West African Civilizations Quiz

Which group of people was responsible for preserving history in West African civilizations?

• Enslaved people

• Griots

• Military leaders

• Women

How were West African traditions and culture passed down through generations?

• Elders used storytelling to pass on lessons to others.

• Traders brought new ideas to West African civilizations.

• Priests taught social concepts at religious gatherings.

• European scholars studied West African civilizations.

True or False: West Africa did not have a written language, so they used oral methods, art, music, and dance to spread their history.

• True

• False

Which of the following shows the CORRECT order of the three West African kingdoms from earliest to latest?

• Songhai, Mali, Ghana

• Mali, Songhai, Ghana

• Ghana, Mali, Songhai

• Ghana, Songhai, Mali

Control of which two minerals helped Ghana become wealthy and powerful?

• Rubies and sapphires

• Diamonds and silver

• Coal and oil

• Salt and gold

Which of the following BEST describes Timbuktu during the Malian Empire?

• It was a minor city that was isolated from the outside world.

• It was a major city that was a center of learning and trade.

• It was a city that hated trade and learning.

• It was a completely unimportant city.

Use the chart below to answer the question: Which West African empire does this chart describe?

• Ghana

• Mali

• Songhai

• Qing

The domestication of the ____________ helped make long trips across the Sahara possible.

• Horse

• Llama

• Elephant

• Camel

• Donkey

The ________________ was the north-south trade across the Sahara Desert.

• Gobi Trade

• Trans-Saharan trade

• Silk Road

• Trans-Siberian trade

Which of the following is NOT true about the Trans-Saharan trade?

• West Africa used the Trans-Saharan trade routes to exchange goods with North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

• Gold and salt were two of the major goods traded along the Trans-Saharan trade routes.

• Very few slaves, if any, were traded along the Trans-Saharan trade routes.

• The West African kingdoms became wealthy by trading gold for salt and taxing merchants along the trade routes.