Unit notes and practice questions
Everything here is for unit 9 of the Grade 12 History textbook: what the chapter covers, the short notes, practice questions with their answers, and the lesson video where one exists.
The cards filed under this chapter on the Grade 12 History page. Open one at a time.
When you use it
Reach for this when a question asks which Ethiopian natural site is on the UNESCO list, or how many Ethiopian sites are natural.
Watch out
Simen Mountains National Park is the only natural World Heritage Site in Ethiopia, out of nine in total. Bale Mountains National Park is a national park but is not yet registered, so do not list it as a UNESCO site.
Drafted from Grade 12 History, page 254 onwards, then checked twice before it went up
| Order | Cycle name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fulasa |
| 2 | Darara |
| 3 | Mogisa |
| 4 | Wawasa |
| 5 | Hirbora |
When you use it
Reach for this when a question asks for the order of the five Luwa cycles or how long one full Luwa cycle lasts.
Watch out
Each cycle lasts about eight years, so one full cycle of five is forty years. Do not give eight years as the length of the whole cycle.
Drafted from Grade 12 History, page 254 onwards, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Reach for this when a question asks you to define indigenous knowledge or to say how it differs from modern science.
Watch out
Indigenous knowledge was developed outside the formal educational system, and the chapter says it does not need validation by western science. Do not describe it as primitive or static, which the chapter says modern education wrongly assumes.
Drafted from Grade 12 History, page 254 onwards, then checked twice before it went up
10 multiple-choice questions written against this chapter, each with its answer and the reason. Try one before you open the answer.
Question 1
Which Ethiopian community developed the unique traditional information exchange system known as Dagu?
Answer: A The Afar people
Why
The Afar people developed the Dagu system, which serves as a trusted communal network for exchanging and verifying news.
Question 2
What is the name of the traditional New Year festival celebrated by the Sidama people?
Answer: B Fichee-Chambalaalla
Why
Fichee-Chambalaalla is the Sidama New Year festival, which commemorates a Sidama woman who visited her family serving buurisame.
Question 3
Which province of Ethiopia is credited with developing the four major traditional melodies: Bati, Tizeta, Ambassel, and Anchihoye?
Answer: B Wollo
Why
According to the textbook, the northern province of Wollo played an active role in secular music and gave rise to the four major Ethiopian melodies.
Question 4
In which region of Ethiopia is the historic Al Nejashi Mosque located?
Answer: C Tigray Region
Why
Al Nejashi Mosque is the oldest Muslim place of worship in Ethiopia and is located in the northern Tigray region.
Question 5
In rural Ethiopia, what is the traditional treatment immediately given to a person who survives a lightning strike?
Answer: C Bringing the person into contact with moist ground or dung
Why
Rural Ethiopians bring lightning survivors into contact with moist ground or dung, an indigenous practice explained by static electricity discharge theory.
Question 6
What are the dry stone defensive walls built by the medieval kingdom of Dawuro called?
Answer: B Kati Halala Kella
Why
The dry stone defensive walls and ditches in Dawuro are locally called Kati Halala Kella.
Question 7
In the Sidama Luwa institution, how many years does one full cycle of five generational grades take?
Answer: C 40 years
Why
The Luwa system passes through five generational cycles (Fulasa, Darara, Mogisa, Wawasa, and Hirbora), each lasting eight years, making a full cycle 40 years.
Question 8
Which archaeological site in the Bale Mountains revealed a 30,000-year-old rock shelter that proved high-altitude human occupation?
Answer: C Fincha Habera
Why
In 2019, archaeologists discovered a 30,000-year-old Middle Stone Age rock shelter at the Fincha Habera site in the Bale Mountains at over 11,000 feet above sea level.
Question 9
Why did King Ella Sham (Ashama b Abjar) of Aksum grant asylum to the early Muslim converts in 615 A.D.?
Answer: B He offered them protection from persecution by the Quraysh rulers of Mecca.
Why
The Aksumite king gave refuge to the first Muslims to protect them from the oppression and persecution of the Quraysh ruling class of Mecca.
Question 10
Which statement correctly describes the unique characteristic feature of indigenous knowledge being humble?
Answer: B It focuses on living in harmony with nature rather than attempting to control it.
Why
The textbook notes that indigenous knowledge is humble because it does not dictate how to control nature, but rather teaches how to live in harmony with the gifts of the Creator.
The app holds 12 questions on this unit, marked as you go. These are the first 10.
The whole Grade 12 History textbook, free as a PDF.
Ministry of Education edition, English, 290 pages
Temari turns this chapter into timed practice and marks it as you go, with an AI tutor to explain anything that did not land.
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