1.Examinethemap.

Identifytwomajorgeographicfeaturesthatservedasbarrierstothe
movementofpeople,goods,andideas.Identifytwofeaturesthatservedashighways.Explain
whyyoucategorizedeachfeatureasabarrierorhighway.

Orangeriverisahighway,Limpopo
riverisahighway,Zambeziriverisahighway,LakeNyasaisahighway,LakeTanganyikaisa
highway,LakeVictoriaisahighway,CongoRiverisahighway,LakeTurkanaisahighway,
Lakevoltaisahighway,nigerRiverisahighway,NileRiverisahighwayLakecladisahighway
aswell.KalahariDesertisabarrier,NamibDesertisabarrier,MountainKilimanjaroisabarrier,
MountainKenyaisabarrier,AmharaPlateauisabarrier,KordofanPlateauisabarrier,Libyan
Desertisabarrier,TibestiMountainsisabarrier,AhaggarMountainsisabarrier,andthe
SaharaDesertisamajorbarrier.

2.Basedonthemapabove,whichAfricankingdomcontrolledthelargestarea?Whatresources
didtheycontrol?Howdidgeographyaffecttheirkingdom?
Theafricankingdomcontrolledthe
largestpieceoflandisSonghaitheresourcesthattheyhaveispartoftheSaharaDesertthey
hadthetradingsystemintheirkingdom.

3.HowwouldyoudescribethelocationoftraderoutesinAfricaaccordingtothemapabove?
WhichkingdomcontrolledtheSandRoadsorcaravantraderoutes?AndtheSeaRoadsor
maritimetraderoutes?
ThelocationoftraderoutesinAfricaaccordingtofigure121isatthe
topofthecountryintheeastandinthewestaswellItsintheSaharaDesertaswellasthe
coastoftheAtlanticOcean.

Readthefollowing,thenanswerthequestions.
TheSonghaiEmpireofNorthernAfricabrokeawayfromMaliin1335A.D.Withaskilled
armyandwelltrainedcavalry,thenewstatebegantoconqueritsneighbors.Atitspeak,the
empirestretchedfromtheSudanintheeasttotheSenegalRiverinthewestandthedesert
saltminesofTaghazainthenorth.TheempireswealthcamefromtheSaharantradeinsalt
andgold,whichcenteredoncitiessuchasTimbuktu.

Bythelatesixteenthcentury,theSonghaiEmpire,havingbecometoolargetocontrol
effectively,wentintodecline.OtherstatesbegantoinfringeontheSaharantradeandmilitary
invasionssoonpushedtheSonghaitoalimitedareaalongtheNigerRiver.Althoughthe
Songhaipeoplewereabletokeeptheirownrulersandcontinuetheirtraditionalwayoflife,their
economicandmilitarypowerhadbeenpermanentlybroken.

4.WherewouldyoubemostlikelytofindmoderndescendantsoftheSonghai?
a. intheSudan
b. alongtheNileRiver
c. alongtheNigerRiver
d. inSouthAfrica

5.Accordingtothepassage,whydidtheSonghaiEmpirestarttodecline?
a. ItwasconqueredbyMali.
b. Itranoutofsaltandgold.
c. Itsleadersbecamecorruptedbytheirwealth.
d. Itbecametoolargetocontroleffectively.

6.WhichofthefollowinggroupswasmostlikelytobevaluedhighlyinSonghaisociety?
a. farmers
b. traders
c. storytellers
d. artisans

7.Whichwordinthesecondparagraphindicateschange?
a. although

b. soon
c. continue
d. having

ReadthefollowingexcerptfromSundiata:AnEpicofOldMali,byDjibrilTamsirNiane.Then
answerthequestionsthatfollow.

Sogolonsson[Sundiata]hadaslowanddifficultchildhood.Attheageofthreehestill
crawledalongonallfourswhilechildrenofthesameagewerealreadywalking.Hehadnothing
ofthegreatbeautyofhisfatherNarMaghan.Hehadaheadsobigthatheseemedunableto
supportithealsohadlargeeyeswhichwouldopenwidewheneveranyoneenteredhis
mothershouse.Hewastaciturn[nottalkative]andusedtospendthewholedayjustsittingin
themiddleofthehouse....
OnedayNarMaghanmadeMariDjata[Sundiata]cometohimandhespoketothe
childasonespeakstoanadult....IamgrowingoldandsoonIshallbenomoreamongyou,
butbeforedeathtakesmeoffIamgoingtogiveyouthepresenteachkinggiveshissuccessor.
InMalieveryprincehashisowngriot....BallaFasskhere,willbeyourgriot.Beinseparable
friendsfromthisdayforward.Fromhismouthyouwillhearthehistoryofyourancestors,you
willlearntheartofgoverningMaliaccordingtotheprincipleswhichourancestorshave
bequeathed[handeddown]tous.Ihaveservedmytermanddonemydutytoo.Ihavedone
everythingwhichakingofMalioughttodo.Iamhandinganenlargedkingdomovertoyouand
Ileaveyousureallies.Mayyourdestinybeaccomplished.

8.WhatdifficultiesdidSundiatahaveasachild?
Hadaslowdifficultchildhoodwhilechildren
ofthesameagewerealreadywalkingaroundThegreatbeautyofhisfatherNareMaghan.

9.WhydidNarMaghangivehissonagriot?
BeforedeathtakesmeoffIamgoingtogive
youthepresenteachkinggiveshissuccessor.InMaileveryprincehashisowngriot.Balla
Fassekeherewillbeyourgriot.

10.AccordingtoNarMaghan,whatwasSundiatasdestiny?
LearningtheartofgovtMali
accordingtotheprincipleswhichourancestorshavebequeathed(handeddown)tous.Served
mytermanddonemydutytoowhichakingofMalioughttodo.Iamhandinganenlarged
kingdomovertoyouandIleaveyousurealliesmayyourdestinybeaccomplished.