Question

Lesson #17 – Ancient Africa
What are the three major geographic sections of the African continent?
What is animism?
What are the 3 main causes of migration?
What are push-pull factors for migration?
Who were the 3 major West African empires?
What is Mansa Musa most famous for?
Lesson #18 – Mesoamerica
How did early peoples get to the Americas?
Why do you think early Americans, isolated from the rest of the world, developed in ways similar to other early human civilizations?
What are the Olmecs most widely known for?
Who are the three major ancient civilizations of the Americas?
Where were the Mayans located?
What are three things the Mayans are known for?
Name two key Mayan cities.
What is Mayan religion based on?
Why was the calendar important for the Maya religion?
What was the importance of the development of advanced mathematics?
Where were the Aztecs located?
What was the capital of the Aztec Empire?
Describe Aztec human sacrifice.
Why do you think the Aztecs thought it necessary to make blood sacrifices?
How were the Aztecs able to overcome the problems associated with Tenochtitlan’s island location?
How were the Inca able to conquer such a vast empire?
Describe Incan agricultural practices.
How did the Inca overcome geographical obstacles in building and ruling heir empire?
What are three things that the 3 Mesoamerican civilizations had in common?
Lesson #19 – The Mongols
Why was terror an important weapon of Genghis Khan?
What happened to the Mongol Empire in the years after Genghis’ death?
What characteristics of their culture do you think contributed to the Mongol’s military success?
What were the 4 khanates of the Mongol Empire?
Who succeeded Genghis Khan?
Where was Marco Polo from?
Why do you think Kublai Khan valued Marco Polo so much? summarize your answers and only answer with 2 or under sentences

Answer 1

Lesson #17 – Ancient Africa
- Three major geographic sections: the Sahara Desert, the Sahel/Savanna region, and the tropical rainforests (Central/West Africa) and savanna plains of Sub‑Saharan Africa.
- Animism: belief that spirits inhabit animals, plants, and natural objects and influence human life.
- Three main causes of migration: economic opportunity, environmental changes/disasters, and political conflict/persecution.
- Push‑pull factors: push factors drive people away (war, famine, lack of jobs); pull factors attract them to a new place (safety, jobs, better living conditions).
- Three major West African empires: Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.
- Mansa Musa is most famous for his 1324 pilgrimage to Mecca that displayed immense wealth, boosted Islam’s influence, and helped make Timbuktu a center of learning.

Lesson #18 – Mesoamerica
- How early peoples got to the Americas: they crossed from Siberia to Alaska via the Bering land bridge (and likely coastal routes) during the Ice Age.
- Why similar development occurred despite isolation: independent invention and similar basic needs (food production, social organization, religion, technology) produced convergent institutions and solutions.
- The Olmecs are most widely known for their colossal carved stone heads and status as a “mother culture” of Mesoamerica.
- Three major ancient civilizations of the Americas: the Maya, the Aztec, and the Inca.
- Where the Mayans were located: the Yucatán Peninsula and surrounding areas of southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and parts of Honduras and El Salvador.
- Three things the Mayans are known for: a hieroglyphic writing system, advanced calendar/astronomy and mathematics (including zero), and monumental stepped‑pyramid architecture.
- Two key Mayan cities: Tikal and Chichen Itza.
- Mayan religion: polytheistic and closely tied to nature, cycles, and ancestor/ritual practices.
- Why the calendar was important for Maya religion: it guided ritual timing, agricultural cycles, and religious ceremonies tied to celestial events.
- Importance of advanced mathematics: it enabled precise calendars, astronomical predictions, architectural planning, and record keeping (including use of zero).
- Where the Aztecs were located: central Mexico in the Valley of Mexico.
- Capital of the Aztec Empire: Tenochtitlan.
- Describe Aztec human sacrifice: ritual killings (often heart extraction) performed to honor and feed the gods, sometimes public and involving captives or volunteers.
- Why Aztecs practiced blood sacrifice: they believed offering blood sustained the gods and maintained cosmic and agricultural order, especially the sun’s movement.
- How Aztecs overcame island problems: they built chinampas for agriculture, causeways and canals for transport, and aqueducts for fresh water.
- How the Inca conquered a vast empire: through a combination of a disciplined military, administrative organization, road networks, diplomacy, and integrating conquered peoples via mita labor and local elites.
- Incan agricultural practices: terraced mountain farming, irrigation, crop diversification (potatoes, maize, quinoa), food storage, and use of llamas for transport.
- How the Inca overcame geographical obstacles: they built extensive roads, suspension bridges, relay runners (chasquis), standardized administration and language (Quechua), and used terracing and irrigation.
- Three things the three Mesoamerican civilizations had in common: polytheistic religions with ritual offerings, advanced agriculture and monumental architecture, and sophisticated calendars/astronomical knowledge.

Lesson #19 – The Mongols
- Why terror was an important weapon of Genghis Khan: psychological warfare caused cities to surrender without fighting, saving time and resources and spreading his reputation.
- What happened after Genghis’ death: the empire continued expanding under his successors but eventually split into regional khanates and fragmented.
- Cultural characteristics aiding Mongol military success: exceptional horsemanship and mobility, disciplined organization, strategic adaptability, meritocratic leadership, and effective communication.
- The four khanates: the Yuan (China), the Golden Horde (Russia), the Chagatai Khanate (Central Asia), and the Ilkhanate (Persia).
- Who succeeded Genghis Khan: his son Ögedei became Great Khan.
- Where Marco Polo was from: Venice, Italy.
- Why Kublai Khan valued Marco Polo: for his knowledge of foreign lands, usefulness as an informed envoy/administrator and trade intermediary, and ability to provide information linking East and West.