Chapter 5
7 TH
GRADE WORLD Notes
HISTORY West Africa
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 1 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#1:
1. What role did families play in Western
African society?
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 1 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#1:
1. What role did families play in Western
African society?
ANSWER: Families were the foundation for all
social, economic and government activity.
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 1 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#2:
1. How did trading develop in West Africa?
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 1 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#2:
1. How did trading develop in West Africa?
Answer: Trade first developed internally in West
Africa and then trade networks expanded to
include North Africa.
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 1 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#3:
1. What is oral history?
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 1 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#3:
1. What is oral history?
Answer: Oral history includes the stories,
customs, and songs that a culture has told and
passed down from one generation to the next
generation.
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 2 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#1:
1. What are the three vegetation zones in Western Africa?
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 2 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#1:
1. What are the three vegetation zones in
Western Africa?
ANSWER: deserts, Grassland, and Forests.
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 2 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#2:
1. Besides goods, what can trade bring to
a region?
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 2 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#2:
1. Besides goods, what can trade bring to
a region?
ANSWER: Written language and religion.
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 2 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#3:
1. In what ways did Islam influence
Ghana?
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 2 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#3:
1. In what ways did Islam influence
Ghana?
ANSWER: Islam gave Ghana, new ideas, new
language, and a new belief system.
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 3 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#1:
1. How could Mali build on Ghana’s
empire?
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 3 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#1:
1. How could Mali build on Ghana’s
empire?
Answer: Mali could re-establish the gold-salt
trade to build it’s empire.
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 3 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#2:
1. How did weak rulers lead to Mali’s
decline?
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 3 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#2:
1. How did weak rulers lead to Mali’s
decline?
ANSWER: Internal fighting weakened the
empire and newly conquered regions
began to rebel.
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 3 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#3:
1. What benefits did a strong leader bring
to Songhai?
CHAPTER 5: LESSON 3 NOTES/ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
Essential Question/Note#3:
1. What benefits did a strong leader bring
to Songhai?
ANSWER: A strong leader brought centralized
leadership and motivation to Songhai.