About This Drill
AP African American Studies: West African Empires: Mali and Trade Networks — Drill 5 is a Multiple Choice practice drill covering Unit 1: Origins of the African Diaspora. It contains 5 original questions created by Brian Stewart, a Barron's test prep author with over 20 years of tutoring experience.
Test your knowledge of the Mali Empire, Mansa Musa, trans-Saharan trade routes, and West Africa’s role in global exchange networks with these AP African American Studies practice questions. Ideal AP exam prep for Unit 1 source analysis and disciplinary knowledge skills.
Passage
The image above depicts a portion of the Catalan Atlas (1375), a medieval European map created by Abraham Cresques. In the section depicting West Africa, a large enthroned African king is shown at the center of a landmass labeled “Musa Mali.” The figure wears a gold crown and holds a large gold orb in one hand and a gold scepter in the other. To his left, a camel caravan travels northward across the Sahara. The surrounding text of the atlas describes the ruler as “the richest and most noble king in all the land” due to the abundance of gold in his territory.
— Source: Abraham Cresques, Catalan Atlas (detail), 1375
Questions in This Drill
- The depiction of Mansa Musa in the Catalan Atlas most directly reflects which of the following?
- The camel caravan depicted traveling northward in the Catalan Atlas most directly illustrates which of the following historical developments?
- The Mali Empire’s prosperity in the 14th century was primarily built on which of the following foundations?
- The role of griots in the Mali Empire was most similar to which of the following in another cultural tradition?
- Which of the following best describes a change in European perceptions of West African kingdoms between the period of early trans-Saharan contact (9th–14th centuries) and the period of the transatlantic slave trade (15th–18th centuries)?