Chapter 13: Tropical Africa and Asia, 1200–1500 1
Chapter 13
Tropical Africa and Asia, 1200–1500
Use the following to answer questions 1-14:
Key Terms
1.tropics
2.Ibn Battuta
3.monsoon
4.Delhi Sultanate
5.Mali
6.Mansa Kankan Musa
7.Gujarat
8.dhow
9.Swahili Coast
10.Great Zimbabwe
11.Aden
12.Malacca
13.Urdu
14.Timbuktu
15.What is a tropical environment? Explain the different ecosystems contained in the tropical areas of Africa and Asia and what climatic factors control them.
Ans:Students should distinguish between tropical and temperate zones, giving at least a cursory explanation of physical factors controlling climatic conditions, including temperature, wind, and rain patterns. The range of tropical environments, from desert to rain forest, should be acknowledged.
16.The people who lived in the tropical regions of Africa and Asia both affected and were affected by their natural environments. In what ways were those people shaped by their environments? In what ways did they participate in actively shaping their environments?
Ans:Diverse ecosystems in tropical regions forced people to both adapt to and modify their environment. For example, some groups adapted by relying on wild food, while others raised domesticated plants and animals. Students should give specific examples of Asian and African adaptations to environmental conditions. Students should also explain the difference between extensive and intensive agriculture as well as the challenges of rainfall variations. Pastoral peoples thrived in arid areas unsuited to agriculture; farmers concentrated on agriculture in places where disease prohibited the raising of livestock.
17.Discuss the importance of Islamic conversion in Africa and Asia as a unifying factor. Did the method of conversion make a significant difference? How did conversion affect the population?
Ans:Students should be able to discuss how the spread of Islam helped create a commonwealth or community across areas as seemingly unsimilar as Africa and Asia. Students should see that this commonality allowed for the spread of trade, travel, education, and technology, as well as (for example, in India) some degree of social hierarchy. They should be able to discuss the suppression of indigenous religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism in Asia and the enslavement of non-Islamic peoples, and contrast that to the relatively peaceful conversion process south of the Sahara. Finally, students should be able to use Battuta's observations to establish that the cohesion provided by similarity of religion did not equate to universality of culture, as Battuta noted some details of other cultures with disapproval or even shock.
18.Compare and contrast the empires of Mali and Delhi in the period 1200–1500. Include a discussion of slavery in your response.
Ans:Students should compare agricultural, political, and economic systems. They should note that both states used Islamic administrative and military systems, but they also differed in many ways. Islam in Mali grew gradually and peacefully, whereas Delhi was created by the conquest of Turkish and Afghan Muslims. Long-distance trade was important to Mali's government, but not to Delhi's. Conversion to Islam increased the expansion of commercial contacts for Mali, whose links to the Sahara were important in its development; private Muslim traders were also important in the Delhi Sultanate. The prosperity of African and Asian tropical kingdoms led both of them to participate in the slave trade. The chapter states that millions of slaves were traded in this time frame, with some even arriving in China. The high supply of free labor led to the training of slaves for special purposes. Some served in the military, while others mined or did hard menial work. Wealthy households used slaves as servants, entertainers, and concubines, or harem slaves.
19.The Indian Ocean trade was the world's richest maritime trading network. Why was it important, and how did it develop? What technologies made the trade network a success? Did Islam play a role? Why could it be described as “decentralized and cooperative”? Be sure to include the various goods, peoples, and lands involved.
Ans:Students should conclude that the Indian Ocean region was the world's richest maritime trading network and an area of rapid Muslim expansion. The reason for the expansion of this maritime trade was the rising prosperity of Asian, European, and African states and the resulting demand for luxury goods, such as jewelry, precious metals, and fine textiles. Another reason was the Mongol conquest of the thirteenth century, which disrupted overland trade and therefore made the Indian Ocean trade more strategically important. Students should be able to describe the two legs of the trading route. Improvements in seafaring technology allowed increasingly larger cargoes, which resulted in bulk goods being shipped enormous distances. Students should discuss how the dhow and the junk were important to the development of the network. They should understand how the long-distance trade helped spread Islam, uniting diverse peoples throughout the region through commercial cooperation, not political authority. The trade also connected peoples from eastern Asia to Europe. Students should mention the different regions and peoples involved in the trade, including East Africa, Arabia, India, and Malacca.
20.What were the three major factors that caused social and cultural changes in the lives of tropical peoples from 1200 to 1500? Provide detailed descriptions for each of the three factors.
Ans:This question is important to ask students because it draws out major themes, but it is also difficult because it requires students to see the bigger picture of the chapter in addition to the details. Students should identify the three primary influences as state growth, commercial expansion, and the spread of Islam. They should examine the growth of the Asian states of Delhi, Gujarat, Malacca, and Malabar, as well as the African states of Kilwa, Mali, Aden, and Great Zimbabwe. The importance of trade cannot be overstated and is a main theme of the chapter. Students should be specific as to the sub-Saharan and Indian Ocean trade networks and the impact these routes had on the growth of these states. The prosperity of these states resulted in widening class differences among tropical peoples, as well as dramatic changes in architecture and education. Students should recognize changes in women's roles and the expansion of slavery as major social developments. The spread of Islam to the tropical regions of Asia and Africa also had important social, cultural, economic, and intellectual results. Students should describe how Islam spread to Asia and Africa through peaceful penetration, as well as through warfare in India. The impact of Islam in architecture, math, science, literacy, and social habits should also be noted.
21.Examine the documents and stories of Ibn Battuta. What do his travel accounts tell us about the world he visited?
Ans:Students should demonstrate their understanding of who Ibn Battuta was and why he is used as the theme of the chapter. His vivid accounts of the Muslim world are among the most important accounts of the period. Students should examine the way he describes the Delhi Sultanate and the kingdom of Mali and describe the relationship of the leadership to the people, governing styles, women, and the practice of Islam.
22.Explain the importance of locality in maintaining a geopolitical entity by comparing the lives of “common people” in Mali and the Dehli Sultinate. How did the local economies provide the stability that allowed those empires to grow?
Ans:The student should be able to compare tropical regions and assess how the environment contributed to ways of life such as pastoralism and farming, as well as the crosstrade that such environments produced, stimulating the wealth of a given area and bringing it into communication with other regions. With an economic stability provided by generational continuity, as permitted by the tropical climate, specialization of products was able to provide a stable source of income and thus unification.
23.What well-traveled Muslim scholar left a journal that has become a valuable historical source?
Ans:Ibn Battuta
24.The tropics are warm all year round. The center of the tropical zone is marked by the
A)polar caps.
B)Gulf Stream.
C)equator.
D)Sahara Desert.
E)none of these.
Ans:CPage:354
25.The rainy and dry seasons in the Indian Ocean reflect the influence of
A)the monsoons.
B)the jet stream.
C)the Gulf Stream.
D)“El Niño”.
E)the Himalayas.
Ans:APage:354
26.By 1200 human migrations had spread many useful plants and animals around the tropics, including
A)bananas, yams, and coffee.
B)corn, beans, and squash.
C)wheat, millet, and barley.
D)rice, kiwi, and manioc.
E)tea, spelt, and barley.
Ans:APage:357
27.The form of extensive agriculture that was used in sub-Saharan Africa is called
A)hunting and gathering.
B)marginal cultivation.
C)intensive cultivation.
D)shifting cultivation.
E)selective cultivation.
Ans:DPage:357
28.The Tuareg were
A)Islamic missionaries who reached the sub-Saharan region.
B)traders from the caravans between Arabia and Libya.
C)western Saharan pastoralists and caravan guides.
D)herders of camels and llamas in the Gold Coast region.
E)descendants of the Dutch in South Africa.
Ans:CPage:356
29.The most abundant metal worked in the tropics was
A)bronze.
B)titanium.
C)iron.
D)silver.
E)platinum.
Ans:CPage:358
30.The largest concentration of pastoralists in the world was in
A)Madagascar.
B)Tanzania.
C)the Swahili Coast.
D)Mali.
E)northeastern Africa and Arabia.
Ans:EPage:356
31.The empires of Mali in West Africa and of Delhi in South Asia both utilized
A)Islamic administration.
B)papal administration.
C)Orthodox Buddhist administration.
D)a scholar bureaucracy.
E)the electoral system.
Ans:APage:358
32.The spread of Islam to lands south of the Sahara came about through
A)war.
B)forced conversion.
C)a gradual and peaceful process of conversion.
D)the missionary efforts of the Arabs during the Umayyad Caliphate.
E)the travels of Ibn Battuta.
Ans:CPage:359
33.According to mythology, the legendary founder of Mali was
A)a Shi'ite imam.
B)Marco Polo.
C)Sundiata.
D)Sumanguru.
E)Agamemnon.
Ans:CPage:359
34.Mansa Kankan Musa made a famous pilgrimage that
A)spread Christianity to West Africa.
B)demonstrated the enormous wealth of his country.
C)led to the Christian Crusades.
D)was inspired by the death of Muhammad.
E)brought about his untimely death.
Ans:BPage:359
35.In addition to fulfilling his personal religious obligations, Mansa Kankan Musa's pilgrimage resulted in the
A)disappearance of Buddhist practice in Mali.
B)decrease in Malian taxes.
C)contraction of the Malian economy.
D)construction of new mosques and Quranic schools in Mali.
E)conversion of all Malians to Islam.
Ans:DPage:359
36.Turkish invaders were able to successfully invade India because of
A)the threats of Mongol Il-khans.
B)a desire to spread the Islamic faith and to acquire plunder.
C)the prospect of learning Indian technology and mathematics.
D)the division of India into small states.
E)all of these.
Ans:DPage:364
37.The Turkish conquest of northern India was aided by
A)bronze cannon.
B)muskets.
C)iron stirrups.
D)epidemic disease.
E)Indian rebellions.
Ans:CPage:364
38.Sultan Iltutmish passed his empire to Raziya, his
A)daughter.
B)eldest son.
C)youngest son.
D)adviser.
E)regent.
Ans:APage:364
39.The most significant factor contributing to agriculture in the Delhi Sultanate was
A)slave labor on sugar plantations.
B)a switch to the three-field crop rotation system.
C)the use of swidden agricultural practices.
D)extensive irrigation canals.
E)staple crops, including cucumbers and melons.
Ans:DPage:357
40.When the Delhi Sultanate began to lose control of its realm, new kingdoms emerged in India called
A)Siam and Uighur.
B)Hittite and Sind.
C)Bahmani and Vijayanagar.
D)Gujarat and Kilwa.
E)Timur and Assam.
Ans:CPage:366
41.Although the Delhi Sultanate had its problems, it did provide a
A)reliable and safe water supply to the region.
B)new irrigation system of qanats to the region.
C)safe haven for religious exiles.
D)centralized political authority to India.
E)new unifying religion in the form of Islam.
Ans:DPage:367
42.Which of the following did not help to increase Indian Ocean trade between 1200 and 1500?
A)The collapse of the Mongol Empire, which disrupted the overland trade routes
B)Increased demand for luxury goods such as jewels, fine textiles, and precious metals
C)The invention of the astrolabe
D)The construction of larger ships, making shipping cargo more profitable
E)The rising prosperity of Asian, European, and African states, which stimulated expansion
Ans:CPage:368
43.The characteristic ship of the Arabian Sea was the
A)galley.
B)junk.
C)skow.
D)caravel.
E)dhow.
Ans:EPage:368
44.The largest, most technologically advanced ship in the Indian Ocean was the Chinese
A)galley.
B)junk.
C)skow.
D)dhow.
E)caravel.
Ans:BPage:367
45.The different regional networks of the Indian Ocean trade were tied together by
A)commercial interests.
B)political authority.
C)religious authority.
D)a common language.
E)the threat of Chinese intrusion.
Ans:APage:367
46.By 1250 the most important trading city of the Swahili Coast was
A)Cairo.
B)Kilwa.
C)Timbuktu.
D)Casablanca.
E)Johannesburg.
Ans:BPage:369
47.The economic and political power of Great Zimbabwe was based on long-distance trade in
A)gold, copper, and salt.
B)silk, porcelain, and iron.
C)olives, wheat, and pepper.
D)books, wool, and wine.
E)qurans, ink, and wheat.
Ans:APage:370
48.Which of the following items was not manufactured and traded in the Indian state of Gujarat?
A)Leather
B)Iron weapons
C)Carpets
D)Jewelry and indigo
E)Cotton, linen, and silk
Ans:BPage:371
49.As trade increased in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the Strait of Malacca became the center of a political rivalry between
A)Java and Ceylon.
B)Siam and Tibet.
C)India and Gujarat.
D)Majapahit and Chinese pirates.
E)Calcutta and Bombay.
Ans:DPage:372
50.Because of the trade through the Strait of Malacca, Malacca became an important port and
A)the focus of the annual Buddhist pilgrimage.
B)a meeting place for traders from around the Eurasian world.
C)replaced Madagascar as the most important slave-trading port.
D)became one of the most homogeneous cities in Southeast Asia.
E)became known as the “Asian Tiger.”
Ans:BPage:372
51.The cultural blending associated with the expansion and spread of Islam from 1200 to 1500 can be seen by examining
A)the design of mosques that combine older traditions and new influences.
B)the changes in the Quran that blend older traditions and new influences.
C)the development of double-entry bookkeeping and banking.
D)the blending of biblical and Quranic writings.
E)the development of banking.
Ans:APage:372
52.In Islamic society, mosques
A)were used solely for religious worship.
B)were off-limits to Africans.
C)were used only to educate boys.
D)were centers of learning and promoted literacy.
E)went in and out of fashion.
Ans:DPage:373
53.The spread of Islam to India promoted a new language that combined Persian and Hindi influence called
A)Arabic.
B)Urdu.
C)Tamil.
D)Bengali.
E)Sanskrit.
Ans:BPage:373
54.Some of the earliest conflicts in India between Hindus and Muslims occurred because
A)Turkish invaders created resentment by looting and plundering India.
B)Sultan Iltutmish annexed India for the Abbasid Caliphate.
C)Iltutmish offended Muslims by naming his daughter as his successor.
D)Muslims abolished caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea within the Abbasid Caliphate.
E)Muslim religious law forbade the use of icons in religion, so Muslims destroyed all the Hindu religious statues in the sultanate.
Ans:APage:364
55.The most profitable item traded from North Africa to Timbuktu, a center for learning, was
A)gold.
B)books.
C)ink.
D)slaves.
E)oil.
Ans:BPage:373
56.The spread of Islam into India was different from that in Africa because
A)it allowed coexistence of indigenous religions and temples.
B)it was done largely by force and removed many Hindu and Buddhist temples.
C)Islam never really took off in India.
D)African regions converted for the sole reason of trade.
E)it was easier because there were no tribes and everyone spoke the same language.
Ans:BPage:374
57.The prosperity of the Asian and African kingdoms from 1200 to 1500 was accompanied by the
A)rise of science in Asia.
B)need for better transportation in Africa.
C)growth of slavery.
D)need for a bigger navy and merchant marine.
E)growth of Christianity.
Ans:CPage:374
58.The status of women in tropical India may have improved, based on reports that
A)sati, or widow burning, became optional.
B)the number of years of education increased.
C)women wore more gold jewelry.
D)women were able to achieve spiritual enlightenment.
E)footbinding was on the decline.
Ans:APage:375
59.Which of the following was not one of the active roles or special skills that women of the tropical regions played or contributed to their communities?
A)Important culinary skills
B)Child rearing and heavy farmwork
C)Spinning and weaving
D)Making clothing and clay pots
E)Ruling many countries
Ans:EPage:375-376
Use the following to answer questions 60-67:
Geography Questions
60.On Map 13.1, show the direction of the monsoon winds during different times of the year. How do these patterns produce different economic and agricultural possibilities?
Page:356
61.Using Map 13.1 and what you learned from this chapter, define what is meant by the “tropics,” and identify and define the equator.
Page:356
62.Using Map 13.2, show which ocean explorers had the most extensive routes in Africa. How was the obstacle of the Sahara overcome?
Page:360