African History Quiz

Question 1

The ancient Egyptian civilisation was African and one of the world's greatest. When did it begin?

Accepted Answer

About 3,100 BCE

Answer

About 1,000 BCE

Answer

About 5,000 BCE

Answer

About 500 CE

Question 2

The Mali Empire was one of Africa's greatest. What commodity made it fabulously wealthy?

Accepted Answer

Gold and salt

Answer

Ivory and diamonds

Answer

Spices and timber

Answer

Iron and copper

Question 3

Timbuktu in Mali was famous during the medieval period for being:

Accepted Answer

A great centre of Islamic learning and trade with over 180 Quranic schools

Answer

A military fortress

Answer

The capital of the Songhai Empire

Answer

A Portuguese trading post

Question 4

The Berlin Conference of 1884-85 was significant for African history because:

Accepted Answer

European powers divided Africa among themselves without African consent

Answer

African leaders met to form a united Africa

Answer

It ended the transatlantic slave trade

Answer

It recognised African sovereignty over their territories

Question 5

Ethiopia successfully resisted Italian colonisation, defeating Italy at which famous battle in 1896?

Accepted Answer

Battle of Adwa

Answer

Battle of Omdurman

Answer

Battle of Isandlwana

Answer

Battle of Magdala

Question 6

Who was Nelson Mandela and what was his significance?

Accepted Answer

South Africa's first democratically elected Black president (1994) who had spent 27 years in prison under apartheid

Answer

South Africa's first prime minister in 1910

Answer

The leader of the African National Congress who was never imprisoned

Answer

The president of Zimbabwe

Question 7

What was the 'apartheid' system in South Africa?

Accepted Answer

A policy of racial segregation and discrimination enforced by the white-minority government (1948-1994)

Answer

A system of self-governance for Black South Africans

Answer

A peace agreement between South African tribes

Answer

An economic system favouring agriculture over industry

Question 8

The Kingdom of Kush was a powerful ancient civilisation in modern-day:

Accepted Answer

Sudan

Answer

Egypt

Answer

Ethiopia

Answer

Nigeria

Question 9

Which African country was never colonised (except for a brief Italian occupation 1936-41)?

Accepted Answer

Ethiopia

Answer

Ghana

Answer

Nigeria

Answer

Kenya

Question 10

What was the 'Year of Africa' and why was 1960 significant?

Accepted Answer

The year 17 African countries gained independence from European colonial powers

Answer

The year the Berlin Conference took place

Answer

The year the African Union was founded

Answer

The year apartheid began in South Africa

Question 11

Great Zimbabwe was a remarkable stone city that flourished from the 11th to 15th centuries. In which modern country is it?

Accepted Answer

Zimbabwe

Answer

South Africa

Answer

Mozambique

Answer

Zambia

Question 12

The Rwandan Genocide of 1994 saw approximately how many people killed in 100 days?

Accepted Answer

500,000-800,000

Answer

50,000

Answer

200,000

Answer

2 million

Question 13

Which African leader led Ghana to independence in 1957, making it the first sub-Saharan country to gain independence?

Accepted Answer

Kwame Nkrumah

Answer

Jomo Kenyatta

Answer

Julius Nyerere

Answer

Leopold Senghor

Question 14

The Swahili Coast of East Africa was historically significant as:

Accepted Answer

A major trade network connecting Africa, Arabia, India, and China from the 8th century CE

Answer

A Portuguese military base

Answer

The centre of the Arab slave trade only

Answer

A series of Portuguese colonies

Question 15

Which Egyptian president nationalised the Suez Canal in 1956, triggering a major international crisis?

Accepted Answer

Gamal Abdel Nasser

Answer

Hosni Mubarak

Answer

Anwar Sadat

Answer

King Farouk

Question 16

The transatlantic slave trade operated for roughly how many years and transported how many Africans?

Accepted Answer

350 years, 12-12.5 million people

Answer

100 years, 2 million people

Answer

200 years, 5 million people

Answer

500 years, 20 million people

Question 17

Shaka Zulu was a famous king who built which powerful African kingdom in the early 19th century?

Accepted Answer

The Zulu Kingdom

Answer

The Ashanti Kingdom

Answer

The Ndebele Kingdom

Answer

The Sotho Kingdom

Question 18

The African Union (AU), founded in 2001 to replace the Organisation of African Unity, has its headquarters in:

Accepted Answer

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Answer

Nairobi, Kenya

Answer

Cairo, Egypt

Answer

Lagos, Nigeria

Question 19

What was the 'Mau Mau' uprising (1952-60)?

Accepted Answer

An armed rebellion by the Kikuyu people against British colonial rule in Kenya

Answer

A Kenyan independence political party

Answer

A Nigerian resistance movement against France

Answer

A South African anti-apartheid armed group

Question 20

Ancient Carthage, a major power that rivalled Rome, was located in modern-day:

Accepted Answer

Tunisia

Answer

Libya

Answer

Algeria

Answer

Morocco