US State Trivia Questions, Region by Region, Plus Washington, DC

Four questions for each of the 50 states, from the Rhode Island Red to the state sport of pickleball.

Question 1 of 259

See all 259 with answers
Which dessert, named for the state capital, is the official state dessert of Massachusetts?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

Scored round: 20 questions, no time limit.

Print covers the next 20 questions. Share this set copies a link to the same questions in the same order.

More options

Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with any school, exam board or quiz show. Question bank last checked September 19, 2026.

How it works

Which capital is named for a German chancellor, and which state has one neighbor? These 259 US state trivia questions take the 50 states by region, then Washington, DC, the flag and the map. Tap a choice, then Check answer.

Pick a region, then a level

Set Topic to The Northeast, The South, The Midwest or The West. Each state gets about four questions: its capital, its nickname, a border, and a landmark or symbol. The regions are the Census Bureau's, so Delaware and Oklahoma sit in the South. Show only keeps Easy, such as the capital of Texas, or Hard, such as the state whose legislature has one chamber.

The capital, the country and the map

Washington, DC holds 17 Washington DC trivia questions, from the cherry trees to the low skyline. Flag, anthem and government covers the stripes, the motto and Congress. Rivers, peaks and parks is the round for US geography trivia questions and answers. Host a round shows one question at a time and scores two to six teams.

Tips

  • For 50 states trivia questions and answers on paper, Print question sheet gives the next 20 of that region. Print answer key adds the reasons.
  • Most wrong choices are real places: the largest city sits beside the capital, a neighboring state beside the right one. Guessing by sound rarely works.

Questions and answers

Are these United States trivia questions and answers checked?

Yes: each answer was read on September 19, 2026 in the Wikipedia article linked below it, and the longest river follows the US Geological Survey. No answer is a population count; six ask for a city that is both capital and largest, which rarely changes.

Are these trivia questions US only?

Yes, these are U.S. trivia questions throughout: every one is about a state, the capital or the country as a whole. Canada appears only as a neighbor, as in the province that touches Idaho. The Canadian pack covers the provinces and territories.

How is this different from the road trip trivia?

That pack is built for the car: highways, road signs, license plates and roadside landmarks. This one goes state by state and adds Washington, DC and the federal government. Where both cover a state, this page asks from another side.

Which questions count as easy?

Easy asks what most adults remember: the Bluegrass State, the river that cut the Grand Canyon, the country that sent the cherry trees. Hard asks for the Northwest Angle, the Smithsonian founder who never saw America, the one national park south of the equator.

All 259 questions with answers

The Northeast 36

  • Basketball is the state sport of Massachusetts. In which of its cities was the game first played in 1891? Answer: Springfield. Source: Wikipedia: Basketball; Wikipedia: Massachusetts
  • Completed in 1825, the Erie Canal ran from the Hudson River near Albany to the Niagara River near which city? Answer: Buffalo. Source: Wikipedia: Erie Canal
  • How many other states share a border with Massachusetts? Answer: Five. Source: Wikipedia: Massachusetts
  • In 1876 Thomas Edison set up his home and research laboratory at Menlo Park. Which state is it in? Answer: New Jersey. Source: Wikipedia: Menlo Park, New Jersey
  • Maine is nicknamed after which tree? Answer: The pine. Source: Wikipedia: Maine
  • Maine is the only state that borders exactly one other state. Which one? Answer: New Hampshire. Source: Wikipedia: Maine
  • The Mason-Dixon line marks the border between Pennsylvania and which state to its south? Answer: Maryland. Source: Wikipedia: Pennsylvania
  • Montpelier is the capital of which New England state? Answer: Vermont. Source: Wikipedia: Vermont
  • The motto of New York, the Empire State, is a single Latin word meaning "ever upward". What is it? Answer: Excelsior. Source: Wikipedia: New York (state); Wikipedia: Maine; Wikipedia: California
  • Mount Katahdin in Maine is the northern end of which long hiking trail? Answer: The Appalachian Trail. Source: Wikipedia: Mount Katahdin; Wikipedia: Maine
  • New Hampshire is nicknamed after which rock? Answer: Granite. Source: Wikipedia: New Hampshire
  • New York State touches two of the Great Lakes. Which two? Answer: Erie and Ontario. Source: Wikipedia: New York (state)
  • The official nickname of Connecticut points back to the Fundamental Orders of 1639. What is the nickname? Answer: The Constitution State. Source: Wikipedia: Connecticut
  • The Old Man of the Mountain, a rock profile shown on the New Hampshire state quarter, met which fate in 2003? Answer: It collapsed. Source: Wikipedia: Old Man of the Mountain
  • Pennsylvania is the Keystone State. What is a keystone? Answer: The wedge-shaped stone at the top of an arch. Source: Wikipedia: Keystone (architecture); Wikipedia: Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island holds which record among the 50 states? Answer: It is the smallest by area. Source: Wikipedia: Rhode Island
  • The state bird of Rhode Island is a breed of which farm animal? Answer: Chicken. Source: Wikipedia: Rhode Island Red
  • Trenton is the capital of which state? Answer: New Jersey. Source: Wikipedia: New Jersey
  • The valley of which river marks much of the border between Vermont and New Hampshire? Answer: The Connecticut River. Source: Wikipedia: Vermont
  • What is the capital of Maine? Answer: Augusta. Source: Wikipedia: Maine
  • What is the capital of New Hampshire? Answer: Concord. Source: Wikipedia: New Hampshire
  • What is the nickname of New Jersey? Answer: The Garden State. Source: Wikipedia: New Jersey
  • What is the nickname of Vermont? Answer: The Green Mountain State. Source: Wikipedia: Vermont
  • Which body of water lies along the southern edge of Connecticut? Answer: Long Island Sound. Source: Wikipedia: Connecticut
  • Which city is both the capital and the largest city of Massachusetts? Answer: Boston. Source: Wikipedia: Massachusetts
  • Which city is both the capital and the largest city of Rhode Island? Answer: Providence. Source: Wikipedia: Rhode Island
  • Which city is the state capital of Connecticut? Answer: Hartford. Source: Wikipedia: Connecticut
  • Which city is the state capital of New York? Answer: Albany. Source: Wikipedia: New York (state)
  • Which city is the state capital of Pennsylvania? Answer: Harrisburg. Source: Wikipedia: Pennsylvania
  • Which dessert, named for the state capital, is the official state dessert of Massachusetts? Answer: Boston cream pie. Source: Wikipedia: Boston cream pie; Wikipedia: Massachusetts
  • Which famous bell, first cracked soon after it arrived in Philadelphia, stands for American independence? Answer: The Liberty Bell. Source: Wikipedia: Liberty Bell
  • Which long lake lies between Vermont and New York State? Answer: Lake Champlain. Source: Wikipedia: Lake Champlain; Wikipedia: Vermont
  • Which Pennsylvania city stands where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers meet to form the Ohio River? Answer: Pittsburgh. Source: Wikipedia: Pittsburgh
  • Which river forms the western border of New Jersey? Answer: The Delaware River. Source: Wikipedia: New Jersey
  • Which tree, tapped for its sweet sap, is the state tree of Vermont? Answer: The sugar maple. Source: Wikipedia: Vermont
  • Which university, founded in 1701, stands in New Haven, Connecticut? Answer: Yale. Source: Wikipedia: Yale University

The South 64

  • Alabama is the Yellowhammer State. What is a yellowhammer? Answer: A bird of the woodpecker family. Source: Wikipedia: Northern flicker; Wikipedia: Alabama
  • At which Arkansas state park can visitors hunt for real gems in a plowed field? Answer: Crater of Diamonds. Source: Wikipedia: Crater of Diamonds State Park; Wikipedia: Arkansas
  • The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, with an attack on which fort in Charleston Harbor? Answer: Fort Sumter. Source: Wikipedia: Fort Sumter
  • Delaware occupies the northeastern part of which peninsula? Answer: The Delmarva Peninsula. Source: Wikipedia: Delaware
  • Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, on December 7, 1787. Which state was second, five days later? Answer: Pennsylvania. Source: Wikipedia: Delaware; Wikipedia: Pennsylvania; Wikipedia: New Jersey
  • Frankfort is the capital of which state? Answer: Kentucky. Source: Wikipedia: Kentucky
  • Graceland, a mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, was the home of which singer? Answer: Elvis Presley. Source: Wikipedia: Graceland
  • How many other U.S. states border Texas? Answer: Four. Source: Wikipedia: Texas
  • How many states border Virginia? Answer: Five. Source: Wikipedia: Virginia
  • Louisiana has land borders with three states. Texas and Arkansas are two of them. Which is the third? Answer: Mississippi. Source: Wikipedia: Louisiana
  • Louisiana takes its official nickname from its state bird. Which bird is it? Answer: The brown pelican. Source: Wikipedia: Louisiana
  • Maryland lists two official state sports. One is lacrosse. What is the other? Answer: Jousting. Source: Wikipedia: Maryland
  • Mount Mitchell in North Carolina is the highest peak in the mainland United States east of which river? Answer: The Mississippi. Source: Wikipedia: Mount Mitchell
  • The oldest neighborhood in New Orleans is also called the Vieux Carré, which means Old Square. What is its usual name? Answer: The French Quarter. Source: Wikipedia: French Quarter
  • One nickname of Delaware comes from its state bird. Which bird is it? Answer: The Blue Hen. Source: Wikipedia: Delaware
  • One of the earliest known styles of blues music is named after the part of Mississippi where it began. What is the style called? Answer: Delta blues. Source: Wikipedia: Delta blues
  • South Carolina has land borders with only two states. Which two? Answer: North Carolina and Georgia. Source: Wikipedia: South Carolina
  • South Carolina is nicknamed after which tree, shown in white on its blue flag? Answer: The palmetto. Source: Wikipedia: Flag of South Carolina; Wikipedia: South Carolina
  • The state song of Oklahoma is the title song of a 1943 Broadway musical. Who wrote it? Answer: Rodgers and Hammerstein. Source: Wikipedia: Oklahoma (Rodgers and Hammerstein song)
  • Tennessee borders eight other states, a record it shares with one of them. Which one? Answer: Missouri. Source: Wikipedia: Tennessee
  • Texas is the second-largest state by area. Which state is larger? Answer: Alaska. Source: Wikipedia: Texas
  • Virginia has been called the Mother of Presidents. How many Virginians have served as president? Answer: Eight. Source: Wikipedia: Virginia
  • Washington, D.C. lies between Maryland and which other state? Answer: Virginia. Source: Wikipedia: Maryland; Wikipedia: Virginia
  • West Virginia is the Mountain State. Its Latin motto says that which people are always free? Answer: Mountaineers. Source: Wikipedia: West Virginia
  • What is the capital of Alabama? Answer: Montgomery. Source: Wikipedia: Alabama
  • What is the capital of Delaware? Answer: Dover. Source: Wikipedia: Delaware
  • What is the capital of Oklahoma? Answer: Oklahoma City. Source: Wikipedia: Oklahoma
  • What is the current nickname of Arkansas? Answer: The Natural State. Source: Wikipedia: Arkansas
  • What is the long, narrow strip at the northwestern corner of Oklahoma called? Answer: The Panhandle. Source: Wikipedia: Oklahoma Panhandle; Wikipedia: Oklahoma
  • What is the nickname of Florida? Answer: The Sunshine State. Source: Wikipedia: Florida
  • What is the nickname of Kentucky? Answer: The Bluegrass State. Source: Wikipedia: Kentucky
  • What is the nickname of North Carolina? Answer: The Tar Heel State. Source: Wikipedia: North Carolina
  • What is the official state sport of Texas? Answer: Rodeo. Source: Wikipedia: Texas
  • Which 1930 song by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell was adopted as the state song of Georgia in 1979? Answer: Georgia on My Mind. Source: Wikipedia: Georgia on My Mind
  • Which Alabama city, the site of the Marshall Space Flight Center, is nicknamed Rocket City? Answer: Huntsville. Source: Wikipedia: Huntsville, Alabama
  • Which capital of Tennessee is nicknamed Music City? Answer: Nashville. Source: Wikipedia: Nashville, Tennessee
  • Which city is both the capital and the largest city of Arkansas? Answer: Little Rock. Source: Wikipedia: Arkansas
  • Which city is both the capital and the largest city of Georgia? Answer: Atlanta. Source: Wikipedia: Georgia (U.S. state)
  • Which city is both the capital and the largest city of Mississippi? Answer: Jackson. Source: Wikipedia: Mississippi
  • Which city is the state capital of Florida? Answer: Tallahassee. Source: Wikipedia: Florida
  • Which city is the state capital of Louisiana? Answer: Baton Rouge. Source: Wikipedia: Louisiana
  • Which city is the state capital of Maryland? Answer: Annapolis. Source: Wikipedia: Maryland
  • Which city is the state capital of North Carolina? Answer: Raleigh. Source: Wikipedia: North Carolina
  • Which city is the state capital of South Carolina? Answer: Columbia. Source: Wikipedia: South Carolina
  • Which city is the state capital of Texas? Answer: Austin. Source: Wikipedia: Texas
  • Which city is the state capital of Virginia? Answer: Richmond. Source: Wikipedia: Virginia
  • Which city is the state capital of West Virginia? Answer: Charleston. Source: Wikipedia: West Virginia
  • Which Florida city, founded by Spanish settlers in 1565, is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the contiguous United States? Answer: St. Augustine. Source: Wikipedia: St. Augustine, Florida
  • Which flowering tree gives Mississippi its official nickname? Answer: The magnolia. Source: Wikipedia: Mississippi
  • Which fruit gives Georgia its best-known nickname? Answer: The peach. Source: Wikipedia: Georgia (U.S. state)
  • Which Kentucky army post sits beside the United States Bullion Depository, where a large part of the nation's gold reserve is kept? Answer: Fort Knox. Source: Wikipedia: Fort Knox
  • Which large grazing animal is the state mammal of Oklahoma? Answer: The American bison. Source: Wikipedia: Oklahoma
  • Which of these is a nickname of Maryland? Answer: The Old Line State. Source: Wikipedia: Maryland; Wikipedia: Virginia; Wikipedia: North Carolina
  • Which of these states does NOT border West Virginia? Answer: Tennessee. Source: Wikipedia: West Virginia
  • Which president was the architect of his own Virginia home, Monticello? Answer: Thomas Jefferson. Source: Wikipedia: Monticello
  • Which river defines the northern border of Kentucky? Answer: The Ohio River. Source: Wikipedia: Kentucky
  • Which river gorge in West Virginia became a national park and preserve on December 27, 2020? Answer: The New River Gorge. Source: Wikipedia: New River Gorge National Park and Preserve
  • Which river separates Georgia from South Carolina? Answer: The Savannah River. Source: Wikipedia: South Carolina
  • Which state lies directly north of North Carolina? Answer: Virginia. Source: Wikipedia: North Carolina
  • Which state lies directly south of Arkansas? Answer: Louisiana. Source: Wikipedia: Arkansas
  • Which state lies directly west of Alabama? Answer: Mississippi. Source: Wikipedia: Alabama
  • Which two states lie on the far side of the western boundary of Mississippi? Answer: Louisiana and Arkansas. Source: Wikipedia: Mississippi
  • Which two states share a land border with Florida? Answer: Alabama and Georgia. Source: Wikipedia: Florida
  • Why is Tennessee called the Volunteer State? Answer: For its strong tradition of military service. Source: Wikipedia: Tennessee

The Midwest 50

  • Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota, was named in 1873 after a chancellor of which country? Answer: Germany. Source: Wikipedia: Bismarck, North Dakota
  • The capital of Nebraska is named for which president? Answer: Abraham Lincoln. Source: Wikipedia: Lincoln, Nebraska
  • The house in the 1930 painting American Gothic, by Grant Wood, stands in the town of Eldon. Which state is it in? Answer: Iowa. Source: Wikipedia: American Gothic
  • Illinois is known as the Land of Lincoln. Which of these is another of its nicknames? Answer: The Prairie State. Source: Wikipedia: Illinois
  • Lansing is the capital of Michigan. Which city is the largest in the state? Answer: Detroit. Source: Wikipedia: Michigan
  • Madison is the capital of Wisconsin. Which city on Lake Michigan is the largest in the state? Answer: Milwaukee. Source: Wikipedia: Wisconsin
  • Michigan borders four of the five Great Lakes. Which one does it NOT touch? Answer: Lake Ontario. Source: Wikipedia: Michigan; Wikipedia: Lake Ontario
  • Michigan is the Great Lakes State. Which animal gives it another nickname? Answer: The wolverine. Source: Wikipedia: Michigan
  • Minnesota is known as the Land of how many lakes? Answer: 10,000. Source: Wikipedia: Minnesota
  • The Mississippi River begins at which lake in Minnesota? Answer: Lake Itasca. Source: Wikipedia: Lake Itasca; Wikipedia: Minnesota
  • The national park in the badlands of North Dakota is named after which president? Answer: Theodore Roosevelt. Source: Wikipedia: Theodore Roosevelt National Park
  • North Dakota and South Dakota joined the Union on the same day. In which year? Answer: 1889. Source: Wikipedia: South Dakota; Wikipedia: North Dakota
  • North Dakota is the Peace Garden State. The International Peace Garden sits on its border with which Canadian province? Answer: Manitoba. Source: Wikipedia: International Peace Garden
  • The Northwest Angle is the only part of the 48 contiguous states that lies north of the 49th parallel. Which state is it in? Answer: Minnesota. Source: Wikipedia: Minnesota
  • Ohio is called the Mother of Presidents. How many U.S. presidents were born there? Answer: Seven. Source: Wikipedia: Ohio
  • Ohio is the Buckeye State. What is a buckeye? Answer: A tree whose nut looks like the eye of a deer. Source: Wikipedia: Ohio; Wikipedia: Aesculus glabra
  • Rivers form almost all of Iowa's eastern and western borders, which is true of no other state. Which river is on the east? Answer: The Mississippi. Source: Wikipedia: Iowa
  • Taliesin, in Spring Green, Wisconsin, was the home and studio of which architect? Answer: Frank Lloyd Wright. Source: Wikipedia: Taliesin (studio); Wikipedia: Wisconsin
  • Topeka is the capital of which state? Answer: Kansas. Source: Wikipedia: Kansas
  • What are people from Indiana called? Answer: Hoosiers. Source: Wikipedia: Indiana
  • What is the best-known nickname of Missouri? Answer: The Show Me State. Source: Wikipedia: Missouri
  • What is the capital of Iowa? Answer: Des Moines. Source: Wikipedia: Iowa
  • What is the capital of Minnesota? Answer: Saint Paul. Source: Wikipedia: Minnesota
  • What is the name of the southeastern corner of Missouri, which extends south between the St. Francis and Mississippi rivers? Answer: The Bootheel. Source: Wikipedia: Missouri Bootheel; Wikipedia: Missouri
  • What is the nickname of Iowa? Answer: The Hawkeye State. Source: Wikipedia: Iowa; Wikipedia: Minnesota; Wikipedia: Wisconsin; Wikipedia: Michigan
  • What is the nickname of Nebraska? Answer: The Cornhusker State. Source: Wikipedia: Nebraska
  • What is the official nickname of South Dakota? Answer: The Mount Rushmore State. Source: Wikipedia: South Dakota
  • What sets the Nebraska Legislature apart from every other state legislature? Answer: It has only one chamber. Source: Wikipedia: Nebraska
  • Which Chicago skyscraper was the tallest building in the world when it opened in 1973 as the Sears Tower? Answer: Willis Tower. Source: Wikipedia: Willis Tower
  • Which city is the state capital of Illinois? Answer: Springfield. Source: Wikipedia: Illinois
  • Which city is the state capital of Missouri? Answer: Jefferson City. Source: Wikipedia: Missouri
  • Which city is the state capital of Ohio? Answer: Columbus. Source: Wikipedia: Ohio
  • Which city is the state capital of South Dakota? Answer: Pierre. Source: Wikipedia: South Dakota
  • Which five-mile-long bridge links the Upper and Lower peninsulas of Michigan? Answer: The Mackinac Bridge. Source: Wikipedia: Mackinac Bridge
  • Which flower gives Kansas its official nickname? Answer: The sunflower. Source: Wikipedia: Kansas
  • Which Great Lake lies along the northern edge of Ohio? Answer: Lake Erie. Source: Wikipedia: Ohio
  • Which Great Lake touches the northwest corner of Indiana? Answer: Lake Michigan. Source: Wikipedia: Indiana
  • Which national park in South Dakota protects sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles beside a wide mixed grass prairie? Answer: Badlands National Park. Source: Wikipedia: Badlands National Park
  • Which Ohio city on Lake Erie is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Answer: Cleveland. Source: Wikipedia: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
  • Which river splits South Dakota into halves that locals call East River and West River? Answer: The Missouri River. Source: Wikipedia: South Dakota
  • Which rock spire in western Nebraska was a landmark along the Oregon Trail? Answer: Chimney Rock. Source: Wikipedia: Chimney Rock National Historic Site
  • Which stainless steel monument, 630 feet tall, stands in St. Louis, Missouri? Answer: The Gateway Arch. Source: Wikipedia: Gateway Arch
  • Which state capital gives its name to a 500-mile car race held over Memorial Day weekend? Answer: Indianapolis. Source: Wikipedia: Indianapolis 500; Wikipedia: Indiana
  • Which state has the motto Crossroads of America? Answer: Indiana. Source: Wikipedia: Indiana
  • Which state lies directly east of North Dakota? Answer: Minnesota. Source: Wikipedia: North Dakota
  • Which state lies directly south of Kansas? Answer: Oklahoma. Source: Wikipedia: Kansas
  • Which two Great Lakes does Wisconsin touch? Answer: Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Source: Wikipedia: Wisconsin
  • Which two rivers form the southern borders of Illinois? Answer: The Wabash and the Ohio. Source: Wikipedia: Illinois
  • Which western folk song became the state song of Kansas in 1947? Answer: Home on the Range. Source: Wikipedia: Home on the Range
  • Wisconsin is the Badger State. Who were the first people there to be called badgers? Answer: Lead miners who sheltered in holes they had dug. Source: Wikipedia: Wisconsin

The West 52

  • Alaska touches one Canadian province, British Columbia, and one Canadian territory. Which territory? Answer: Yukon. Source: Wikipedia: Alaska
  • Arizona was the last of the 48 contiguous states to join the Union. In which year? Answer: 1912. Source: Wikipedia: Arizona
  • The blossom of which giant cactus is the state flower of Arizona? Answer: The saguaro. Source: Wikipedia: Saguaro
  • Boise is the capital of which state? Answer: Idaho. Source: Wikipedia: Idaho
  • The capital of Utah is named for the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere. Which lake is it? Answer: The Great Salt Lake. Source: Wikipedia: Great Salt Lake; Wikipedia: Utah
  • Cheyenne is the capital of which state? Answer: Wyoming. Source: Wikipedia: Wyoming
  • Colorado joined the Union on August 1, 1876. Which nickname marks that year? Answer: The Centennial State. Source: Wikipedia: Colorado; Wikipedia: United States Declaration of Independence
  • The highest mountain in North America stands in which state? Answer: Alaska. Source: Wikipedia: Denali
  • Hoover Dam stands on the boundary between Nevada and which other state? Answer: Arizona. Source: Wikipedia: Hoover Dam
  • Idaho shares a short border with which Canadian province? Answer: British Columbia. Source: Wikipedia: Idaho
  • Juneau is the capital of Alaska. Which city is the largest in the state? Answer: Anchorage. Source: Wikipedia: Alaska
  • The motto of Montana, the Treasure State, is Oro y Plata. What does it mean? Answer: Gold and silver. Source: Wikipedia: Montana
  • The nene is the state bird of Hawaii. What kind of bird is it? Answer: A goose. Source: Wikipedia: Nene (bird)
  • Nevada is also called the Battle Born State. Which war was being fought when it became a state in 1864? Answer: The Civil War. Source: Wikipedia: Nevada
  • Olympia is the capital of Washington state. Which city is the largest? Answer: Seattle. Source: Wikipedia: Washington (state)
  • On which island is Honolulu, the state capital of Hawaii? Answer: Oahu. Source: Wikipedia: Honolulu; Wikipedia: Hawaii
  • The one-word state motto of California comes from Greek and means I have found it. What is the word? Answer: Eureka. Source: Wikipedia: Eureka (word); Wikipedia: California; Wikipedia: New York (state); Wikipedia: Washington (state); Wikipedia: Maine
  • Phoenix is the capital and largest city of which state? Answer: Arizona. Source: Wikipedia: Arizona
  • The red sun symbol on the yellow flag of New Mexico comes from which Pueblo people? Answer: The Zia. Source: Wikipedia: Flag of New Mexico
  • The state fish of Hawaii is the humuhumunukunukuapuaa. What kind of fish is it? Answer: A reef triggerfish. Source: Wikipedia: Reef triggerfish
  • Three states have borders made only of straight lines, with no rivers or other natural features. Colorado and Wyoming are two. Which is the third? Answer: Utah. Source: Wikipedia: Colorado
  • Utah has a one-word state motto that suits its beehive emblem. What is it? Answer: Industry. Source: Wikipedia: Utah
  • What are the tall, thin rock spires of Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah called? Answer: Hoodoos. Source: Wikipedia: Bryce Canyon National Park
  • What is the capital of Montana? Answer: Helena. Source: Wikipedia: Montana
  • What is the nickname of Washington state? Answer: The Evergreen State. Source: Wikipedia: Washington (state)
  • What is the official nickname of Idaho? Answer: The Gem State. Source: Wikipedia: Idaho; Wikipedia: Nevada; Wikipedia: Montana; Wikipedia: Washington (state)
  • What is the official state sport of Alaska? Answer: Dog sledding. Source: Wikipedia: Alaska
  • What is unique about the state flag of Oregon? Answer: It has a different design on each side. Source: Wikipedia: Flag of Oregon
  • Which animal gives Oregon its nickname? Answer: The beaver. Source: Wikipedia: Oregon
  • Which animal walks across the state flag of California? Answer: A grizzly bear. Source: Wikipedia: Flag of California; Wikipedia: California grizzly bear
  • Which city is the state capital of California? Answer: Sacramento. Source: Wikipedia: California
  • Which city is the state capital of Nevada? Answer: Carson City. Source: Wikipedia: Nevada
  • Which city is the state capital of Oregon? Answer: Salem. Source: Wikipedia: Oregon
  • Which city, founded in 1610, is the oldest state capital in the United States? Answer: Santa Fe. Source: Wikipedia: Santa Fe, New Mexico
  • Which Idaho waterfall is sometimes called the Niagara of the West? Answer: Shoshone Falls. Source: Wikipedia: Shoshone Falls
  • Which is the southernmost state in the United States? Answer: Hawaii. Source: Wikipedia: Hawaii
  • Which metal gives Nevada its official nickname? Answer: Silver. Source: Wikipedia: Nevada
  • Which national park in Wyoming, ten miles south of Yellowstone, is named for the tallest mountain in its range? Answer: Grand Teton National Park. Source: Wikipedia: Grand Teton National Park
  • Which New Mexico city holds the largest hot air balloon festival in the world each October? Answer: Albuquerque. Source: Wikipedia: Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta; Wikipedia: New Mexico
  • Which of these Canadian provinces does NOT border Montana? Answer: Manitoba. Source: Wikipedia: Montana
  • Which open-air concert venue near Denver sits between giant sandstone rocks? Answer: Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Source: Wikipedia: Red Rocks Amphitheatre
  • Which paddle sport, first played on Bainbridge Island in 1965, became the official state sport of Washington in 2022? Answer: Pickleball. Source: Wikipedia: Pickleball
  • Which right did Wyoming grant to women in 1869, which led to its nickname the Equality State? Answer: The right to vote. Source: Wikipedia: Wyoming
  • Which river marks much of the eastern boundary of Oregon with Idaho? Answer: The Snake River. Source: Wikipedia: Oregon
  • Which state capital is nicknamed the Mile High City? Answer: Denver. Source: Wikipedia: Denver; Wikipedia: Colorado
  • Which state lies directly east of New Mexico? Answer: Texas. Source: Wikipedia: New Mexico
  • Which state lies directly north of Wyoming? Answer: Montana. Source: Wikipedia: Wyoming
  • Which state lies directly south of Washington state? Answer: Oregon. Source: Wikipedia: Washington (state)
  • Which state lies directly west of Arizona? Answer: California. Source: Wikipedia: Arizona
  • Which state lies directly west of Utah? Answer: Nevada. Source: Wikipedia: Utah
  • Which three states border California? Answer: Oregon, Nevada and Arizona. Source: Wikipedia: California
  • Which wildflower, chosen as the state flower of Montana in 1895, gave its name to a mountain range, a valley and a river? Answer: The bitterroot. Source: Wikipedia: Lewisia rediviva

Washington, DC 17

  • The District of Columbia is named for Columbia. Who or what is Columbia? Answer: A female figure who stands for the nation. Source: Wikipedia: Washington, D.C.; Wikipedia: Columbia (personification)
  • The famous cherry trees of Washington, DC, were a gift in 1912 from which country? Answer: Japan. Source: Wikipedia: National Cherry Blossom Festival
  • The flag of Washington, DC, has three red stars above two red bars. Whose family coat of arms is it based on? Answer: George Washington's. Source: Wikipedia: Flag of Washington, D.C.
  • How many presidential electors do the voters of Washington, DC, choose? Answer: Three. Source: Wikipedia: Washington, D.C.
  • In 1846 Congress made the federal district smaller by giving land back to one state. Which state? Answer: Virginia. Source: Wikipedia: Washington, D.C.
  • In which year did British forces burn the White House? Answer: 1814. Source: Wikipedia: Washington, D.C.
  • James Smithson, a British scientist, left the fortune that founded the Smithsonian Institution. How many times had he visited the United States? Answer: Never. Source: Wikipedia: James Smithson; Wikipedia: Smithsonian Institution
  • The Potomac has two major tributaries at Washington, DC. One is Rock Creek. What is the other? Answer: The Anacostia River. Source: Wikipedia: Washington, D.C.
  • Washington, DC, is part of which state? Answer: None of them. Source: Wikipedia: Washington, D.C.
  • What do the letters DC stand for in Washington, DC? Answer: District of Columbia. Source: Wikipedia: Washington, D.C.
  • What is the bronze statue on top of the Capitol dome called? Answer: The Statue of Freedom. Source: Wikipedia: Statue of Freedom
  • What is the street address of the White House? Answer: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Source: Wikipedia: White House
  • What shape is the Washington Monument? Answer: An obelisk. Source: Wikipedia: Washington Monument; National Park Service: Washington Monument
  • Which library in Washington, one of the largest in the world, was set up to serve Congress? Answer: The Library of Congress. Source: Wikipedia: Library of Congress
  • Which president sits in thought as a 19-foot statue inside his memorial on the National Mall? Answer: Abraham Lincoln. Source: Wikipedia: Lincoln Memorial
  • Who designed the plan for the city of Washington in 1791? Answer: Pierre Charles L'Enfant. Source: Wikipedia: Washington, D.C.; Wikipedia: Pierre Charles L'Enfant
  • Why does Washington, DC, have no skyscrapers? Answer: A federal law of 1910 limits building heights. Source: Wikipedia: Washington, D.C.

Flag, anthem and government 25

  • The attack on which fort inspired The Star-Spangled Banner? Answer: Fort McHenry. Source: Wikipedia: The Star-Spangled Banner
  • The first ten amendments to the Constitution are known together by what name? Answer: The Bill of Rights. Source: Wikipedia: United States Bill of Rights
  • The flag of the United States has 50 stars. How many stripes does it have? Answer: 13. Source: Wikipedia: Flag of the United States
  • Four states officially call themselves commonwealths. Three are Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Which is the fourth? Answer: Kentucky. Source: Wikipedia: Commonwealth (U.S. state)
  • How long is one term for a president of the United States? Answer: Four years. Source: Wikipedia: President of the United States
  • How many amendments have been added to the Constitution? Answer: 27. Source: Wikipedia: Constitution of the United States
  • How many branches does the federal government have? Answer: Three. Source: Wikipedia: Federal government of the United States
  • How many justices sit on the Supreme Court? Answer: Nine. Source: Wikipedia: Supreme Court of the United States
  • How many of the 50 states lie outside the contiguous United States? Answer: Two. Source: Wikipedia: Contiguous United States
  • How many senators does each state send to the U.S. Senate? Answer: Two. Source: Wikipedia: United States Senate
  • How many voting members sit in the U.S. House of Representatives? Answer: 435. Source: Wikipedia: United States House of Representatives
  • In which year did the flag of the United States get its 50th star? Answer: 1960. Source: Wikipedia: Flag of the United States; Wikipedia: Alaska; Wikipedia: Hawaii
  • In which year did The Star-Spangled Banner officially become the national anthem? Answer: 1931. Source: Wikipedia: The Star-Spangled Banner
  • In which year was the National Park Service formed? Answer: 1916. Source: Wikipedia: National Park Service
  • The largest national park in the United States is Wrangell-St. Elias. Which state is it in? Answer: Alaska. Source: Wikipedia: Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve
  • The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the United States from the people of which country? Answer: France. Source: Wikipedia: Statue of Liberty
  • Which animal is the national mammal of the United States? Answer: The American bison. Source: Wikipedia: American bison
  • Which document begins with the words We the People? Answer: The Constitution. Source: Wikipedia: Constitution of the United States
  • Which flower is the national floral emblem of the United States? Answer: The rose. Source: Wikipedia: National symbols of the United States
  • Which is the only national park of the United States that lies south of the equator? Answer: The National Park of American Samoa. Source: Wikipedia: National Park of American Samoa
  • Which phrase did Congress adopt as the national motto in 1956? Answer: In God We Trust. Source: Wikipedia: In God We Trust
  • Which piece of music is the personal anthem of the president of the United States? Answer: Hail to the Chief. Source: Wikipedia: Hail to the Chief
  • Which was the first national park in the United States? Answer: Yellowstone. Source: Wikipedia: Yellowstone National Park
  • Which was the last of the original 13 states to ratify the Constitution? Answer: Rhode Island. Source: Wikipedia: Rhode Island
  • Who composed The Stars and Stripes Forever, the national march? Answer: John Philip Sousa. Source: Wikipedia: The Stars and Stripes Forever

Rivers, peaks and parks 15

  • Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America. In which national park is it? Answer: Death Valley. Source: Wikipedia: Badwater Basin
  • The geographic center of all 50 states is about 20 miles north of the town of Belle Fourche. Which state is it in? Answer: South Dakota. Source: Wikipedia: Geographic center of the United States
  • The Grand Canyon in Arizona was cut by which river? Answer: The Colorado River. Source: Wikipedia: Grand Canyon
  • The Hudson River reaches the Atlantic Ocean at the harbor of which city? Answer: New York City. Source: Wikipedia: Hudson River
  • Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano on Earth by mass and volume. Which state is it in? Answer: Hawaii. Source: Wikipedia: Mauna Loa
  • The Ohio and the Missouri both flow into which river? Answer: The Mississippi. Source: Wikipedia: Mississippi River
  • Point Barrow is the northernmost point of the United States. Which state is it in? Answer: Alaska. Source: Wikipedia: Point Barrow
  • The Rocky Mountains stretch about 3,000 miles from western Canada to which state? Answer: New Mexico. Source: Wikipedia: Rocky Mountains
  • The tallest living tree, a coast redwood named Hyperion, grows in a national park in which state? Answer: California. Source: Wikipedia: Redwood National and State Parks
  • Which is the largest island in the United States? Answer: The island of Hawaii. Source: Wikipedia: Hawaii (island)
  • Which is the longest river in the United States? Answer: The Missouri. Source: USGS Open-File Report 87-242: Largest Rivers in the United States
  • Which is the shallowest of the Great Lakes? Answer: Lake Erie. Source: Wikipedia: Lake Erie
  • Which mountain range runs from Alabama through Maine and on into Canada? Answer: The Appalachians. Source: Wikipedia: Appalachian Mountains
  • Which national park in Florida can be reached only by boat or seaplane? Answer: Dry Tortugas. Source: Wikipedia: Dry Tortugas National Park
  • Which state has a longer coastline than all the other states put together? Answer: Alaska. Source: Wikipedia: Alaska
How this list was compiled

Written for this site from the pages named beside each question. Questions and wrong choices are our own, and each explanation restates facts from its page in our own sentences. Every answer was checked on 2026-09-19 against the English Wikipedia article linked on the question (https://en.wikipedia.org/). The four regions follow the United States Census Bureau regions as listed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_regions_of_the_United_States, with Washington, DC given a round of its own. The easy and hard levels are our own estimate. Six questions ask for a city that is both a state's capital and its largest city, and many explanations name a state's largest city; nothing else depends on a population figure. The longest river question follows the United States Geological Survey (https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1987/ofr87-242/), and the Washington Monument line was also read on the National Park Service page (https://www.nps.gov/wamo/). State capitals are asked in the grade packs on this site too, in other words. Each question also carries the date its page was last read (checkedOn). Licence: own work