CHAPTER 13
Tropical Africa and Asia, 1200–1500
Use the following to answer questions 1-14:
Key Terms
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
tropics
Ibn Battuta
monsoon
Delhi Sultanate
Mali
Mansa Kankan Musa
Gujarat
dhow
Swahili Coast
Great Zimbabwe
Aden
Malacca
Urdu
Timbuktu
What is a tropical environment? Explain the different ecosystems contained in the tropical areas of Africa
and Asia and what climatic factors control them.
Ans: Students should distinguish between tropical and temperate zones, giving at least a cursory
explanation of physical factors controlling climatic conditions, including temperature, wind, and rain
patterns. The range of tropical environments, from desert to rain forest, should be acknowledged.
16.
The people who lived in the tropical regions of Africa and Asia both affected and were affected by their
natural environments. In what ways were those people shaped by their environments? In what ways did they
participate in actively shaping their environments?
Ans: Diverse ecosystems in tropical regions forced people to both adapt to and modify their environment.
For example, some groups adapted by relying on wild food, while others raised domesticated plants and
animals. Students should give specific examples of Asian and African adaptations to environmental
conditions. Students should also explain the difference between extensive and intensive agriculture as well
as the challenges of rainfall variations. Pastoral peoples thrived in arid areas unsuited to agriculture;
farmers concentrated on agriculture in places where disease prohibited the raising of livestock.
17.
Discuss the importance of Islamic conversion in Africa and Asia as a unifying factor. Did the method of
conversion make a significant difference? How did conversion affect the population?
Ans: Students should be able to discuss how the spread of Islam helped create a commonwealth or
community across areas as seemingly unsimilar as Africa and Asia. Students should see that this
commonality allowed for the spread of trade, travel, education, and technology, as well as (for example, in
India) some degree of social hierarchy. They should be able to discuss the suppression of indigenous
religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism in Asia and the enslavement of non-Islamic peoples, and contrast
that to the relatively peaceful conversion process south of the Sahara. Finally, students should be able to
use Battuta's observations to establish that the cohesion provided by similarity of religion did not equate to
universality of culture, as Battuta noted some details of other cultures with disapproval or even shock.
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Chapter 13: Tropical Africa and Asia, 1200–1500
113
18.
Compare and contrast the empires of Mali and Delhi in the period 1200–1500. Include a discussion of
slavery in your response.
Ans: Students should compare agricultural, political, and economic systems. They should note that both
states used Islamic administrative and military systems, but they also differed in many ways. Islam in Mali
grew gradually and peacefully, whereas Delhi was created by the conquest of Turkish and Afghan Muslims.
Long-distance trade was important to Mali's government, but not to Delhi's. Conversion to Islam increased
the expansion of commercial contacts for Mali, whose links to the Sahara were important in its
development; private Muslim traders were also important in the Delhi Sultanate. The prosperity of African
and Asian tropical kingdoms led both of them to participate in the slave trade. The chapter states that
millions of slaves were traded in this time frame, with some even arriving in China. The high supply of free
labor led to the training of slaves for special purposes. Some served in the military, while others mined or
did hard menial work. Wealthy households used slaves as servants, entertainers, and concubines, or harem
slaves.
19.
The Indian Ocean trade was the world's richest maritime trading network. Why was it important, and how
did it develop? What technologies made the trade network a success? Did Islam play a role? Why could it
be described as “decentralized and cooperative”? Be sure to include the various goods, peoples, and lands
involved.
Ans: Students should conclude that the Indian Ocean region was the world's richest maritime trading
network and an area of rapid Muslim expansion. The reason for the expansion of this maritime trade was
the rising prosperity of Asian, European, and African states and the resulting demand for luxury goods,
such as jewelry, precious metals, and fine textiles. Another reason was the Mongol conquest of the
thirteenth century, which disrupted overland trade and therefore made the Indian Ocean trade more
strategically important. Students should be able to describe the two legs of the trading route. Improvements
in seafaring technology allowed increasingly larger cargoes, which resulted in bulk goods being shipped
enormous distances. Students should discuss how the dhow and the junk were important to the development
of the network. They should understand how the long-distance trade helped spread Islam, uniting diverse
peoples throughout the region through commercial cooperation, not political authority. The trade also
connected peoples from eastern Asia to Europe. Students should mention the different regions and peoples
involved in the trade, including East Africa, Arabia, India, and Malacca.
20.
What were the three major factors that caused social and cultural changes in the lives of tropical peoples
from 1200 to 1500? Provide detailed descriptions for each of the three factors.
Ans: This question is important to ask students because it draws out major themes, but it is also difficult
because it requires students to see the bigger picture of the chapter in addition to the details. Students
should identify the three primary influences as state growth, commercial expansion, and the spread of
Islam. They should examine the growth of the Asian states of Delhi, Gujarat, Malacca, and Malabar, as
well as the African states of Kilwa, Mali, Aden, and Great Zimbabwe. The importance of trade cannot be
overstated and is a main theme of the chapter. Students should be specific as to the sub-Saharan and Indian
Ocean trade networks and the impact these routes had on the growth of these states. The prosperity of these
states resulted in widening class differences among tropical peoples, as well as dramatic changes in
architecture and education. Students should recognize changes in women's roles and the expansion of
slavery as major social developments. The spread of Islam to the tropical regions of Asia and Africa also
had important social, cultural, economic, and intellectual results. Students should describe how Islam
spread to Asia and Africa through peaceful penetration, as well as through warfare in India. The impact of
Islam in architecture, math, science, literacy, and social habits should also be noted.
21.
Examine the documents and stories of Ibn Battuta. What do his travel accounts tell us about the world he
visited?
Ans: Students should demonstrate their understanding of who Ibn Battuta was and why he is used as the
theme of the chapter. His vivid accounts of the Muslim world are among the most important accounts of the
period. Students should examine the way he describes the Delhi Sultanate and the kingdom of Mali and
describe the relationship of the leadership to the people, governing styles, women, and the practice of
Islam.
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114
Chapter 13: Tropical Africa and Asia, 1200–1500
22.
Explain the importance of locality in maintaining a geopolitical entity by comparing the lives of “common
people” in Mali and the Dehli Sultinate. How did the local economies provide the stability that allowed
those empires to grow?
Ans: The student should be able to compare tropical regions and assess how the environment contributed
to ways of life such as pastoralism and farming, as well as the crosstrade that such environments produced,
stimulating the wealth of a given area and bringing it into communication with other regions. With an
economic stability provided by generational continuity, as permitted by the tropical climate, specialization
of products was able to provide a stable source of income and thus unification.
23.
What well-traveled Muslim scholar left a journal that has become a valuable historical source?
Ans: Ibn Battuta
24.
The tropics are warm all year round. The center of the tropical zone is marked by the
A) polar caps.
B) Gulf Stream.
C) equator.
D) Sahara Desert.
E)
none of these.
Ans: C
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25.
The rainy and dry seasons in the Indian Ocean reflect the influence of
A) the monsoons.
B) the jet stream.
C) the Gulf Stream.
D) “El Niño”.
E)
the Himalayas.
Ans: A
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26.
By 1200 human migrations had spread many useful plants and animals around the tropics, including
A) bananas, yams, and coffee.
B) corn, beans, and squash.
C) wheat, millet, and barley.
D) rice, kiwi, and manioc.
E)
tea, spelt, and barley.
Ans: A
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27.
The form of extensive agriculture that was used in sub-Saharan Africa is called
A) hunting and gathering.
B) marginal cultivation.
C) intensive cultivation.
D) shifting cultivation.
E)
selective cultivation.
Ans: D
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28.
The Tuareg were
A) Islamic missionaries who reached the sub-Saharan region.
B) traders from the caravans between Arabia and Libya.
C) western Saharan pastoralists and caravan guides.
D) herders of camels and llamas in the Gold Coast region.
E)
descendants of the Dutch in South Africa.
Ans: C
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29.
The most abundant metal worked in the tropics was
A) bronze.
B) titanium.
C) iron.
D) silver.
E)
platinum.
Ans: C
Page: 358
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Chapter 13: Tropical Africa and Asia, 1200–1500
115
30.
The largest concentration of pastoralists in the world was in
A) Madagascar.
B) Tanzania.
C) the Swahili Coast.
D) Mali.
E)
northeastern Africa and Arabia.
Ans: E
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31.
The empires of Mali in West Africa and of Delhi in South Asia both utilized
A) Islamic administration.
B) papal administration.
C) Orthodox Buddhist administration.
D) a scholar bureaucracy.
E)
the electoral system.
Ans: A
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32.
The spread of Islam to lands south of the Sahara came about through
A) war.
B) forced conversion.
C) a gradual and peaceful process of conversion.
D) the missionary efforts of the Arabs during the Umayyad Caliphate.
E)
the travels of Ibn Battuta.
Ans: C
Page: 359
33.
According to mythology, the legendary founder of Mali was
A) a Shi'ite imam.
B) Marco Polo.
C) Sundiata.
D) Sumanguru.
E)
Agamemnon.
Ans: C
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34.
Mansa Kankan Musa made a famous pilgrimage that
A) spread Christianity to West Africa.
B) demonstrated the enormous wealth of his country.
C) led to the Christian Crusades.
D) was inspired by the death of Muhammad.
E)
brought about his untimely death.
Ans: B
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35.
In addition to fulfilling his personal religious obligations, Mansa Kankan Musa's pilgrimage resulted in the
A) disappearance of Buddhist practice in Mali.
B) decrease in Malian taxes.
C) contraction of the Malian economy.
D) construction of new mosques and Quranic schools in Mali.
E)
conversion of all Malians to Islam.
Ans: D
Page: 359
36.
Turkish invaders were able to successfully invade India because of
A) the threats of Mongol Il-khans.
B) a desire to spread the Islamic faith and to acquire plunder.
C) the prospect of learning Indian technology and mathematics.
D) the division of India into small states.
E)
all of these.
Ans: D
Page: 364
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116
Chapter 13: Tropical Africa and Asia, 1200–1500
37.
The Turkish conquest of northern India was aided by
A) bronze cannon.
B) muskets.
C) iron stirrups.
D) epidemic disease.
E)
Indian rebellions.
Ans: C
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38.
Sultan Iltutmish passed his empire to Raziya, his
A) daughter.
B) eldest son.
C) youngest son.
D) adviser.
E)
regent.
Ans: A
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39.
The most significant factor contributing to agriculture in the Delhi Sultanate was
A) slave labor on sugar plantations.
B) a switch to the three-field crop rotation system.
C) the use of swidden agricultural practices.
D) extensive irrigation canals.
E)
staple crops, including cucumbers and melons.
Ans: D
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40.
When the Delhi Sultanate began to lose control of its realm, new kingdoms emerged in India called
A) Siam and Uighur.
B) Hittite and Sind.
C) Bahmani and Vijayanagar.
D) Gujarat and Kilwa.
E)
Timur and Assam.
Ans: C
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41.
Although the Delhi Sultanate had its problems, it did provide a
A) reliable and safe water supply to the region.
B) new irrigation system of qanats to the region.
C) safe haven for religious exiles.
D) centralized political authority to India.
E)
new unifying religion in the form of Islam.
Ans: D
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42.
Which of the following did not help to increase Indian Ocean trade between 1200 and 1500?
A) The collapse of the Mongol Empire, which disrupted the overland trade routes
B) Increased demand for luxury goods such as jewels, fine textiles, and precious metals
C) The invention of the astrolabe
D) The construction of larger ships, making shipping cargo more profitable
E)
The rising prosperity of Asian, European, and African states, which stimulated expansion
Ans: C
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43.
The characteristic ship of the Arabian Sea was the
A) galley.
B) junk.
C) skow.
D) caravel.
E)
dhow.
Ans: E
Page: 368
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Chapter 13: Tropical Africa and Asia, 1200–1500
44.
The largest, most technologically advanced ship in the Indian Ocean was the Chinese
A) galley.
B) junk.
C) skow.
D) dhow.
E)
caravel.
Ans: B
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45.
The different regional networks of the Indian Ocean trade were tied together by
A) commercial interests.
B) political authority.
C) religious authority.
D) a common language.
E)
the threat of Chinese intrusion.
Ans: A
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46.
By 1250 the most important trading city of the Swahili Coast was
A) Cairo.
B) Kilwa.
C) Timbuktu.
D) Casablanca.
E)
Johannesburg.
Ans: B
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47.
The economic and political power of Great Zimbabwe was based on long-distance trade in
A) gold, copper, and salt.
B) silk, porcelain, and iron.
C) olives, wheat, and pepper.
D) books, wool, and wine.
E)
qurans, ink, and wheat.
Ans: A
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48.
Which of the following items was not manufactured and traded in the Indian state of Gujarat?
A) Leather
B) Iron weapons
C) Carpets
D) Jewelry and indigo
E)
Cotton, linen, and silk
Ans: B
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49.
As trade increased in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the Strait of Malacca became the center of a
political rivalry between
A) Java and Ceylon.
B) Siam and Tibet.
C) India and Gujarat.
D) Majapahit and Chinese pirates.
E)
Calcutta and Bombay.
Ans: D
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50.
Because of the trade through the Strait of Malacca, Malacca became an important port and
A) the focus of the annual Buddhist pilgrimage.
B) a meeting place for traders from around the Eurasian world.
C) replaced Madagascar as the most important slave-trading port.
D) became one of the most homogeneous cities in Southeast Asia.
E)
became known as the “Asian Tiger.”
Ans: B
Page: 372
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117
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Chapter 13: Tropical Africa and Asia, 1200–1500
51.
The cultural blending associated with the expansion and spread of Islam from 1200 to 1500 can be seen by
examining
A) the design of mosques that combine older traditions and new influences.
B) the changes in the Quran that blend older traditions and new influences.
C) the development of double-entry bookkeeping and banking.
D) the blending of biblical and Quranic writings.
E)
the development of banking.
Ans: A
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52.
In Islamic society, mosques
A) were used solely for religious worship.
B) were off-limits to Africans.
C) were used only to educate boys.
D) were centers of learning and promoted literacy.
E)
went in and out of fashion.
Ans: D
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53.
The spread of Islam to India promoted a new language that combined Persian and Hindi influence called
A) Arabic.
B) Urdu.
C) Tamil.
D) Bengali.
E)
Sanskrit.
Ans: B
Page: 373
54.
Some of the earliest conflicts in India between Hindus and Muslims occurred because
A) Turkish invaders created resentment by looting and plundering India.
B) Sultan Iltutmish annexed India for the Abbasid Caliphate.
C) Iltutmish offended Muslims by naming his daughter as his successor.
D) Muslims abolished caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea within the Abbasid Caliphate.
E)
Muslim religious law forbade the use of icons in religion, so Muslims destroyed all the Hindu
religious statues in the sultanate.
Ans: A
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55.
The most profitable item traded from North Africa to Timbuktu, a center for learning, was
A) gold.
B) books.
C) ink.
D) slaves.
E)
oil.
Ans: B
Page: 373
56.
The spread of Islam into India was different from that in Africa because
A) it allowed coexistence of indigenous religions and temples.
B) it was done largely by force and removed many Hindu and Buddhist temples.
C) Islam never really took off in India.
D) African regions converted for the sole reason of trade.
E)
it was easier because there were no tribes and everyone spoke the same language.
Ans: B
Page: 374
57.
The prosperity of the Asian and African kingdoms from 1200 to 1500 was accompanied by the
A) rise of science in Asia.
B) need for better transportation in Africa.
C) growth of slavery.
D) need for a bigger navy and merchant marine.
E)
growth of Christianity.
Ans: C
Page: 374
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Chapter 13: Tropical Africa and Asia, 1200–1500
119
58.
The status of women in tropical India may have improved, based on reports that
A) sati, or widow burning, became optional.
B) the number of years of education increased.
C) women wore more gold jewelry.
D) women were able to achieve spiritual enlightenment.
E)
footbinding was on the decline.
Ans: A
Page: 375
59.
Which of the following was not one of the active roles or special skills that women of the tropical regions
played or contributed to their communities?
A) Important culinary skills
B) Child rearing and heavy farmwork
C) Spinning and weaving
D) Making clothing and clay pots
E)
Ruling many countries
Ans: E
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Use the following to answer questions 60-67:
Geography Questions
60.
On Map 13.1, show the direction of the monsoon winds during different times of the year. How do these
patterns produce different economic and agricultural possibilities?
Page: 356
61.
Using Map 13.1 and what you learned from this chapter, define what is meant by the “tropics,” and identify
and define the equator.
Page: 356
62.
Using Map 13.2, show which ocean explorers had the most extensive routes in Africa. How was the
obstacle of the Sahara overcome?
Page: 360
63.
Using Map 13.2, discuss why both the western and eastern African communities were ideally situated for
conversion to Islam rather than Christianity, particularly with respect to Portuguese trade routes.
Page: 360
64.
Using Map 13.3, trace the geographic extent of the Indian Ocean trade, the world's richest maritime trading
network between 1200 and 1500. Label the lands and peoples participating in that trade.
Page: 365
65.
Using Map 13.3, find the Malay Peninsula and explain why this region was so contested. Who benefited
from control of the Strait of Malacca?
Page: 365
66.
Using Map 13.4 as reference, discuss how commercial, rather than political, interests united the Islamic
world.
Page: 369
67.
The journal of Ibn Battuta is a valuable historical source for studying the lands he visited during twentynine years of travel. Use Map 13.4 and the chapter to trace the path of his journeys, labeling the limits of
Muslim expansion and the different lands and peoples with which he came in contact.
Page: 369
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