Lesson Y8-U03-L01

Africa Before the Slave Trade Quiz: KS3 History, Unit 9

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y8-U03-L01, Africa Before the Slave Trade: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 History (National Curriculum), Unit 9: Year 8: Slavery, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What two goods made the Empire of Mali rich through trade across the Sahara?

    • Cotton and tea
    • Silk and spices
    • Gold and salt
    • Silver and tin

  2. What was the name of Mali's famous centre of learning?

    • Timbuktu
    • Alexandria
    • Benin City
    • Mecca

  3. Which wealthy Mali ruler made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324?

    • Mansa Musa
    • Sunni Ali
    • Oba Ewuare
    • Askia Muhammad

  4. What is the term for a long journey undertaken for religious reasons?

    • Expedition
    • Migration
    • Crusade
    • Pilgrimage

  5. What was the title of the ruler of the Kingdom of Benin?

    • The Askia
    • The Sultan
    • The Mansa
    • The Oba

  6. What were the Benin Bronzes mostly made of?

    • Marble
    • Wood
    • Gold
    • Brass

  7. Which Songhai ruler reorganised the empire with provinces, governors and a tax system?

    • Ibn Battuta
    • Mansa Musa
    • Askia Muhammad
    • Sunni Ali

  8. Which was the largest empire in West African history by the 1500s?

    • Rome
    • Britain
    • Songhai
    • Ottoman Empire

  9. Which traveller visited Mali around 1352 and praised its justice and security?

    • Leo Africanus
    • Christopher Columbus
    • Ibn Battuta
    • Marco Polo

  10. What did traveller Ibn Battuta particularly praise about the people of medieval Mali?

    • Poor farming
    • Lack of laws
    • Military weakness
    • Hatred of injustice

  11. The false stereotype that Africa had no history was often used to justify what practice?

    • Transatlantic slavery
    • Crop rotation
    • Roman conquest
    • Feudal taxes

  12. Why was salt particularly valuable in trade across West Africa?

    • Built houses
    • Created gold
    • Made clothes
    • Preserved food

  13. What effect did Mansa Musa's gold giveaway have in Cairo?

    • Doubled gold prices
    • Ended all trade
    • Caused a gold shortage
    • Lowered gold value

  14. What did the fine bronze art of Benin suggest about its society?

    • Wealthy and organised
    • Isolated and weak
    • Primitive and simple
    • Nomadic and poor

  15. What was Timbuktu famous for being in the medieval world?

    • Military fortress
    • Salt mine
    • Centre of learning
    • Fishing village

  16. In which modern country was the historic Kingdom of Benin located?

    • Republic of Benin
    • South Africa
    • Egypt
    • Southern Nigeria

  17. Why was the stereotype that Africa had no history dangerous?

    • Improved trade
    • Aided local rulers
    • Justified slavery
    • Created new maps

  18. What feature of the Songhai Empire showed high civilisation?

    • Lack of taxes
    • Nomadic lifestyle
    • Absence of rulers
    • Administration and laws

  19. What did Benin Bronze casting prove about West African society?

    • Only amateur work
    • Highly skilled specialists
    • Imported all art
    • Lack of metal

  20. What did Ibn Battuta's eyewitness accounts describe Mali as being?

    • Just and secure
    • Empty and barren
    • Poor and starving
    • Lawless and chaotic

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