Name
Date
CHAPTER
15
CHAPTER TEST
Empires of Africa
Form A
Part 1: Key Ideas
A. Write the letter of the best answer. (6 points each)
______ 1. In stateless societies of Africa, such as that of the Igbo, conflicts were
most commonly settled by
a. discussion and negotiation.
b. formal judicial procedures.
c. armed or unarmed combat.
d. rulings by the group’s leader.
______ 2. Which of the following was the chief means of social and political
organization in African hunting-gathering societies?
a. animism
b. Islamic law
c. lineage groups
d. age-set systems
© McDougal Littell Inc. All rights reserved.
______ 3. As part of the West African trade, salt was generally carried on
caravans heading in a
a. northerly direction.
b. easterly direction.
c. southerly direction.
d. westerly direction.
______ 4. Ibn Batuta is famous for being
a. a sultan of Mogadishu.
b. a traveler and historian.
c. a ruler of the Songhai Empire.
d. the founder of the Almohads.
______ 5. The Swahili people are a mixture of
a. Indian and Arab peoples.
b. Indian and Bantu-speaking peoples.
c. Arab and Bantu-speaking peoples.
d. Arab, Indian, and African peoples.
______ 6. In the East African trade that developed between 800 and 1500,
Africans mainly provided
a. art works.
b. raw materials.
c. grains and produce.
d. manufactured goods.
Societies and Empires of Africa 173
Name
Test Form A continued
B. If the statement is true, write “true” on the line. If it is false, change the underlined
word or words to make it true. (4 points each)
Example:
true
The oldest type of society is that of hunter-gatherers. ________________________
Example:
Trade across the Sahara increased dramatically with nomads’ use of donkeys as pack
camels
animals. ____________________________________________________________
7. The Almohads created a Muslim theocracy that became the first government to unify the savanna.
____________________________________________________________________________
8. In 1324, the value of salt fell in Egypt because Mansa Musa gave so much of it away while on a
hajj to Mecca. ________________________________________________________________
9. Kingdoms along the African trade routes became wealthy by collecting taxes from traders.
____________________________________________________________________________
10. African trade in slaves increased dramatically when Europeans developed colonial plantations
in the 1700s. ________________________________________________________________
C. Write the letter of the society that matches the description. (3 points each)
a. Benin
b. Kilwa
c. Mali Empire
d. Ghana Empire
e. Mutapa Empire
f. Songhai Empire
g. Great Zimbabwe
h. Hausa city-states
i. Yoruba kingdoms
______12. This West African society, which included the cities of Zazzau, Kano,
and Katsina, never built an empire, due to frequent fighting among its
groups.
______13. According to legend, this society was founded by Mutota, who had left
his previous home in search of a new source of salt.
______14. This city was located at the southernmost point that a ship from India
could reach and return from during the same monsoon season.
______15. The city of this southeastern African society, built by the Shona people, was surrounded by the Great Enclosure and controlled trade in
the area for centuries before being abandoned by 1450.
______16. This West African society came to be known by its people’s word for
their ruler. It dominated the gold-salt trade until conquered by the
Muslim Almoravids and never regained its power.
174 Unit 3, Chapter 15
© McDougal Littell Inc. All rights reserved.
______11. The gold-salt trade and efficient rulers, such as Sundiata and Mansa
Musa, helped this West African society to grow powerful and wealthy.
Name
Test Form A continued
Part 2: Map Skills
Use the map to answer the questions that follow. (5 points each)
M e
d ite
rran
e a n
TTripoli
ripoli
Fez
Marrakech
West African Empires, 700–1500
20˚E
Tunis
Tunis
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
0
S e a
Sijilmasa
30˚N
500 Miles
0
Cairo
1,000 Kilometers
EGYPT
Niani
A
Katsina
20˚W
R
A
Bilma
Nok
20˚N
Arabian
Sea
de
f A
Gulf o
n
10˚N
AFRICA
Gulf of
Guinea
60˚E
INDIAN
OCEAN
Benin
50˚E
10˚W
0˚ Prime Meridian
Ife
Mali, 1400
Trade route
A
Kano
Zaria
Ghana, 1000
Songhai, 1500
Agades
TTimbuktu
imbuktu
Gao
Jenne
H
a
S e
Kumbi Saleh
S
d
R e
Taghaza
Taghaza
Tropic of Cancer
Tropic
0˚ Equator
17. Assuming that all the cities shown existed simultaneously, what cities would a trader pass through
on the most direct route between Zaria and Tunis? __________________________________
18. What is the approximate location of Benin City in degrees of longitude and latitude?
© McDougal Littell Inc. All rights reserved.
____________________________________________________________________________
Part 3: Critical Thinking
Answer the following questions on the back of this paper or on a separate
sheet. (10 points each)
19. In a paragraph, describe the system of trade that helped West African societies
between 800 and 1500. Consider what was traded, who participated in the
trade, and the routes that goods traveled between the provider and the
consumer.
20. What were some of the main differences between the stateless societies and
the theocracies that developed in Africa between 800 and 1500?
Societies and Empires of Africa 175