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Review Questions

1 .
What is the Serengeti?
  1. a desert in southern Africa
  2. a climate pattern in the Horn of Africa
  3. a grassy plain in Africa that witnesses some of the world’s largest annual animal migrations
  4. a semiarid transition zone between the Sahel and the Mediterranean coast
2 .
What is a key characteristic of Africa’s Mediterranean climate?
  1. It is very similar to the climate of the Sahel.
  2. It is arid and known for its sandy soils.
  3. It is tropical.
  4. It is sunny and well suited for farming.
3 .
What characteristic best describes the traditional religious beliefs of the Baka people?
  1. animistic
  2. monotheistic
  3. pre-Islamic
  4. ritualistic
4 .
For the San people of southern Africa, religion _____.
  1. included elements of animism
  2. was polytheistic and intimately bound up in the hunt for prey
  3. was based on early Christian models
  4. centered on ritualized foraging for plant buds and seasonal nuts
5 .
What African region independently developed agriculture based on yams?
  1. West Africa
  2. the eastern Sahara
  3. North Africa
  4. South Africa
6 .
In what part of Africa did sophisticated ironworking technology develop independently?
  1. South Africa
  2. the eastern Sahara
  3. Central Africa
  4. North Africa
7 .
How was ironworking technology likely disseminated throughout sub-Saharan Africa?
  1. It was introduced by Egyptian traders.
  2. It was introduced by Nilo-Saharan farmers.
  3. It was introduced by Near Eastern conquerors.
  4. It was introduced by migrating Bantus.
8 .
What was the likely original location of the proto-Bantu speakers?
  1. the area west of Egypt
  2. the area between Nigeria and Cameroon
  3. the Ethiopian highlands
  4. the central Sahara region
9 .
What areas remained largely untouched by Bantu migrants until recent times?
  1. the western Kalahari Desert
  2. the Lake Victoria region
  3. Western Tanzania
  4. Eastern Botswana
10 .
What city was the site of the earliest iteration of the Kingdom of Kush?
  1. Thebes
  2. Meroe
  3. Kerma
  4. Napata
11 .
During what period did the Kingdom of Kush cooperate with the Hyksos rulers of the Nile delta to keep the Egyptian rulers at Thebes weak?
  1. the Old Kingdom
  2. the First Intermediate Period
  3. the New Kingdom
  4. the Second Intermediate Period
12 .
What two items of trade helped the Kingdom of Kush become wealthy and powerful in its early centuries?
  1. iron and gold
  2. diamonds and copper
  3. fish and dates
  4. wheat and rice
13 .
What is the Kushite king Piye most famous for?
  1. defeating the Romans
  2. giving tribute to Persia
  3. conquering Egypt
  4. trading with Greece
14 .
The Kingdom of Kush was most heavily influenced by its long connection with which culture?
  1. Persian
  2. Egyptian
  3. Greek
  4. Nok
15 .
During the Meroitic period, what high-quality item did the Kingdom of Kush gain a reputation for producing?
  1. bronze
  2. iron
  3. pottery
  4. cloth
16 .
Where was the Phoenician city of Carthage located?
  1. the Sahel
  2. Egypt
  3. the plains of the Atlas Mountains
  4. the coast of present-day Tunisia
17 .
How did the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt seek to legitimate their rule?
  1. by enslaving all Egyptians
  2. by adopting Egyptian religious practice and styling themselves as pharaohs
  3. by employing Egyptians in high-level administrative positions
  4. by learning to speak Egyptian
18 .
What animal transformed trade across the Sahara?
  1. horse
  2. cattle
  3. camel
  4. sheep
19 .
Why did early trans-Saharan traders move salt across the desert into sub-Saharan Africa?
  1. Salt was used to mine gold.
  2. Salt was heavily taxed by the Romans.
  3. Salt was necessary and scarce in the region.
  4. Salt was prized for its religious properties.
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