africa traded gold for needed salt, tools, and cloth

3. Rulers adorned themselves with gold to oversee ceremonies

4. Farmers used gold to buy more land so they could grow more crops

Linguists are experts who…

1. Trace people’s ancestors

2. Study languages3. Record oral

traditions4. Study ancient

civilizations

The center of learning in Sub-Saharan Africa in the 1300s and 1400s was

1. Alexandria

2. Great Zimbabwe

3. Mogadishu

4. Timbuktu

The strength and wealth of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai depended on…

1. The support of the powerful rulers in Egypt & Arabia

2. Large scale agriculture3. Control of the trade

routes across the Sahara4. Adapting Egyptian

culture to life in the rain forest

Aksum became a prosperous kingdom MAINLY because…

1. Trade routes from the Red Sea into Egypt & Africa passed through it.

2. It had a powerful king3. It traded gemstones &

ivory to Mediterranean kingdoms

4. Christianity became its official religion

True or False• The African region where farming is

difficult because of uncertain rainfall is called the Sahel

TRUE

True or False• The main source of information about early African society is the

writings of African kings

FALSE

True or False• One major source of the salt that was

traded in Africa was the Sahara

TRUE

True or False

• Trade spread the Islamic religion into both East Africa and West

Africa

TRUE

True or False• Mali and Songhai both became

important centers of Christian learning

FALSE

A region on the edge of the Sahara; means “shore”

• Sahel

The written language of the Aksum people.

• Ge’ez

Payment of cattle a man offered to obtain a wife

• Lobola

One of the earliest centers of iron-working in Africa was in…

• Meroe

What geographic feature covers more than one fourth of Africa’s

surface?

• The Sahara Desert

What African is considered to be one of the fathers of

Christian doctrine?• Augustine of

Hippo

Why did the need for kings arise in the expanding communities of

Ghana?

• They were needed to negotiate with foreign merchants and act as war leaders

Which powerful group most influenced Nubian peoples from

about 1500 to 700B.C.?

• The New Kingdom Egyptians

In most African societies, what did women’s work responsibilities

include?

• Bearing and raising children,

farming, and gardening

What was the major advantage of Carthage’s location?

• Its location on the northern coast of Africa gave it access to seaborne trade from countries around the Mediterranean and beyond.

How was the Ethiopian Christianity that developed under the Zagwe kings

unique?• Many central ideas were

based on the Old Testament, and many Ethiopian Christians thought they were descendants of the ancient Israelites.

Beside which major river were the cities of Napata and Meroe located

• Nile

The rulers of Bantu-speaking people’s kingdoms came from hereditary ________families. royal

The Kushite ruler who completed the conquest of Egypt was named

__________Piankhi

During the 400s B.C., the government of Carthage changed

from a kingship to an ________run by wealthy merchant families

Oligarchy

Preliterate African people maintained a sense of identity, values, and continuity with the past through ______traditions.oral

Before Carthage was conquered by Rome, it had

its own religion that included the _________of

male children.sacrifice

Short answer

• How did Ghana build and maintain its wealth and power?

• Ghana first developed a monarchy (kingship) to negotiate w/ foreign merchants and to act as war leaders. The kings became powerful and were able to build large armies to conquer new territories. Most of their wealth came from the gold trade.

Short Answer

• Name and describe two cultural characteristics that many Africans have.

• First, family ties were important in all African communities because people identified themselves as a part of a larger kinship groups. Second, children were particularly important. Religion also played an important role and many shared similar religious ideas.

Short Answer

• In what ways did Rome influence North Africa? Name and describe at least two of these influences.

• First, N.Africa became even more urban and sophisticated that with the Carthaginians. Second, the Romans constructed great buildings in the cities, and a network of roads. Finally, the Roman’s rule was influential in the spread of Christianity.

Short Answer• Name and describe at least two features that contributed

to the wealth, power, and culture of the kingdom of Aksum.

• Location of the Aksum, being near the Red Sea influenced the wealth. The development of a thriving seaport which became a major center of long-distance trade made Aksum a prosperous Kingdom. Lastly, Aksum had great rulers like Ezana and from his rule and others, they were able to build large armies because of the profits from trade.

Short Answer

• What factors contributed to the unique cultural and trading opportunities of East Africans?

• Perhaps the most important influence was the seasonal patterns of the Indian Ocean and its monsoon winds. As sailors learned to take advantage of the winds in the Indian Ocean, eastern Africa came into contact with Arabia, Persia, and even India.