Name:______________________
Eastern Civilizations: Period:____
Africa Unit Test Study Guide Answers
Date:_______
Ms. Didyoung
1. What are the two major rivers that are in Africa?
Nile and Niger Rivers
2. What are the two major deserts?
Sahara and Kalahari
3. What is a plateau?
An area of high flat land
4. What is the tallest mountain in Africa?
Mt. Kilimanjaro
5. Who were the first people in Africa?
The Berbers
6. How did the Berbers travel?
Traveled in caravans in thousands
7. What animal was introduced to the Berbers and why was it very important?
Camels; they helped transport products for trade, broad feet, could store food and water in
their humps
8. What is a griot?
A West African storyteller
9. What was the first empire to develop in Africa?
Ghana
10. What is the importance of Timbuktu?
It is a major trade city in West Africa
11. Who is Sundiata Keita and which empire did he rule?
He conquered Ghana and was Mali’s first strong leader.
12. Who is Mansa Musa and which empire did he rule?
He ruled Mali after Sundiata and was known for spreading Islam.
13. Who is Sunni Ali and which empire did he rule?
He is the founder of Songhai and he used war canoes to take control of river trade.
14. What were some of the traded products in the empires of Africa?
Gold, salt, and cloth
15. What made the Rain Forest kingdoms different from other kingdoms in Africa?
They had farmable soil, a wet climate, and a surplus of food.
16. What did the Rain Forest kingdoms trade with other kingdoms?
They traded their surplus food and crafts.
17. Why were the east African kingdoms important?
They were trade cities because they were along the coast and easy to access.
18. What was Zimbabwe?
A major trade center were goods and ideas were traded.
19. What two religions were most Africans?
Islam and Traditional African religions
20. Who was Ibn Battuta?
Young Arab lawyer from Morocco who spent 30 years going to Muslim countries in Africa.
He made many discoveries along the way.
21. Which ruler helped make Islam stronger?
Mansa Musa spread Islam through out Africa.
22. What is the significance of Mecca?
The people of Islam make a pilgrimage to the holy city.
23. What is Swahili?
Culture of East Africa and the language as well.
24. What was Islam’s impact on Africa?
Learning, art, buildings, mosques, and palaces.
25. How might Africa’s geography affect civilizations?
Deserts may block trading so people need to travel around them to get places. There are
different climate zones so that affects where people settle. People settle near the Niger and
Nile Rivers.
26. Who carried out education in the African villages?
Carried out by the family and other villages
27. Who started the slave trade during the 1440s?
Portugal
28. Which group’s migrations helped to spread culture in Africa?
Bantu
29. Why is the Rift Valley important?
Some of the earliest human fossils have been found there.
30. Vocabulary: Death route, African Diaspora, Queen Nzinga, Matrilineal, Extended family,
Oral history
Death route: trade route connecting Western Africa to the coast of the Mediterranean
African Diaspora: the spread of African culture around the world by enslaved Africans
Queen Nzinga: queen who spent 40 year battling Portuguese slave traders
Matrilineal: tracing decent through mothers
Extended family: families made up of several generations
Oral history: stories passed down by mouth from generation to generation