3rd Benchmark Study Guide

  1. What led to the formation of the African Union?The belief in Pan-Africanism and the organization of 32 African states into the Organization of African Unity
  2. Why did the European countries decide to colonize Africa?To exploit its raw materials
  3. What laws separated the blacks and whites in South Africa?Apartheid Laws
  4. Why has Sudan been unable to use its natural resources in an efficient manner?Political instability and civil war
  5. Why has their continued to be conflict within countries of Africa after the independence movement?Political boundaries were made without regard for ethnic groups in the country and government leaders had little experience governing
  6. Why is the Nile River so important to Egyptians?It provides 85% of the country’s water
  7. What has caused Egyptians to be able to plant three crops per year?The Aswan High Dam allows them to control the flooding of the Nile and irrigate crops
  8. What is the largest desert in the world and where is it located?The Sahara desert in Northern Africa
  9. Who are the Tuareg?The nomads who live in the Sahara
  10. What attracted British settlers to South Africa?Gold and diamonds
  11. What has caused such a large number of refugees to form in Africa?Civil war and genocide have caused millions of people to flee their homelands in search of safety.
  12. Which president ended the separation of races in South Africa?F. W. de Klerk
  13. Describe the governments of Kenya and South Africa.Both are called republics. Kenya is ruled by the president who is head of the Kenyan African National Union political party. South Africa is a parliamentary democracy. The President is elected by the National Assembly.
  14. What is the oldest religion in India?Hinduism
  15. What geographic features allow the people of India to sustain their livelihood?The Ganges River
  16. What is an archipelago? Give an example of one in East Asia.An island chain; Indonesia
  17. What has caused political instability since African independence?Europeans had divided the countries without regard to local tribes and ethnic groups, forcing warring groups to live in the same area
  18. What ethnic group supported the separation of races in South Africa?
  19. What is pan-africanism?Belief that all African should consider themselves Africans and work together for unity and equality.
  20. What allowed Nelson Mandela to become the first black president of South Africa?F. W. de Klerk released him from prison and they worked together to end apartheid
  21. What caused the Atlantic Slave Trade to happen?European colonies needed slaves to work their plantations to they traded guns and money for slaves from African tribes.
  22. What is a command economy?Economy controlled by the government
  23. What is a tariff?Tax on imports
  24. Where are the Himalayan Mountains?In Southeast Asia on the border between India and China
  25. What is a democracy?Government where the people hold the power
  26. What is civil war?When different groups within a nation battle for control of the government and resources
  27. What are capital goods?Machines, factories and tools used by people to make money
  28. What are brown clouds?A haze of pollution found in India that is caused by pollution from automobile emissions, carbon monoxide, and soot
  29. What is the underlying cause of deforestation, Brown Clouds, and shortages of resources?Overpopulation
  30. What religions are practiced in Asia?Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Islam
  31. What was Mohandas Gandhi’s plan of civil disobedience?People should not obey laws that seem unfair to them
  32. What is the largest dam in the world and where is it located?Three Gorges Dam
  33. What is the Cold War?The name given to the disagreements between the U.S. and the Soviet Union at the end of World War II
  34. What were the “Great Leap Forward” and the “Cultural Revolution” meant to accomplish?Improve the economy
  35. How do the physical features of Africa and Asia affect the climate, where people live and how they work?
  • Deserts – few people live there because of the harsh climate. Those that do are called nomads and travel from place to place looking for an oasis.
  • Rivers & coasts – most people settle along rivers or the coast. The waters are used for drinking, food, transportation, and irrigation.
  • Mountains – Few people live in the mountains. In Asia, the mountains block moisture from the Indian Ocean from getting into China. They have protected India from invaders from the north.
  • The monsoons in Southern Asia help crops grow and people live their lives around the monsoon rains.