1. Which Country Was NOT Part of the Mali Empire?

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Mali & African Empires - The Mali Empire - Comprehension Questions Answer Key

1. Which country was NOT part of the Mali Empire?

A. Gambia B. Senegal C. Chad D. Niger

2. Most people in the Mali Empire were successful

A. Muslims. B. camel traders. C. engineers. D. farmers and herders.

3. Who ruled first?

A. Mansa Musa B. Sundiata C. Mansa Musa's grandfather D. Mansa Musa's son

4. The rulers after Mansa Musa were ______as he was.

A. as good B. not as good C. as corrupt D. as powerful

5. Which of the following is a correct sequence of events of the Mali Empire?

A. Mansa Musa became king, traveled to Mecca, then brought an architect to Mali to design mosques. B. Sundiata expanded the empire, converted the people to Islam, then left his empire to Mansa Musa. C. Mansa Musa traveled to Mecca, took over the Mali Empire, then lost it to the Songhai. D. Sundiata became king, traveled in a caravan, and built Timbuktu into a center of learning.

6. Why do you think people continued to follow traditional African beliefs despite Mansa Musa's efforts to get them to practice Islam?

Answers may vary and could include the following ideas: a lot of people don't like change, they'd rather do what feels familiar; people may not have felt comfortable with practicing a new religion that was so different from their own.

7. Using evidence from the passage, what things were most important to Mansa Musa?

Because Mansa Musa turned Timbuktu into a center of learning, education must have been important to him. The religion of Islam was also important to him, since he traveled to the holy city of Mecca, encouraged his people to practice the religion, and brought an architect from Mecca to build mosques.

8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.

Most people in the Mali Empire were successful farmers and herders ______prospered through trade within Africa and beyond.

A. but B. though C. and D. or

9. Answer the following question based on the sentence below.

Mansa Musa expanded his empire east through the trading city of Timbuktu, which became a center for learning under his rule.

In the sentence, the word Timbuktu best answers which question?

A. Who? B. What? C. When? D. Where?