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Unit notes and practice questions

Grade 9 History unit 1: The discipline of history and human evolution

Everything here is for unit 1 of the Grade 9 History textbook: what the chapter covers, the short notes, practice questions with their answers, and the lesson video where one exists.

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3
Cards
10
Practice questions on unit 1
2–22
The textbook pages for unit 1

What unit 1 covers

  1. 1.Meaning of Prehistory and History
  2. 2.The Discipline of History
  3. 3.The importance of History
  4. 4.Historiography and Historical interpretations
  5. 5.Sources of History
  6. 6.Dating in History
  7. 7.The Evolution of Human Beings
  8. 8.Theories of Human Evolution
  9. 9.Africa and Human Evolution
  10. 10.The Stone Age
  11. 11.The Emergence of States

Short notes for unit 1

The cards filed under this chapter on the Grade 9 History page. Open one at a time.

Source TypeDefinitionExamples
Primary SourcesOriginal materials contemporary with the events under studyMonuments, fossils, coins, inscriptions, manuscripts, chronicles, diaries, court records
Secondary SourcesSecond hand accounts derived from primary sourcesHistory textbooks, reference books, biographies, articles, historical movies
Oral TraditionsHistorical accounts transmitted by word of mouth across generationsOral stories, folk tales, eyewitness accounts (classified by nature of informants)

When you use it

Use to distinguish between primary, secondary, and oral sources when evaluating historical evidence.

Watch out

Oral traditions can qualify as primary or secondary sources depending on whether the informant witnessed the event directly or received it across generations.

Drafted from Grade 9 History, pages 2-22, then checked twice before it went up

SpeciesAge / Discovery SiteDistinctive Features
Sahelanthropus tchadensis7 to 6 million years ago (Chad)Oldest known early hominid fossil in Africa
Ardipithecus ramidus4.4 million years ago (Aramis, Afar)Earliest hominid discovered in Ethiopia
Australopithecus afarensis3.18 million years ago (Hadar, Afar)Lucy (Dinkinesh), upright walking bipedal ancestor
Homo habilisOldest Homo species (Omo Valley, Ethiopia)Handy human, early toolmaker
Homo erectus2 to 1 million years ago (Omo, Melka Kunture)Upright human, mastered fire, first to migrate out of Africa
Homo sapiens sapiensc. 40,000 years agoModern human, large brain, complex thought, language, and culture

When you use it

Use when identifying the chronological sequence of early human ancestors, discovery sites in Ethiopia, and evolutionary traits.

Watch out

Homo erectus was the first hominid to master the use of fire and migrate out of Africa into Europe and Asia.

Drafted from Grade 9 History, pages 2-22, then checked twice before it went up

PeriodTime RangeKey Characteristics and Inventions
Paleolithic (Old Stone Age)2.6 million to 300,000 years agoCrude stone tools (hand axes), cave shelter, discovery of fire, beginning of language
Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age)300,000 to 45,000 years agoTransitional era, slightly improved and more adaptable stone tools
Neolithic (New Stone Age)8,000 BC to 4,000 BCAgricultural revolution, domestication of plants and animals, sedentary life, pottery

When you use it

Use to compare the chronological divisions, time spans, and major technological shifts of the Stone Age.

Watch out

The Neolithic Revolution signifies the start of systematic food production and settled life, not merely sharper stone tools.

Drafted from Grade 9 History, pages 2-22, then checked twice before it went up

Practice questions on unit 1

10 multiple-choice questions written against this chapter, each with its answer and the reason. Try one before you open the answer.

Question 1

The word "history" is derived from the Greek word Istoria, which means:

  1. A.Inquiry or an account of one's inquiries
  2. B.Stories written about the future
  3. C.The making of stone tools
  4. D.A personal opinion about past leaders
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Inquiry or an account of one's inquiries

Why

The textbook states that the term history comes from the Greek word Istoria, meaning "inquiry" or "an account of one's inquiries."

Question 2

Which period of the human past is called prehistory?

  1. A.The period after the rise of ancient Greece and Rome
  2. B.The time before people developed the art of writing
  3. C.The period when academic history began in the 1960s
  4. D.The time after the invention of systematic agriculture
Show the answer and why

Answer: B The time before people developed the art of writing

Why

Prehistory refers to the distant past and the long period before people developed the system or art of writing.

Question 3

Which 19th-century German historian is known as the "father of modern historiography" for establishing history as an independent scientific discipline?

  1. A.Herodotus
  2. B.Thucydides
  3. C.Leopold Von Ranke
  4. D.Donald Johanson
Show the answer and why

Answer: C Leopold Von Ranke

Why

Leopold Von Ranke (1795-1886) established history as an independent discipline and is considered the "father of modern historiography."

Question 4

In historical dating, what does the term century represent?

  1. A.A period of 10 years
  2. B.A period of 100 years
  3. C.A period of 500 years
  4. D.A period of 1,000 years
Show the answer and why

Answer: B A period of 100 years

Why

A decade is 10 years, a century is 100 years, and a millennium is 1,000 years.

Question 5

A student in Addis Ababa is collecting evidence for a history project. Which of the following is an example of a primary source?

  1. A.An original ancient coin of Endybis
  2. B.A modern history textbook written in 2022
  3. C.A modern biography of an emperor
  4. D.A movie made about a historical battle
Show the answer and why

Answer: A An original ancient coin of Endybis

Why

Primary sources are original materials contemporary with the events, such as coins, manuscripts, fossils, and inscriptions. Textbooks and movies are secondary sources.

Question 6

By how many years does the Ethiopian calendar lag behind the Gregorian calendar?

  1. A.1 to 2 years
  2. B.3 to 4 years
  3. C.7 to 8 years
  4. D.10 to 12 years
Show the answer and why

Answer: C 7 to 8 years

Why

The textbook notes that the Ethiopian Calendar is seven to eight years behind the Gregorian calendar.

Question 7

In 1974, the fossil skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy or Dinkinesh) was discovered at Hadar in Afar by:

  1. A.Tim White
  2. B.Donald Johanson
  3. C.Charles Darwin
  4. D.Herodotus
Show the answer and why

Answer: B Donald Johanson

Why

In 1974, Donald Johanson and his colleagues discovered the skeleton named Lucy (Dinkinesh) at Hadar in the Afar region.

Question 8

Which species of the genus Homo was the first to leave Africa and move into Europe and Asia because it learned to use fire?

  1. A.<em>Homo habilis</em>
  2. B.<em>Homo erectus</em>
  3. C.<em>Ardipithecus ramidus</em>
  4. D.<em>Sahelian chadensis</em>
Show the answer and why

Answer: B <em>Homo erectus</em>

Why

Homo erectus mastered fire to keep warm in colder climates and became the first hominid species to leave Africa for Europe and Asia.

Question 9

During the Neolithic period in Ethiopia, which indigenous plants were domesticated by early farming communities?

  1. A.Rice, maize, wheat, and potato
  2. B.Teff, dagussa, nug, and enset
  3. C.Sugarcane, cassava, yam, and cotton
  4. D.Barley, soybean, tomato, and groundnut
Show the answer and why

Answer: B Teff, dagussa, nug, and enset

Why

The textbook specifically lists teff, dagussa, nug, and enset as plants domesticated during the Neolithic age in Ethiopia about 7,000 years ago.

Question 10

What was the main shift that defined the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution?

  1. A.The change from hunting and gathering to keeping animals and growing crops
  2. B.The first making of crude stone hand-axes in caves
  3. C.The invention of written scripts and chronicles
  4. D.The movement of early humans out of Africa into Europe
Show the answer and why

Answer: A The change from hunting and gathering to keeping animals and growing crops

Why

The real change in the Neolithic Revolution was systematic agriculture: the shift from hunting and gathering to farming crops and domesticating animals regularly.

The app holds 12 questions on this unit, marked as you go. These are the first 10.

The textbook pages for unit 1

Unit 1 runs from page 2 to page 22 of the Ministry of Education edition.

Ministry of Education edition, English, 217 pages

Download the PDF

All Grade 9 History short notes

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