California State University, Long Beach

ENGLISH 101

Chapter 8 African Beginnings

1)More than half of sub-Saharan Africa consists of A) very dense jungle.

B) agricultural land. C) rugged mountains. D) nearly impassable desert.

E) grassy plains or savanna.

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2. The soil of African rain forests A) never yields traditional crops.

B) alternates between very fertile and semi-barren areas. C) yields high quantities of grain. D) needs only irrigation.

E) requires slash-and-burn cultivation due to low fertility.

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3. The largest rain forest area in Africa is located A) in the southernmost part of the continent.

B) along the coasts of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. C) along Africa?s western coast. D) along the equator between the northern and southern savannas.

E) in northern Africa along the Mediterranean coast.

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4. African societies base their political units on A) patrilineal lines.

B) lineage and clans. C) territorial borders. D) matrilineal lines.

E) religious leaders.

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5. All of the following have historically been true in African marriage and family relationships EXCEPT
   1. a high infant mortality rate. B) bridewealth.

C) the wife?s ability to own property. D) polygamy.

E) marriage united clans as well as individuals.

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6. A major challenge in reconstructing sub-Saharan African history is A) vast distances.

B) the inability to translate languages. C) a sparse population. D) a lack of written documentation.

E) lack of archeological evidence.

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7. African religious beliefs included A) polytheism.

B) witchcraft. C) ancestor worship. D) complex rituals.

E) all of the above.

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8. Which kingdom is famous for producing bronze statuary comparable to the best craftsmanship of the European Renaissance?
   1. Ethiopia   B) Benin        C) Nok           D) Swahili     E) Mali

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9. Recent archeological investigations suggest that crop cultivation in Africa A) began first in Egypt and other parts of the upper Nile, from which it diffused into other

parts of the continent. B) was introduced by Muslims.

3. began independently in Ethiopia, the West African savanna, the central Sudan, and the upper Niger.
4. first developed in the kingdoms of the western Sudan. E) failed to develop until recently.

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10. Iron-working in Africa was A) almost nonexistent except in Egypt and Kush.

B) introduced by Alexander the Great. C) introduced by Muslim conquerors. D) not a very highly developed technology.

E) an important craft, which employed furnaces that produced steel equal to that of Egypt and Rome.

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11. Knowledge of iron-working allowed African societies to do all of the following EXCEPT A) lessen population growth.

B) improve agricultural practices. C) increase trade. D) introduce craft specialization.

E) develop more complex political systems.

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12. Bantu society originated from present-day A) Cameroon.

B) Sudan. C) Kenya. D) Ethiopia.

E) Congo.

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13. Tribes speaking Bantu languages predominated in A) eastern Africa along the coasts of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

B) the northern coast of Africa. C) western Africa. D) the cape region of southern Africa.

E) sub-Saharan Africa.

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14. Which of the following is NOT consistent with the state of Aksum? A) Aksum?s court language was Greek.

B) Aksum?s ruler Ezana converted to Christianity. C) Aksum became Kenya. D) Aksum dominated the Red Sea trade by the start of the Common Era.

E) none of the above.

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15. The role of the Nine Saints in Ethiopia included all of the following EXCEPT A) bringing Islam to Eastern Africa.

B) establishing a new political elite. C) being Syrian monks. D) spreading Christianity among rural residents.

E) believing that Christ?s human and divine qualities were inseparable.

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16. What common product originated in Ethiopia? A) pepper

B) chocolate C) coffee D) linen

E) perfume

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17. Ethiopia was unlike its neighboring civilizations because it was A) Hebrew.

B) polytheistic. C) Christian. D) Muslim kingdom.

E) secular kingdom.

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18. What is the most famous legacy of the Zagwe dynasty? A) the ?Pillar of Zion?

B) Kebre Negast C) rock-hewn cathedrals of Roha D) Solomon?s tomb

E) Cushitic language

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19. According to belief, Ethiopia is the home to A) the Holy Grail.

B) the true burial tomb of Muhammad. C) the Ark of the Covenant. D) the lost city of Atlantis.

E) the Garden of Eden.

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20. Which African civilization traced its lineage back to Solomon and Sheba? A) Mali B) Nok       C) Benin

D) Sudan       E) Ethiopia

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21. Ethiopia flourished under the leadership of Zara Yakob who accomplished which of the following?
    1. supported the arts B) established a feudal relationship involving the king and the nobles

C) initiated a tentative alliance with the pope against the Muslims D) reorganized and promoted the Ethiopian Church

E) all of the above

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22. The Berbers of the Sudan acquired great wealth from A) the slave trade.

B) the silk trade with Arabia. C) the trans-Saharan gold and salt trade. D) shipping.

E) metalworking.

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23. Camel caravans crossed the Sahara A) once each year.

B) in six months. C) in several weeks. D) never.

E) in two months.

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24. Ghana became an influential state based on wealth from trade in A) gold.

B) slaves. C) salt. D) kola nuts.

E) all of the above.

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25. Which of the following statements concerning the trans-Saharan slave trade is TRUE? A) Women were rarely enslaved.

B) The slave trade was operated by the Muslims. C) It ended before the trans-Atlantic slave trade began. D) Slaves were exchanged for gold.

E) It was a less severe journey than the trans-Atlantic slave trade led by the Europeans.

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26. The founder of the kingdom of Mali was A) Mansa Musa.

B) Kaya Maghau. C) Sonni Ali. D) Sundiata.

E) Gao.  0 96

27. Mansa Musa A) was a Christian.

B) built a great palace in the kingdom of Ethiopia. C) sent naval expeditions down the western coast of Africa.

4. was probably the first African ruler to be known throughout western Asia and Europe.
5. founded the kingdom of Mali.

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28. Mali benefited from large trading cities such as A) Bambuk.

B) Taghaza. C) Kilwa. D) Timbuktu.

E) Zimbabwe.

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29.                   became the largest of the Sudanic empires. A) Mali B) Songhai        C) Morocco D) Hausa

E) Yoruba

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30. Which is an accomplishment of Askia Muhammad? A) creating a centralized bureaucracy

B) causing Timbuktu, Jenne-jenno, and Walata to become centers of Islamic scholarship C) building a professional army D) patrolling the Niger River.

E) all of the above

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31. The Sankore Mosque in Timbuktu was famous in the 15th century for A) its gold-plated minaret.

B) its distinctive color. C) being a center of the gold trade. D) the chariots pulled by elephants.

E) its scholarship and trade in books.

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32. The central Sudan region A) remained unorganized politically.

B) rejected Islam. C) spread south of the Kalahari Desert. D) consisted of a series of Muslim states.

E) unified with Ethiopia.

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33. Zazzau?s Queen Amina, a Hausa ruler, is considered legendary because A) of her mysticism.

B) she defeated a male heir to the throne. C) she controlled the cotton fields and produced much-sought-after textiles. D) under her rule, the Zazzau controlled the regional and trans-Sahara trade.

E) she brought a halt to the slave trade.

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34. What was the source of the wealth of the Swahili sultanates located in eastern Africa? A) gold and salt trade

B) metal-working, especially iron C) agriculture D) gold trade

E) sea trade with Asia and Europe

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35. The major Swahili cities were located A) in dense jungle forests.

B) in the coastal plains of the interior of east Africa. C) on islands off the coast of east Africa. D) in the mountain highlands of the interior.

E) where the best harbors existed.

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36. Islamic influence on Africa was profound and included all EXCEPT which of the following? A) polytheistic religion

B) coined money C) Arabic language D) exclusive control over political institutions

E) bureaucratic government

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37. Which city did Ibn Batuta, the famous traveler and scholar, consider to be the most beautiful and well-built one that he had ever visited?
    1. Timbuktu B) Kumbi

C) Mecca D) Husuni Kubwa

E) Kilwa  8 98

38. Bantu peoples who migrated to Central and Southern Africa displayed their wealth by A) the number of wives each man had.

B) intricately carved ivory jewelry. C) cattle. D) the number of slaves each man owned.

E) building huge palaces.

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39. In the southern highlands of East Africa, Bantu kings built a great capital with stone palaces at A) Benin.

B) Mapungubwe. C) Great Zimbabwe. D) Kumbi.

E) Timbuktu.