6th grade · Social Studies · Unit 6 of 8
Empires of the Americas & Africa
Maya, Aztec, Inca, Ghana and Mali
What your child practices
The Maya, Aztec (Mexica) and Inca, Cahokia, and the trading kingdoms of Africa such as Ghana, Mali and Great Zimbabwe. Maya people and many other nations are living communities today.
Washington State Learning Standards learning standard: H1.6-8.2; E2.6-8.1; G2.6-8.1 · civilizations of the Americas and Africa before 1450, their economies and environments
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Cahokia, near present-day St. Louis, was…
- A large city built by Mississippian peoples, with big earthen mounds
- An Aztec island
- An Inca road
- A Spanish fort
A large city built by Mississippian peoples, with big earthen mounds
Hint: It was largest around 1100 CE.
Question 2
Great Zimbabwe, in southern Africa, is known for…
- A floating city
- Clay soldiers
- Huge stone walls built without mortar
- Ziggurats
Huge stone walls built without mortar
Hint: It was a trading center around 1100–1450.
Question 3
The kingdom of Ghana in West Africa grew rich by trading…
- Furs for guns
- Gold for salt
- Tea for spices
- Silk for paper
Gold for salt
Hint: Salt was scarce in the south, gold in the north.
Question 4
Trade across the Sahara used caravans of…
- Elephants
- Camels
- Llamas
- Horses with wagons
Camels
Hint: They can go days without water.
Question 5
Timbuktu in Mali was a famous center of…
- Fishing in the Arctic
- Pyramid building
- Rice farming
- Learning and trade
Learning and trade
Hint: It had great libraries.
Question 6
How did the gold-salt trade change West Africa?
- It had no effect
- It made the Sahara green
- It ended all trade
- It brought wealth, cities and the spread of Islam
It brought wealth, cities and the spread of Islam
Hint: Traders bring ideas too.