Deck 6: Sub-Saharan Africa

Question 1

The Swahili proverb "The Elephants and the Grass":

A) refers to the commercial exploitation of the African natural environment by man.
B) has been applied to the colonial subjugation of Africa by European powers.
C) can be interpreted in a cold war context with the superpowers as the "elephants" and African nations as the trampled "grass."
D) foretells the endangerment of native species in Africa through deforestation and poaching.
E) warns of the abuses of power from corrupt and authoritarian leaders.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Wangari Maathai:

A) is the current president of Liberia and the 1st female president in all of sub- Saharan Africa.
B) was for decades the corrupt president of Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo.
C) received the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for her pioneering work for environmental causes in Kenya.
D) is the current Chairperson of the African Union.
E) serves as Prime Minister in a fragile coalition government with long-term President Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The conflict with Boko Haram is centered in which country?

A) Liberia
B) South Africa
C) Nigeria
D) Rwanda
E) Kenya

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Many people in sub-Saharan Africa were thrilled with the election of U.S. President Barack Obama in part because he

A) spoke several African languages.
B) had a strong connection to Africa through his biological father, who was from Kenya.
C) promised much more U.S. financial aid to Africa.
D) often went gone on safaris and other vacations to Africa.
E) indicated that he would reverse all African policies of former President George W. Bush.

Question 5

Compared to the rest of the regions of the Other World, sub-Saharan Africa's economic development

A) is clearly the most advanced by nearly every economic indicator.
B) is approximately the same, with no significant differences.
C) boasts the most sophisticated infrastructure.
D) shows the most promise since there is so little corruption.
E) ranks last in nearly all economic indicators.

Question 6

Recent wars in sub-Saharan Africa

A) have been largely eliminated because of the efforts of UN and AU peacekeepers.
B) are often civil wars, breaking out among ethnic groups or warlords.
C) usually involve large-scale, formally-declared wars between two or more African nations.
D) are now largely limited to religious conflicts.
E) have been disputes over contrasting governing ideologies rather than control of valuable resources.

Question 7

The "heyday" of colonialism in Africa, according this chapter, lasted

A) approximately 500 years.
B) only 25 years.
C) around 100 years.
D) only 50 0r 60 years.
E) over 200 years.

Question 8

The first female African head of state, elected president of Liberia, was

A) Ellen Sirleaf Johnson.
B) Wangari Maathai.
C) Sonya Sodamayor.
D) Condoleeza Rice.
E) Chipo Lungu.

Question 9

All of the following can be considered effects of European colonialism on sub-Saharan Africa except:

A) exposure to European languages, culture and religion
B) participation in European wars, such as WWI and WWII
C) institution of new cash crops
D) a legacy of national borders that unify major ethnic groups and respect traditional indigenous communities
E) construction of new cities, roads and railroads for the benefit of the colonial powers

Question 10

In sub-Saharan Africa, Western-style liberal democracy, including competitive political parties and fair elections,

A) has solved all of the major problems of many nations.
B) was instituted in many nations shortly after independence, but fell prey to military coups and one-man rule shortly thereafter.
C) simply does not work today in any nation in the region.
D) has proven to eliminate corruption among government officials.
E) is contrary to African traditions, which favors dictatorship and authoritarian rule.

Question 11

All of the following are true of South Africa's Nelson Mandela except:

A) Once elected president, he jailed his political opponents so they would suffer as he had.
B) As president, he largely followed policies of reconciliation with his former political enemies.
C) He remains one of the most revered and respected senior statesmen in African politics.
D) He never had policy differences with the United States, even though he embraced some U.S. opponents as allies against apartheid.
E) He spent nearly 3 decades in South African prisons because of his active opposition to the apartheid system.

Question 12

Which groups separated from Sudan to create the new nation of South Sudan?

A) Muslims and Sikhs
B) Muslims and traditional animists.
C) Christians and traditional animists.
D) Muslims and Christians.
E) Christians and Hindus.

Question 13

The "internalist" school of thought on Africa's problems holds that:

A) Nations outside of Africa need to quit interfering in the continent.
B) Foreign aid has, on balance, done more harm than good.
C) Most of Africa's ills can be attributed to causes inside the region, such as poor leadership, rather than outside factors, such as colonialism.
D) Africa deserves a bigger share of the world's wealth to compensate for the harm done to them by others, including historical slavery.
E) The rampant corruption that continues to hamper Africa's economic development has been caused mainly by globalization.

Question 14

The dominant religion(s) present in sub-Saharan Africa today is/are:

A) Buddhism.
B) Hinduism.
C) traditional beliefs.
D) Islam and Christianity.
E) Christianity, Islam and traditional beliefs.

Question 15

Three sub-Saharan African nations that had suffered devastating civil wars that are now resolved are:

A) Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Sudan.
B) Mali, Senegal and Ghana.
C) Angola, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
D) Chad, Zambia and Uganda.
E) Tanzania, Cameroon and Togo.

Question 16

Sub-Saharan Africa's physical geography is best described as:

A) largely rainforest and jungle.
B) mountainous.
C) desert.
D) highly varied, with desert, mountains, grassy plains and rainforests.
E) mostly grasslands and plains.

Question 17

The leading anti-apartheid organization in South Africa, now the dominant political party, is

A) The Pan-African Union.
B) The Inkatha Freedom Party
C) The South African Communist Party
D) The National Party
E) The African National Congress.

Question 18

Much of Africa's earlier history was dismissed by Europeans and outsiders because

A) it lacked a written record, depending more on oral and artistic traditions.
B) there had been little notable achievements in cultural or artistic creation.
C) Europeans could not read African writing.
D) compared to Europe, Africa was primitive, savage and war-like.
E) Africa could boast of no great kingdoms or civilization, consisting instead of isolated small villages.

Question 19

Nigeria's main source of foreign trade income is

A) gold.
B) diamonds.
C) cocoa.
D) oil.
E) coffee.

Question 20

The Organization of African Unity (OAU)

A) was replaced by the African Union (AU) in 2002 because the OAU had not been effective over its nearly 3 decades of existence.
B) helped to hold abusive and corrupt leaders in check.
C) paved the way to well-integrated, cooperative economies in the continent.
D) has been especially effective in curbing wars and civil violence.
E) replaced the weak African Union in 2002 in order to work toward better integration and cooperation on the continent.

Question 21

The AU (African Union)

A) is similar to the European Union (EU) since it has integrated African economies and uses a common currency.
B) has sent multi-national peacekeepers to, for example, Somalia and the Sudan.
C) will not intervene in conflicts of member nations.
D) was deemed a failure and thus replaced by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in the early part of this century.
E) is very close to its goal of creating a United States of Africa, similar in many respects to the USA.

Question 22

All of the following are true of Nigeria except:

A) It has the largest population of any nation on the continent.
B) It has achieved a continuous, stable democracy since national independence.
C) It has suffered from serious cases of corruption.
D) It is rich in oil.
E) It continues to experience strife between its Islamic and Christian regions.

Question 23

What is the primary goal behind consensus decision-making?

A) majority rule
B) a fair result
C) cost-saving
D) time saving
E) minority rule

Question 24

Independence from European colonial powers in most sub-Saharan African nations

A) was gained only as a result of long, bitter wars of national liberation.
B) ushered in lengthy period of stable democracy and economic prosperity.
C) took place largely in the period between WWI and WWII.
D) was preceded by careful and thorough training and preparation on the part of the colonial powers.
E) was hailed by Africans with great hope and euphoria followed by bitter disappointment.

Question 25

During the Cold War, the two contending superpowers

A) ignored Africa as an unimportant backwater.
B) sent their own troops to fight each other in Africa in order to gain valuable resources and commodities.
C) used Africa as part of their power struggle, largely through proxies and surrogates.
D) imposed a mutual ban on arms shipment to Africa so it would remain at peace.
E) provided selfless and meaningful aid that allowed Africa to develop and prosper during this period.

Question 26

The term "politics of extraction" refers to abuses of valuable natural resources, such as diamonds or gold, for personal gain by political leaders.

Question 27

The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 allowed the European colonial powers to divide much of sub-Saharan Africa among themselves.

Question 28

The majority of current nation states in sub-Saharan Africa won their independence only after long armed struggles against the colonial powers.

Question 29

Since Africa has few large financial institutions or home mortgages, it has been largely unaffected by the recent global economic crisis.

Question 30

Unlike historical slavery in Africa as practiced by Europeans and Arabs, modern African slavery does not involve direct ownership of slaves, also called chattel slavery.

Question 31

Despite large levels of international aid and many domestic educational campaigns, the AIDS epidemic in Africa is only growing worse.

Question 32

The separation of South Sudan from Sudan deprived Sudan of its oil resources.

Question 33

Through the efforts of the UN, the AU and general outrage of the world, the practice of using child soldiers in African wars has finally ended.

Question 34

Among the nations that have been showing increased interest in Africa recently are China and India.

Question 35

Although the Cold War has ended, weapons suppliers remain a serious problem in violent conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa.

Question 36

Discuss the effects and lasting legacies of European colonialism on sub-Saharan African political and economic development.

Question 37

Compare and contrast the three case-study nations in this chapter, South Africa, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, across the following topics: a) recent political history, b) current political stability and level of democratization, and c) level of economic development.

Question 38

What are the major causes of the many violent conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa, as discussed in this chapter? How have some of these conflicts been resolved?

Question 39

What factors have been cited in this chapter which many argue have contributed to sub-Saharan Africa's relative economic underdevelopment? What measures have been suggested to overcome these factors?

Question 40

Some analysts suggest that strong, positive leadership is necessary to overcome Africa's ills. Discuss at least two such positive examples of African leadership, noted in this chapter, that might serve as inspiration or role models to others.