West Africa Test

Describe an example of an oral tradition.

An example of an oral tradition is when an elderly person tells stories about their childhood

Describe advantages of becoming part of an empire.

Becoming part of an empire provided protection from raiders

As West African cities grew rich from trade, how did they form into kingdoms?

City rulers who grew rich from trade conquered other cities and kingdoms were formed

What is the main reason why people in different vegetation zones traded with each other?

Different resources were found in each vegetation zone

Why did few large settlements develop in the Sahara?

Few settlements developed in the Sahara because the climate was too dry

What is one artistic form that both West Africans and Muslims valued even before their cultures met?

Geometric designs were one artistic form that was valued by both West Africans and Muslims

How did Ghana raise money to pay government officials?

Ghana taxed the goods that were traded across its empire's boundaries

Early travelers describe Ghana as a land filled with what item?

Ghana was described as a land filled with gold

Which factor contributed most to Ghana's power?

Ghana's central location between the salt and gold mines was the most important factor contributing to its powers

How could one best describe Ghana's military troops?

Ghana's military troops were regular career army members plus trained reserves

Which product of West Africa was most important in the trade across the Sahara?

Gold was the most important product of West African trade across the Sahara

Who first brought Islam to West Africa?

Islam was brought to West Africa by caravan traders

What change caused West African courts to follow the new practices?

Islamic law was introduced and adopted in West African society

How did the Niger River encourage trade?

It served as a transportation route

During what type of events would traditional African masks be worn?

One example of when traditional African masks would be worn would be by dancers in traditional religious ceremonies.

Which factors caused the resources of Ghana to decline?

One factor which led to the decline of Ghana was environmental decay - many trees were cut down for iron smelting

Out of what type of material would sculptures from the ancient Nok culture be formed?

One type of material used by the ancient Nok culture to make statues was terra cotta

Why did Islam spread fairly easily in Mali?

People in Mali blended the teachings of Islam with their traditional religious beliefs

What was one of the results of Mansa Musa's hajj to Mecca?

People in other lands learned about Mali

How did West Africans preserve their history before writing was introduced?

Poet-musicians memorized their stories and passed down the history

Which religious practices of West African Muslims began before Islamic influence reached the region?

Praying to the spirits of ancestors was a religious practice that began West Africa before Islam was brought to the region

How did traditional West African folktales come to the Americas?

Slaves brought traditional West African folktales to the Americas

What protected Ghana from being conquered by Muslim armies in the 700s?

The Sahara desert protected Ghana from being conquered by Muslim armies in the 700s

Why were caravans very important to the people of Taghaza?

The caravans supplied the people of Taghaza with food. They needed it to stay alive.

Describe the job of a griot.

The griot kept the records of the community

Why would people have built high walls around early ancient West African communities?

The inhabitants of the community could have been threatened by an attack

What caused the trans-Saharan trade to increase after about 300 C.E.?

The introduction of camels resulted in the increase of trans-Saharan trade around 300 C.E

Why do historians not know the location of the gold mines of Wangara?

The miners kept their mining site a secret

Which role best describes the role of Ghana in the trans-Saharan trade?

The role of Ghana in the trans-Saharan trade was that of middle man between the gold and salt traders

Which technology did the Nok people adopt as early as 500 B.C.E.?

They adopted iron smelting as early as 500 B.C.E

What do Ghana, Songhai, and Mali all have in common?

They are all early kingdoms of West Africa

What do the balafon, ngoni, and kora have in common?

They are traditional West African musical instruments

What insight about life in Jenne-jeno is shown by the fact that archeologists found copper at Jenne-jeno, despite the fact the closest copper mines were 600 miles away?

They carried on long-distance trading

People who lived in the southern forests had to trade to get which essential product?

They had to trade to get salt

How have historians learned about the kingdom of Ghana?

They have learned about Ghana from written records of Arab scholars

What did extended-family groups do for defense against dangerous floods or enemies?

They joined other communities to form villages

Why did extended-family groups first settle south of the Sahara?

They settled south of the Sahara to farm

What was one way the Mande people built Mali into an empire?

They took control of the trans-Saharan trade

As the use of Arabic spread, how were native West African languages maintained?

They were spoken in everyday life

For what was the city of Timbuktu especially well known?

Timbuktu was known for its community of scholars

What are three important physical characteristics of camels that helped them successfully travel through the desert?

• ability to hold large amount of water • double rows of eyelashes • hairy ear openings