Name
Geography test 9: Ancient Africa
Date:
Mr. Dowling’s class
Multiple Choice
Please circle the letter that best completes the statement. Each response is worth four points.
1. European explorers called Africa “the Dark
Continent” because
7. Which statement about ancient Ghana is false?
A.
B.
C.
D.
A. they believed it was a vast and dangerous place.
B. Africa did not have electricity.
C. the thick forests kept sunlight from reaching the ground
in many places.
D. most Africans have dark skin.
E. none of the above.
8. The Almoravids were ______ warriors whose
attacks weakened ancient Ghana.
2. A(n) _____ is a learned storyteller, entertainer and
historian in West Africa.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
minstrel
ayatollah
oba
mansa
griot
A. Timbuktu was a great trading city for more than four
hundred years.
B. Timbuktu was located on a bend in the Niger River.
C. Mansa Musa built a great mosque in Timbuktu.
D. Timbuktu still exists today.
E. All of the statements about Timbuktu are true.
They called themselves the Nok.
Other cultures of their time used the term.
The culture was discovered by Alfred R. Nok.
The culture was unearthed in Nok, Nigeria.
The origin of the term is mysterious.
10. Why did Timbuktu decline in influence?
A. The Portuguese showed it was easier to sail around the
coast of Africa than to trek across the Sahara Desert.
B. A sixteenth century war destroyed much of the city.
C. The Niger River dried up.
D. A and B only
E. None of the statements are correct.
4. The Phoenicians invented the
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
wheel.
decimal system.
alphabet.
smelting of iron.
they invented all of the above
11. The vast stone ruins discovered in southern Africa
in 1867 are known as
5. The Phoenicians founded this city.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Rome
Timbuktu
Benin
Alexandria
Carthage
Zimbabwe
Stonehedge
Angor Wat
Kaaba
Teotihuacán
12. When the government of Rhodesia allowed people
of all races to vote in 1980, they elected to change
the name of the former colony to
6. Hannibal rode these animals in the second Punic
War.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Christian
Muslim
Jewish
animist
Hindu
9. Which statement about Timbuktu is false?
3. Why do we refer to an ancient West African
civilization as the Nok culture?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Ancient Ghana’s economy was based on trade.
Ancient Ghana was rich in natural resources.
The people of ancient Ghana were skilled iron workers.
Ancient Ghana became wealthy by collecting taxes
from traders who passed through their kingdom.
tigers
elephants
horses
bulls
camels
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
South Africa
Morocco
Zimbabwe
Ghana
Mali
Match the African Kingdoms
Please select the nation that best fits the description from the list below. Each response is worth four points.
Carthage
13.
14.
15.
16.
Ghana
Mali
Morocco
Songhai
Trading city fought and lost three Punic Wars.
Civilization that developed between the Niger and Senegal Rivers. The people called their land
“Wagadu,” but outsiders used this term.
Sundiata and Mansa Musa were two monarchs who ensured that this kingdom was a safe place to
travel and trade.
This nation rose in West Africa after the fall of Mali.
2000 Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com. All rights reserved.
True or False
Please circle true or false for each statement. Each response is worth two points.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
TRUE
FALSE
The Nok culture learned the secrets of iron from the Phoenicians.
TRUE
FALSE
The Romans were very kind to the people of Carthage.
TRUE
FALSE
Many of the ancient cultures of West Africa valued salt more than gold.
TRUE
FALSE
The Karanga of southern Africa traded with cultures as far away as China.
TRUE
FALSE
The colonial government of Rhodesia was proud of the its pre-colonial heritage.
TRUE
FALSE
Archaeologists continue to find new artifacts that are changing what we know about ancient Africa.
Match the African Leaders
Please select the person that best fits the description from the list on the below. Each response is worth four points.
Hannibal
23.
24.
25.
Mansa Musa
Samanguru
Sundiata
West African warrior who formed an empire after winning the Battle of Kirina.
Carthaginian military leader who fought in the second Punic War.
Devout Muslim monarch whose pilgrimage to Mecca captured the attention of the Arab world.
Short Answer
You may write in cursive or manuscript but your work must be very neat. Six point answer will be scored as follows: one point for including a topic
sentence, two points for each valid supporting statement and one point for including a conclusion.
26. Why did the people of sub-Saharan Africa have little contact with the rest of the world?
27. Why did many ancient African merchants and traders convert to Islam?
Extra Credit
You may write in cursive or manuscript, but your work must be very neat. Each question is worth five points and requires you to think for yourself.
Two points are awarded for a serious effort.
28. Why do we know less about the history of Africa than almost any other part of the world?
29. Why do you think European colonial governments had little interest in exploring African history?
2000 Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com. All rights reserved.
2000 Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com. All rights reserved.