African Civilisations up to the 19th Century
10 Grade 10 History and Citizenship questions on African Civilisations up to the 19th Century, with worked marking schemes. 10 questions are available on this topic in full.
Question 1
3 marksExplain three ways in which the Indian Ocean trade influenced the culture of the Swahili city states before the nineteenth century.
(3 marks)
Marking scheme
Award 1 mark for each way correctly explained, to a maximum of 3. - Islam was adopted by the coastal townspeople and mosques became a feature of every town. - Kiswahili took in many Arabic and Persian loan words while remaining a Bantu language. - Arabic script was used to write Kiswahili, producing the earliest written poetry and records of the coast. - Coral stone and lime were used to build houses, mosques and pillar tombs in a distinctive coastal style. - Styles of dress, food and furnishing borrowed from Arabia, Persia and India. - Islamic law and Quranic schooling shaped marriage, inheritance and education in the towns. - A mixed urban society grew up in which merchant families of African and Asian descent intermarried. (Any 3 x 1 mark)
Question 2
4 marksExplain four ways in which the trans-Saharan trade changed the kingdoms of Western Sudan such as Ghana, Mali and Songhai.
(4 marks)
Marking scheme
Award 1 mark for each way correctly explained, to a maximum of 4. - Rulers collected taxes on goods in transit, which made the kingdoms wealthy. - The wealth paid for large standing armies, allowing the kingdoms to expand. - Islam spread along the trade routes and was adopted by many rulers and traders. - Towns such as Timbuktu, Gao and Jenne grew into large commercial and administrative centres. - Arabic writing and Islamic learning were introduced, leading to schools and libraries. - New goods, including horses, cloth, beads and firearms, entered the region. - Competition to control the trade routes contributed to the rise of one kingdom and the fall of another. (Any 4 x 1 mark)
Question 3
1 markMeroe, the later capital of the Kingdom of Kush, is often described as an early industrial centre mainly because of:
A. Its large gold mines
B. Its stone pyramids and temples
C. Its salt mines in the desert
D. Its iron smelting furnaces
(1 mark)
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6 marksAccount for the decline of the Great Zimbabwe state.
(6 marks)
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2 marksGive two reasons why the kingdom of Aksum grew into a powerful trading state.
(2 marks)
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1 markWhich statement best describes what the stone enclosures of Great Zimbabwe were?
A. A town built and ruled by Arab traders from the East African coast
B. The royal and religious centre of a cattle-keeping and gold-trading African state
C. A fort built to keep coastal European traders away
D. A trading post put up by Portuguese merchants
(1 mark)
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1 markThe rulers of ancient Ghana built up their wealth mainly by:
A. Selling cattle and hides to traders from Europe
B. Selling salt which they mined in the southern forests
C. Mining gold within their capital, Koumbi Saleh
D. Taxing the gold and salt that passed through their territory
(1 mark)
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1 markAncient Egypt is described as 'the gift of the Nile' mainly because:
A. It was the main route used to bring food in from Europe
B. The river supplied the gold used to build the pyramids
C. Its waters were the source of the iron ore used for tools
D. Its yearly floods left fertile silt on which farming depended
(1 mark)
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1 markWhich factor most directly enabled the Swahili city states of the Kenyan coast, such as Malindi and Lamu, to trade with merchants from India and Arabia before the nineteenth century?
A. The seasonal reversal of the monsoon winds
B. The discovery of gold deposits in the Tana valley
C. The building of the Kenya-Uganda railway to the coast
D. The establishment of Portuguese rule at Fort Jesus
(1 mark)
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5 marksDescribe five achievements of the civilisation of ancient Egypt.
(5 marks)
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