The America Quiz

By: Robin Tyler
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
The America Quiz
Image: shutterstock

About This Quiz

Land of the free and home of the brave - yes,that is the United States of America!

But how much do you really know about one of the greatest countries on earth? Well, in this quiz, we are certainly going to test your knowledge about the land of red, white and blue!

So what can you expect from this quiz? Well, do you know how many states are in the United States? Which was the first to join and which was last?

Perhaps a little geography will test you a little more! Any ideas as to which is the highest mountain in the United States, the name of the biggest National Park, or the names of the Great Lakes? Well, those will help you to get 35/35 for sure!

Perhaps you know the oldest university in the United States or what the national state animal of California is?

And of course, a quiz about the United States would not be complete without a few history questions seeing that the country has such a varied historical background. 

So what are you waiting for? Show us just how to ace this quiz about America!

Just take your time, and you will be fine!

USA! USA! USA!

How many states are there in the United States of America?
50
52
49
47
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are 50 states in the United States of America, represented by the 50 stars on the national flag.

Name the first state to become part of the United States.
New York
Delaware
Connecticut
Texas
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

At the Delaware Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787, 30 delegates signed and ratified the Constitution of the United States. Legally, this makes Delaware the first state of the new country.

Can you identify the last state to join the United States?
Alaska
Hawaii
New York
Washington D.C.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hawaii was the last territory to become a state of the US and did so on August 21, 1959.

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Who was the first president of the United States of America?
Thomas Jefferson
John Adams
George Washington
James Madison
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

George Washington was the first President of the United States. He served from April 30, 1789 to March 4, 1797.

In American politics, which are the two main parties?
Republican and Democrats
Autocrats and Democrats
Republican and Labor
Democrats and Labor
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Republicans and Democrats have dominated US politics for over 100 years. Before that, many other parties or political affiliations thrived, even providing presidents that served the country.

Women were given the right to vote in the United States in what year?
1984
1900
1920
1789
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

That's right, close to 100 years ago, women were not allowed to vote at all. Thanks to people like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucy Stone who fought for the right to vote, the law was amended in 1920, given all women in the US the chance to vote.

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The longest coastline of all the US states belongs to which one of these below?
California
Florida
Maine
Alaska
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Alaska wins this battle hands down. In fact, all other states with coastlines, if added up, still cannot beat the length of the coastline of Alaska which extends for 6,640 miles.

The US is home to the largest office building in the world. Can you name it?
The Pentagon
Empire State Building
Sears Tower
The Palazzo
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

That's right, although it is a military installation, it is an office building. The Pentagon has over 17 miles of corridors! Better get your Segway when visiting it.

What was outlawed in the United States between 1920 and 1933?
Cigars
Cigarettes
Alcohol
None of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In essence, the banning of alcohol between 1920 and 1933 was an attempt to clean up America. Many believed that drinking was responsible for many social ills, the increase in prison populations, crime, and corruption. And so, the 18th Amendment was passed banning alcohol sales and production.

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What was this period in which alcohol was outlawed called?
Prohibition
Don't drink it
Against Alcohol
None of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The banning of alcohol from 1920 to 1933 was called Prohibition.

The first university in America was __________
The College of William and Mary
Yale University
University of Pennsylvania
Harvard University
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Incredibly, Harvard is nearly 400 years old, having been established in 1636. It counts Bill Gates, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Mark Zuckerberg among its previous alumni.

From the list below, pick the official state animal of California.
Great White Shark
Golden Trout
Grizzly Bear
Tule Elk
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes, the Grizzly Bear is the state animal of California despite the fact that none have been seen in the state since the early 1920's.

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The seven sharp pointy bits on top of the Statue of Liberty represent what?
Seven important states in America
Seven major cities in America
The seven continents found on Earth
None of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes, they represent the seven continents on Earth. Interestingly, each is over 9 foot long and weighs 150 pounds or more.

Who gifted the Statue of Liberty to the United States?
France
England
Germany
Italy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A gift from France, the Statue of Liberty was designed by sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel, of the Eiffel Tower fame. He seemed to know what he was doing when building tall things.

Can you name the Boeing B-29 Super Fortress that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945?
Bockscar
Enola Gay
Joan of Arc
None of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb. The plane was named after the mother of pilot Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, Jr.

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Name the ship in which 102 pilgrims sailed from England to make the New World their home in 1620.
The Boston
The Wallflower
The Mayflower
Little Britain
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The pilgrims on the Mayflower established what was to be known as Plymouth Colony when they landed on American shores.

California sits on some unstable ground, including the massive San Andreas fault line. How many detectable seismic tremors are measured in the state each year?
1,000
500,000
20,000
97,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

500,000? Yikes, that's a little scary, don't you think?

Which state is responsible for seeing more presidents born there than any other?
California
Florida
Virginia
Texas
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes, Virginia. Eight presidents were born in Virginia but none since Woodrow Wilson, so there is still time for the other 49 states to catch up. The other seven presidents are John Tyler, George Washington, Henry Harrison, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and Zachary Taylor.

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Are you able to name the massive national park that spans across Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho and is a major tourist attraction?
Yosemite National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yellowstone National Park was founded in 1872 under the orders of US President, Ulysses S. Grant. It was the first national park in the United States, and many believe it was the first of its kind in the world. Yellowstone spans an area of 3,468.4 square miles with varying fauna, flora, and ecosystems.

Pick out the lake that is NOT one of the great lakes.
Superior
Michigan
Ontario
Okeechobee
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Lake Okeechobee is not one of the Great Lakes, which are Superior, Michigan, Ontario, Erie and Huron. Okeechobee, a freshwater lake, is found in Florida and is around 1891 square kilometers in size.

Name the geyser at Yellowstone National Park that erupts every 35 to 120 minutes.
Ol' Reliable
Old Faithful
Old Sprinkly
None of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Each eruption sees Old Faithful spray water up to 90 to 180 feet in the air for a period of 1.5 to 5 minutes. Old Faithful was named during the first expedition through the park in 1870. Other geysers erupt higher, but they are not as frequent.

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True or False. Lake Superior holds enough water in it to cover both North and South America in 1 foot of water.
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes, it is true! Lake Superior covers an area of 82,100 kilometers square and holds 12,000 km3 of water.

Can you name the top scoring American fighter ace of World War I?
Frank Luke Jr.
Eddie Rickenbacker
Chester Ellis Wright
Frank O'Driscoll Hunter
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With America only entering the war in 1917, Eddie Rickenbacker's 26 victories, achieved from April 2018 to October 2018, a period of only six months, is incredible.

When was the first Indy 500 held?
1920
1973
1915
1911
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The first Indy 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1911. It was won by Ray Harroun driving a Marmon Wasp.

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In what year was the first ever Super Bowl held?
1967
1972
1980
1955
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Before the Super Bowl, teams met in the NFL final. This was changed to the Super Bowl in 1967 with the Green Bay Packers beating the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.

Grover Cleveland, who was in office as US President on two occasions, was also a _______?
Accountant
Lawyer
Sheriff
None of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Grover Cleveland was the Sheriff of Erie County and actually executed two men himself in 1872 and 1873.

Of the answers below, which is the longest mountain range in the United States?
White Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
Rocky Mountains
Wasatch Mountains
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The longest mountain range in the United States, the Rockies are over 3,000 miles long. They are the second longest mountain range in the world.

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Name the highest mountain peak in America, please.
Denali
Elbert
Rainier
Mount Saint Elias
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mount Denali, found in Alaska, is the highest peak in America. It measures at 20,310 feet.

Who was the first African American to be elected as President of the United States?
Jesse Jackson
Martin Luther King
Barack Obama
Colin Powell
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Who can forget his election race tagline, 'Yes We Can!'? Barack Obama served as the US President from January 20, 2009 till January 20, 2017.

Lee Harvey Oswald was shot and killed by which of these before he could stand trial for the murder of John F. Kennedy?
Jack Ruby
James Leavelle
John Wilkes Booth
Sirhan Sirhan
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Authorities ruled that Jack Ruby acted alone when he shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, although many still believe that something more sinister than that lead to his actions.

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Name the first American to walk in space, please.
Neil Armstrong
Jim Lovell
Ed White
John Young
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ed White was the first American to undertake a spacewalk. He did so on June 3, 1965, while part of the Gemini 4 mission. He was not the first person to do so, however. Russian cosmonaut Alexey Arkhipovich beat him to it, walking in space for the first time in March 1965.

In 1867, America purchased Alaska from which other nation?
England
Canada
Russia
Brazil
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes, Russia sold Alaska to the United States for around $7.2 million.

How many hours a day does the average American use an electronic device of some sort?
2
5
1
10
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Although we need them for our work in many cases, that is a scarily high number!

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Name the famous bridge in San Francisco, please.
Brooklyn Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
Sunshine Skyway Bridge
Seven Mile Bridge
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Golden Gate Bridge is a little over 2.7 kilometers long and it was completed in 1937.

What event caused the United States to become involved in World War II?
The sinking of the Lusitania
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Germany invading Poland
Britain asking them to get involved
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, saw the United States declare war on Japan and her ally German, effectively sealing the US entrance into World War II.

You Got:
/35
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