Ghana, Mali and Songhai: gold, salt and Timbuktu
Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
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Mansa Musa's journey to Cairo, 1324 (cards A to C; summaries in our words). Card A, a map note: Musa ruled Mali, which grew rich from the same trade in gold and salt. In 1324 he traveled from Mali across the Sahara to Cairo, in Egypt, with a large company. Card B, al-Umari, a scholar who lived in Cairo, in a book of the late 1330s: he wrote that Musa gave out so much gold that its price in Cairo fell, and that the effect lasted for years. He said he learned this from people in Cairo. Card C, a historian's note: most surviving accounts of the visit were written in Egypt, by people who did not travel with Musa.
Musa visited Cairo in 1324 and al-Umari wrote in the late 1330s. About how many years later did he write, Ari asks?
- About 3 to 5 years
- About 13 to 15 years
- About 3,661 to 3,663 years
- About 30 to 32 years
A student says, "Card B proves gold lost value in Cairo for years." How strong is that claim, Esme asks?
- Weak: it is one report by a writer who learned it later from others
- Weak: a scholar's book cannot be used as evidence about prices
- Strong: card C confirms al-Umari's account with Musa's own words
- Strong: al-Umari lived in Cairo, so he could see the gold price himself
Going by card B, which chain explains why gold lost value in Cairo, Jun asks?
- Musa traveled to Cairo, and the price of gold fell, with nothing in between
- The price of gold fell, so Musa gave out a great deal of it
- Musa sold gold cheaply to Cairo's merchants, who then sold it more dearly
- Much gold was given out in Cairo, so gold became less scarce
How might a person in Cairo and a person in Mali each see Musa's journey, Kira asks?
- Both would remember the journey exactly the same way
- Neither would remember it, since the journey was long ago
- Cairo may remember its ruler's power; Mali may remember prices changing
- Cairo may recall gold and prices; Mali may recall its ruler's power
Cards A and B both concern gold. What do they support together, Luz asks?
- Mali was rich in gold, and a gift of it could affect Cairo's prices
- Mali was the richest empire in the world, and its gold set the price in each city
- The cards cannot be used together, since one is a map note
- Mali bought gold in Cairo, which is why the price of gold fell
A new record from Cairo says the price of gold was falling before 1324. What does it do to card B, Milo asks?
- It shows al-Umari wrote his book before 1324
- It strengthens the claim that Musa alone caused the fall
- It shows Musa had no effect on gold prices in any way
- It weakens the claim that Musa alone caused the fall
A student says, "Card C shows Mali's side of the journey was never told." How strong is that claim, Pia asks?
- Weak: card C says most accounts are Egyptian, not that none are Malian
- Strong: card C says Musa wrote an account that has been lost
- Strong: most accounts are Egyptian, so no account from Mali exists
- Weak: accounts written in Egypt cannot tell us anything about Mali's own side
Which kind of source would best check al-Umari on the gold price, Ren asks?
- A list of Mali's rulers and the years they reigned
- Cairo market or tax records from the years around 1324
- A map of the Sahara drawn in the 1500s by a mapmaker
- A new book that repeats al-Umari's account of the gold
Suppose, as an example, a weight of gold bought 100 silver pieces in Cairo before the visit and 80 after. By what percent did its price fall, Tala asks?
- 2 percent
- 80 percent
- 25 percent
- 20 percent
What should a historian ask first about card B, Zee asks?
- Whether Musa gave out gold, since al-Umari's report settles it
- What later writers of the 1900s thought about the gold
- Who told al-Umari this, and what did they know about the gold?
- How many pages al-Umari's book had when it was first copied
