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It’s time to test yourself with the ultimate USA trivia questions – see how well you know the United States in this US quiz now!
How good are you at your USA trivia? Do you know your US states from the founding fathers? What about naming all 45 presidents? If you think you know your Franklins from your Fitzgeralds, it’s time to take on my USA trivia questions! Be warned though, some of these are really tricky.
The United States is one of my favorite countries in the world. It is a place that has everything you could ever want from a country. From beautiful landscapes like the Grand Canyon to historic monuments like Mount Rushmore, it has it all and more. Then there’s all the delicious food, the music scene, American sports. I mean, I could go on and on here.
Whenever I get to a new state, I always ask a million questions. I always want to know what the population is, what’s the state famous for and why? Who the big sports teams are? I just think it’s such a good way of learning all about America.
That’s why I wanted to come up with USA quiz questions and answers, to highlight some of the best facts about America. These really are some of the best American trivia questions around, so I hope you like them.
If you love quizzes as much as I do, see how many of these US trivia questions and answers you can get right.
Also, if you fancy hosting your own virtual quiz, maybe you can use some of these questions.
If you enjoy this quiz, make sure you check out the Ultimate Travel Quiz and my very difficult Countries Quiz too. These are two of my most popular quizzes, so see how you do on your world knowledge after you’ve finished this one!
If you’re looking for some other fun quizzes to do, then make sure you check out my other site Ultimate Quiz Questions. This site is packed with the world’s best quizzes on every topic, so enjoy!
And if you need a little inspiration or information, check out my other site Fun Facts About. This website is full of interesting facts that’ll blow your mind, so take a look now!
Contents:
30 USA General Knowledge Questions
1. To start us off with a topical one, which 15th century sailor is said to have “discovered” America?
2. And on that subject, in what year was America discovered?
3. What was the date for the US declaration of independence from the British empire?
4. By land size, what is the smallest US state?
5. Who was the first president to live in the White House?
6. What state is Mount Rushmore located in?
7. By size, what is the largest lake in America?
8. What state is also known as ‘Finlandia’ because it looks a lot like Finland?
9. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from which country?
10. How many stars are on the American flag?
11. What year was John F. Kennedy assassinated?
12. Which US President was born in Hawaii in 1961?
13. The Baseball World Series was first contested in which year – 1883, 1893 or 1903?
14. Known as ‘Motor City’ what is the actual name of this American city?
15. What is the longest river in the United States?
16. Which is the only US state to have one syllable in its name?
17. How many territories does USA have? (1 point for each)
18. What is the tallest mountain in the US?
19. What does DC stand for in Washington D.C?
20. What is the national animal of the USA? (1 point for each)
21. What was the name of New York before it was officially called New York?
22. What is the most populated state in America?
23. What is the most popular national park in America?
24. Who was the first American to land on the moon?
25. Who did James Earl Ray assassinate in Memphis in April 1968?
26. What was the first school founded in the United States?
27. When did Disneyland in California first open up to the public – 1945, 1955 or 1965?
28. Where was the first American World Fair held in 1853?
29. How many Super Bowls has Tom Brady won?
30. Lastly, as a bit of a wild guess, how many pizzas do you think Americans eat per year? (Within the nearest 100,000…)
USA trivia: Picture round & flags
So, how many of these US trivia questions do you think you got right? Did you enjoy the US picture quiz too? Did you find it easy or hard?
Right, it’s time for the answers. Fingers crossed you got more than 50%! And remember, it’s all about learning something new!
Plan your own quiz night
These are a few of my favourite quiz books that I use to plan fun trivia nights with friends:
USA quiz: Questions and answers
1. To start us off with a topical one, which 15th century sailor is said to have “discovered” America? Christopher Columbus. He wasn’t the first person to discover America, but he was considered to be the first person to introduce American to western/European culture.
2. And on that subject, in what year was America discovered? It was in 1492
3. What was the date for the US declaration of independence from the British empire? This is one everyone should know! It was the 4th July 1776.
4. By land size, what is the smallest US state? With only 1,045 square miles, Rhode Island is the smallest US state. This is one of my favorite US states trivia questions by far!
5. Who was the first president to live in the White House? It was John Adams. Everyone thinks it was George Washington as he was the first US president, but it was actually John Adams as the White House wasn’t built yet.
6. What state is Mount Rushmore located in? South Dakota. This is where you’ll find the monument to the Found Fathers of the United States of America. This is one of those questions about USA that everyone should know but probably doesn’t!
7. By size, what is the largest lake in America? Lake Superior covers an area of 31,700 square miles. A lot of people think this answer is Lake Michigan, but that has an area of 22,404 square miles so it’s actually a lot smaller.
8. What state is also known as ‘Finlandia’ because it looks a lot like Finland? That’s Minnesota. You can see why in my blog post here!
9. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from which country? France gifted the statue to the people of the United States in 1886.
10. How many stars are on the American flag? 50, one for each of the 50 US states
11. What year was John F. Kennedy assassinated? 22 November 1963 by Lee Harvey Oswald.
12. Which US President was born in Hawaii in 1961? Barack Obama. You got this one, right?
13. The Baseball World Series was first contested in which year – 1883, 1893 or 1903? It was way back in 1903.
14. Known as ‘Motor City’ what is the actual name of this American city? It’s Detroit! Detroit has been long recognized as the historic heart of the American automotive industry, partly because Henry Ford pioneered the use of the assembly line in manufacturing Ford cars.
15. What is the longest river in the United States? At 2,565 miles, the Missouri River is the longest river in the States.
16. Which is the only US state to have one syllable in its name? Maine. This is one of my favorite USA questions and answers!
17. How many territories does USA have? (1 point for each) The US has 5 permanently inhabited territories. These are Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands in the North Pacific Ocean, and American Samoa in the South Pacific Ocean.
18. What is the tallest mountain in the US? At 6,194 meters (20,320 ft), Denali (also known as Mount McKinley) in Alaska is the tallest mountain in the States.
19. What does D.C stand for in Washington D.C? District of Columbia. Lots of people think Washington D.C is a state but it’s actually a district.
20. What is the national animal of the USA? (1 point for each). Technically there are 2. The American bald eagle is the national bird, and recently in 2016 the bison was added as the national mammal.
21. What was the name of New York before it was officially called New York? It was actually called New Amsterdam as the settled in Manhattan before the English.
22. What is the most populated state in America? That’s California with a population of 39.5 million people.
23. What is the most popular national park in America? You may think the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone National Park, but sitting at the top in number 1 is the Great Smokey Mountains National Park which draws over 11 million visitors per year.
24. Who was the first American to land on the moon? That was of course Neil Armstrong on the 24th July, 1969.
25. Who did James Earl Ray assassinate in Memphis in April 1968? Martin Luther King
26. What was the first school founded in the United States? Harvard was founded in 1636 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it’s still one of the best schools in the country today.
27. When did Disneyland in California first open up to the public – 1945, 1955 or 1965? That was 1955. Imagine how quiet it would’ve been then!
28. Where was the first American World Fair held in 1853? It was in New York City. Other cities include Philadelphia (1876), Chicago (1893), St. Louis (1904) and San Fransisco (1915), but the one in New York was first.
29. How many Super Bowls has Tom Brady won? Brady has won an incredible 6 Super Bowls making him the most successful quarterback of all time.
30. Lastly, as a bit of a wild guess, how many pizzas do you think Americans eat per year? (Within the nearest 100,000…) It’s thought that Americans consume over 3 billion pizzas in total each year. If you got anywhere near that one then very well done!
USA quiz: Picture round answers
(Name the landmark = 1 point)
1. Golden Gate Bridge, San Fransisco
2. Space Needle, Seattle
3. Liberty Bell, Philadelphia
4. Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Washington D.C
5. Cloud Gate, Chicago
USA quiz: US state flag answers
(US state flag= 1 point)
1. California
2. Arizona
3. Colorado
4. Maryland
5. Hawaii
6. Missouri
7. Wyoming
8. New Mexico
9. New York
10. Florida
In total there are 50 points up for grabs in this American general knowledge quiz. The question is, how many did you get right? You can let me know in the comments below!
Did you enjoy my USA trivia questions and answers? If so, make sure you share it with your friends and family! Test them and see how they do. I bet you can beat them though!
And don’t forget you can take the Ultimate Travel Quiz and my very difficult Countries Quiz too. If you enjoyed these US trivia questions, then you’ll love these quizzes too!
Plan your own quiz night
These are a few of my favourite quiz books that I use to plan fun trivia nights with friends:
Great quiz, Maccca! One detail, though: D.C. stands for District of Columbia, not Colombia. With tropical greetings from Indonesia, Frank
Oppps, good spot. Thanks Frank!
Question 24 is technically incorrect. Neil Armstrong was the first to WALK on the moon but Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were simultaneously the first two people to LAND on the moon as they were both in the lunar module.
Very good point here Robert! I’ll be sure to update the quiz, but you are right!
Great quiz – Just one point on Q26. “What was the first school founded in the United States? Harvard was founded in 1636 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it’s still one of the best schools in the country today.” Harvard is indeed the oldest shool in the United States. However as it was founded before 1776 it cannot be said to be the first school founded in the United States. That would be the first school founded after 1776. (Don’t ask, I have no idea.)
That’s an interesting point I hadn’t thought of before. I guess it comes down to when the United States was formally recognised as a country and not just the Americas. I quote like that, bit of a trick question!
Hey! Just want to point out that the answer explanation for question 6 is technically incorrect.
Mount Rushmore features George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Only Washington and Jefferson are considered to be Founding Fathers.