Answer(s):
1st: <u>Clerics and Kings</u> on the top of the hierarchy, <u>Farmers and Warriors</u> beneath them, <u>Fishermen</u> on the third layer, <u>Weavers and Leatherworkers</u> on the fourth layer and <u>Smiths and Griots</u> at the bottom layer.
2nd: The political systems of African kingdoms <u>shared similarities with European kingdoms</u>. The king, such as <u>Mansa Musa</u> of <u>Mali</u> and <u>Sonni Ali</u> of Songhay, had near absolute power and there was no separation of power. The king and his councilors and advisors carried out <u>executive, legislative, and judicial functions.</u>
3rd: First, the early African kingdoms and empires r<u>elied heavily on trade with other people</u>. Besides the trade in <u>ivory, gold, and other commodities</u> identified earlier, produce from agriculture was also exchanged in the form of <u>cash crops</u>. These trade relations put them at the center of the economy of the east and west.
Hope this helped ;)