1. Which US state is famous as home to the Grand Canyon?
Arizona
The Grand Canyon, carved by the Colorado River, lies mostly within the state of Arizona.
2. Which city is the capital of the United States?
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. is the nation's capital and is not part of any state.
3. Which US state is the largest by area?
Alaska
Alaska is by far the largest US state by area, even though it has a small population.
4. Which river forms much of the border between the United States and Mexico?
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande flows along much of the border between the US and Mexico before reaching the Gulf of Mexico.
5. Which mountain range runs down the western United States, through states like Colorado and Montana?
The Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains stretch from New Mexico up through Canada, forming a spine down the western US.
6. Which mountain range runs through the eastern United States, from Georgia up to Maine?
The Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains are an old, worn down range running along the eastern side of the country.
7. How many Great Lakes sit on the US-Canada border?
Five
The five Great Lakes are Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario, often remembered with the word HOMES.
8. Which of the Great Lakes lies entirely within the United States, rather than being shared with Canada?
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is the only one of the five Great Lakes located entirely inside the United States.
9. What is the capital of New York State?
Albany
Albany is the capital of New York State, even though New York City is much bigger and more famous.
10. What is the capital of California?
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of California, even though Los Angeles and San Francisco are better known cities.
11. Which desert covers much of the south western United States, including parts of California, Arizona and Nevada?
The Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert is a hot, dry desert in the south western United States, known for Joshua trees and Death Valley.
12. Which is the only US state made up entirely of islands?
Hawaii
Hawaii is a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean and the only US state that is entirely islands.
13. The Continental Divide, running along the Rocky Mountains, separates rivers that flow toward which two things?
The Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean
Water falling on one side of the Continental Divide eventually reaches the Pacific Ocean, and on the other side it flows toward the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico.
14. Which river, the second longest in the US, joins the Mississippi River near St. Louis after crossing the Great Plains?
The Missouri River
The Missouri River flows for about 2,341 miles across the Great Plains before joining the Mississippi River near St. Louis.
15. On which date is US independence celebrated each year?
July 4th
The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, which is why Independence Day falls on that date.
16. Which document, adopted in 1776, declared that the thirteen colonies were breaking away from Great Britain?
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence, adopted in 1776, announced that the thirteen colonies considered themselves a free, independent country.
17. Which war was fought between the northern and southern United States from 1861 to 1865?
The Civil War
The American Civil War was fought mainly over slavery and whether southern states could leave the Union.
18. Which ship carried the Pilgrims from England to what is now Massachusetts in 1620?
The Mayflower
The Mayflower carried English settlers, known as Pilgrims, across the Atlantic to found Plymouth Colony in 1620.
19. Which document, written in 1787, set out the structure and rules of the US federal government and is still used today?
The Constitution
The US Constitution, written in 1787, set up the three branches of government and remains the country's founding legal document.
20. Who was President of the United States during the Civil War?
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln led the Union through the Civil War and signed the Emancipation Proclamation, aimed at ending slavery.
21. In which year did the United States declare its independence from Great Britain?
1776
The thirteen colonies declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776.
22. Which 1963 speech, given by Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington, D.C., is remembered for its vision of racial equality?
"I Have a Dream"
Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech during the 1963 March on Washington.
23. Rosa Parks became famous in 1955 for refusing to do what?
Give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger
Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama, helped spark the wider Civil Rights Movement.
24. Which 1969 mission landed the first humans on the Moon?
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon in July 1969, while Michael Collins orbited above.
25. Which US space agency, founded in 1958, runs the country's space missions?
NASA
NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was founded in 1958 and has run US space exploration ever since.
26. Before the United States existed, the land along the east coast was divided into how many British colonies?
Thirteen
Thirteen British colonies along the Atlantic coast joined together to declare independence and later formed the United States.
27. Which 1954 Supreme Court case ruled that racially segregated public schools were unconstitutional?
Brown v. Board of Education
In Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that separate schools for Black and white students were unconstitutional.
28. Which proclamation, issued by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, declared enslaved people in Confederate states to be free?
The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation declared enslaved people in the rebelling Confederate states free, though slavery was not abolished nationwide until the 13th Amendment.
29. Which English colony in Virginia, founded in 1607, was the first permanent English settlement in America?
Jamestown
Jamestown, founded in 1607 in Virginia, was the first permanent English settlement in what became the United States.
30. Who was the first American to travel into space, in 1961?
Alan Shepard
Alan Shepard made a brief flight in 1961, becoming the first American in space, shortly after the Soviet Union sent the first human into orbit.
31. The US government is split into three branches. Which branch makes the laws?
The legislative branch
The legislative branch, which is Congress, is responsible for writing and passing laws.
32. Which branch of government is led by the President?
The executive branch
The executive branch, headed by the President, is responsible for carrying out and enforcing the laws.
33. Which branch of government includes the courts and decides whether laws follow the Constitution?
The judicial branch
The judicial branch, topped by the Supreme Court, decides whether laws and actions follow the Constitution.
34. What are the two chambers of the US Congress called?
The Senate and the House of Representatives
Congress is made up of two chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
35. How many senators does each US state get, no matter its population?
Two
Every state gets exactly two senators, giving smaller states equal footing with larger ones in the Senate.
36. Unlike the Senate, how many representatives a state gets in the House depends mostly on what?
The state's population
States with more people get more seats in the House of Representatives, while every state gets the same two senators.
37. What is the name for the system where each branch of government can limit the power of the others?
Checks and balances
Checks and balances mean no single branch, the legislative, executive or judicial, can become too powerful on its own.
38. Which court sits at the top of the US judicial branch and has the final say on whether a law is constitutional?
The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the country and its rulings on the Constitution cannot be appealed.
39. Before a bill passed by Congress becomes law, who must normally sign it?
The President
A bill passed by both the House and Senate is normally sent to the President to sign into law, though Congress can override a veto.
40. What is it called when the President refuses to sign a bill and sends it back to Congress?
A veto
A veto lets the President block a bill, though Congress can still make it law by passing it again with a two thirds majority in both chambers.
41. Which unit do Americans commonly use to measure short lengths, like the height of a book?
Inches
Inches are a common US customary unit for short lengths, with 12 inches making one foot.
42. Which temperature scale is used for everyday weather reports in the United States?
Fahrenheit
The US uses the Fahrenheit scale for everyday temperatures, unlike most other countries, which use Celsius.
43. How many inches make up one foot?
12
There are 12 inches in a foot, and 3 feet make one yard.
44. Which unit do Americans typically use to measure body weight?
Pounds
In the US, weight is usually measured and reported in pounds rather than kilograms.
45. About how many miles is 1 kilometer?
About 0.6 miles
A kilometer is shorter than a mile. One kilometer is roughly 0.6 of a mile, and one mile is roughly 1.6 kilometers.
46. At what Fahrenheit temperature does water freeze?
32°F
Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the same as 0 degrees Celsius.
47. At what Fahrenheit temperature does water boil at sea level?
212°F
Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit at sea level, the same point as 100 degrees Celsius.
48. About how many pounds is one kilogram?
About 2.2 pounds
A kilogram is heavier than a pound. One kilogram is roughly 2.2 pounds.
49. How many feet make up one yard, a unit often used to measure a football field?
3
One yard equals 3 feet, and a football field is 100 yards long between the goal lines.
50. How many pounds are in one US ton, sometimes called a short ton?
2,000 pounds
A US short ton is 2,000 pounds. This is different from the UK's long ton, which is 2,240 pounds.