The Islamic caliphates: conquests, trade, Baghdad and the House of Wisdom

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Esme's chain has a blank box: what happened in 661?

   • The community chose its first caliph after the death of Muhammad
   • The Abbasids took the caliphate and moved the capital to Baghdad
   • The first four caliphs began ruling the Muslim community from Medina
   • The Umayyads took the caliphate and moved the capital to Damascus
2. 2.

   Jun's chain has a blank box: what did the caliph al-Mansur do in 762?

   • Founded the new capital, Baghdad
   • Gave the caliphate to the Umayyads
   • Moved the capital to Damascus
   • Closed the Silk Roads for good
3. 3.

   By the chain, what moves along the Silk Roads and Indian Ocean routes? Kira's chain has that box blank.

   • Glass, tin and rice
   • Silk, spices and paper
   • Grain, wool and lumber
   • Gold, salt and coal
5. 4.

   Luz reads the word caliph. What is a caliph?

   • A scholar who translates old books into Arabic
   • A successor who leads the Muslim community
   • A merchant who sails to India and back
   • A mapmaker who draws the capital cities
6. 5.

   Milo reads about the Umayyad family. What is a dynasty?

   Use the picture in question 4.

   • A group of ships on one sea
   • A tax paid on goods that cross a border
   • A school where books are copied
   • A line of rulers from one family
8. 6.

   Noah reads about the Silk Roads. What were they?

   • A guild of silk weavers in Baghdad
   • A single paved road across Iraq
   • A canal dug by the caliph al-Mansur
   • Trade routes linking China to the Mediterranean
9. 7.

   Which box comes first in the Baghdad chain, Ren asks?

   Use the picture in question 6.

   • The Abbasids' support from the east
   • Baghdad is founded in 762
   • Baghdad grows into the largest city
   • Silk, spices and paper move on the routes
11. 8.

    Which family ruled from Damascus, Tala asks?

    • The Abbasid family
    • The Persian emperors
    • The first four caliphs
    • The Umayyad family
12. 9.

    On Zee's map, one arrow runs north from Medina in 661. Which city does it reach?

    Use the picture in question 8.

    • Baghdad
    • Alexandria
    • Damascus
    • Mecca
13. 10.

    Which year does Ari's timeline give for the founding of Baghdad?

    • 750
    • 762
    • 862
    • 726