WASHINGTON, D.C.1) The population of Washington, D.C. (the city
itself) is about _________. 0.5 millionThe population of the city
in 2006 was about 581,000 people. The whole metropolitan area has
more than 8 million.
1.5 million 2.5 million 3.5 million 2) Washington, D.C. lies on
the river _________. Columbia HudsonNew York City lies on the
Hudson River.
Potomac x - none of the above 3) Washington, D.C. lies within
the borders of the state of _________. Maryland VirginiaA part of
D.C. was originally taken from the state of Virginia.
Washington x - none of the aboveThe city of Washington lies in
D.C., which is a district that doesn't belong to any American
state. The land was originally taken from Virginia and Maryland.
The part located to the south of the Potomac, however, has been
returned to Virginia.
4) The site for Washington, D.C. was personally chosen by
_________. Abraham Lincoln George WashingtonGeorge Washington
picked the site himself
Pierre L'Enfant Thomas Jefferson 5) The 'C' in D.C. stands for
_________. Capital
City ColumbiaD.C. = District of Columbia
x - none of the above 6) Congress moved to Washington, D.C. from
_________. Boston New York PhiladelphiaCongress moved to Washington
D.C. from Philadelphia in 1800.
Pittsburgh 7) The role of Washington, D.C. as the national
capital started in _________. 1776This is when the Declaration of
Independence was written. There was no D.C. then.
1790 1800In 1800, US Congress moved to Washington, D.C. together
with most important government offices. It was also a year when the
first president moved into the White House.
1821 8) Which of the following is not in Washington, D.C.?
_________ Arlington National Cemetery Washington Monument the
Pentagon the United Nations HeadquartersThe UN Headquarters are in
New York City. However, the Pentagon and Arlington National
Cemetery are ACTUALLY IN VIRGINIA, they are located to the south of
the Potomac and this part of D.C. has been returned to the state of
Virginia.
9) There is a law that prevents the building of _________ in
Washington, D.C. outdoor swimming pools shopping malls
skyscrapersThere is a law, the Height of Buildings Act, which
limits the height of buildings. Originally no buildings could be
higher than the Capitol, but today the limit is more complicated
(and involves the width of the street where it is built).
the subway system 10) Washington, D.C. _________ in the world.
has the largest libraryThe Library of Congress is said to be the
largest in the world (by shelf space).
has the tallest monumentThe tallest monument is said to be the
Gateway Arch (Jefferson National Expansion Memorial) in Missouri.
It is 630 feet tall (192 m). Washington monument is the tallest
obelisk in the world (555 feet, 169 m)
is the smallest capital is the youngest capital
USA1) The USA consists of _________. 48 states 50 statesThere
are 50 states, 48 continental ones Alaska Hawaii. Washington D.C.
is NOT a state.
51 states 52 states 2) The population of the USA is about
_________. 100 million 200 million 300 millionIn 2004 the
population was 293 million.
400 million 3) The highest mountain in the USA is _________. Mt
Logan Mt McKinleyMt McKinley in Alaska is 6194 m high.
Mt Rainier Mt Whitney
4) Which of these lakes does not lie on the border between the
USA and Canada. Lake Erie Lake Huron Lake MichiganThe whole of Lake
Michigan is in the United States, unlike the other four great
lakes.
Lake Superior 5) Which of the following was the first American
national park? Everglades Grand Canyon YellowstoneYellowstone
National Park was established in 1872 and it was the first national
park in the USA and in the world.
Yosemite 6) Which mountain range is in the east of the USA? The
Appalachian MountainsThe Appalachians are in the east of the
USA.
The Cascade Range The Rocky MountainsThe 'Rockies' are in the
west of the USA.
The Sierra Nevada 7) In which of the following states would you
probably hear the 'Southern accent'? CaliforniaCALIFORNIA is in the
WEST of the USE.
Georgiathe 'Southern accent' is spoken in the 'South' (Georgia,
Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana etc.).
Massachusetts South Dakota 8) Which of the following is not an
American state?
Alaska Hawaii New Mexico OntarioONTARIO is a Canadian province
and a lake on the border between the USA and Canada.
9) The Rio Grande flows into _________. The Atlantic Ocean The
Gulf of California The Gulf of MexicoThe RIO GRANDE flows into the
Gulf of Mexico.
The Pacific Ocean 10) The American national anthem is called
_________. God Save the President In God We Trust The Star Spangled
BannerTHE STAR SPANGLED BANNER has been the national anthem of the
USA since 1931.
The Stars and Stripes
NEW YORK1) New York City is the capital of _________. the USA
the state of New Jersey the state of New York x - none of the
aboveNEW YORK is the capital of the art world, finance... and some
people say that 'New York is the capital of the world'.
2) The population of the urban area of New York City is almost
_________. 11 million 19 millionthe city itself has a population of
about 13 million, the urban area has a population of about 18,5
million
26 million 6 million 3) Which of the following is not one of the
five boroughs of New York: Brooklyn Queens Rhode IslandRHODE ISLAND
is the smallest American state, not a part of New York City, it
lies between Massachusetts and Connecticut. The five boroughs of
New York City are: Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten
Island
the Bronx 4) The first European settlement in Manhattan was
_________. British DutchIn 1614, Dutch colonists founded a
settlement on the southern tip of Manhattan, called NEW
AMSTERDAM.
French Spanish 5) Which of these is not a nickname for New York
City: Gotham The Big Apple The City that Never Sleeps The Cradle of
LibertyTHE CRADLE OF LIBERTY is a nickname of Philadelphia or
Boston.
6) The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the _________. British
Dutch FrenchThe Statue of Liberty was presented to the United
States by France in 1886.
Indians 7) Many people go to _________ on New Year's Eve.
Central Park Liberty Island
Madison Square Gardens Times SquareTimes Square has been the
place of the main New Year's Eve celebration in New York since the
beginning of the 20th century. Hundreds of thousands people come
here every year to celebrate.
8) _________ is known as a major black cultural and business
center. Broadway Greenwich Village HarlemHarlem is a neighborhood
in Manhattan, it has always been connected with black culture (and
often with poverty and crime).
SoHo 9) Wall Street got its name because _________. Waal is a
Dutch word for 'money' there are buildings with high walls there is
a wall with the names of people who died in the war in Vietnam
there was once a wall to protect the settlement against attacks of
IndiansThe Dutch built the wall because they feared attack from
Indians and the British, the wall is gone now but the name
remains.
10) The place where the World Trade Center used to stand is now
sometimes called _________. Area 51 Flushing Meadows Ground
Zero'ground zero' is a point of detonation of a nuclear weapon, but
the term was quickly adopted by the media for the site of World
Trade Center after it was destroyed
Murray Hill
CALIFORNIA1) California lies _________. in the Rocky Mountains
on the Gulf of Mexico on the east coast of the USA on the west
coast of the USA
California lies on the Pacific coast, of course.
2) The capital of California is _________. Los AngelesLOS
ANGELES is the largest city in California, not the capital
though.
San Diego San Francisco x - none of the aboveThe capital of
California State is SACRAMENTO, and has been since 1854.
3) California is the _________ state in the USA. largest most
populousThe population of California State is more than 35 million
inhabitants, which makes it the most populous state in the USA.
newestCalifornia is definitely not the newest state. The newest
ones are Hawaii (since August 1959) and Alaska (since January
1959). California was admitted into the Union in 1850.
oldest 4) What is the official nickname of California? The
Golden StateThe official nickname is THE GOLDEN STATE, mostly
because of the California Gold Rush (1848 1852).
The Sunflower State The Sunshine State x - none of the above 5)
One of the symbols of California State is _________. the bald eagle
the coyote the grizzlyThe grizzly bear symbol can be seen on the
flag of The California Republic and on the great seal.
the moose
6) Which of the following is not a Californian national park?
Grand CanyonGrand Canyon lies in the State of Arizona.
Joshua Tree Sequoia Yosemite 7) The highest mountain in
California is _________. Mount Logan Mount McKinley Mount St.
Helens Mount WhitneyMount Whitney (14,505 ft / 4,421 m) is the
highest mountain in the contiguous USA.
8) The estuary of which river lies in California? The Colorado
The Columbia The Rio Grande x - none of the aboveThe Colorado flows
to Baja California which is in Mexico, The Rio Grande flows to the
Gulf of Mexico and the estuary of the Columbia is in Washington
State.
9) Los Angeles is the _________ city in the USA. fourth largest
largest second largestThe largest city in the US is NEW YORK CITY,
L.A. is the second (both by population and area)
third largest 10) Who is the current (2009) Governor of
California? Arnold Schwarzeneggerthe famous movie star Arnold
Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California in 2003 and
re-elected in 2006.
Brad Pitt Jean-Claude Van Damme
Sylvester Stallone
IRELAND1) Ireland is the full name of _________. a part of the
UK a republicthe full name of the Republic is "The Republic of
Ireland"
a union an island"Ireland" is the full name of the island, the
third largest island in Europe
2) Which of these colours is NOT on the Irish flag? green orange
redThere are three vertical stripes, from the left: green, white,
orange. There is no RED.
white 3) Who is the patron saint of Ireland? St. Nicholas St.
PatrickSt. Patrick was a Christian missionary and became the patron
saint of Ireland.
St. Peter St. Wenceslas 4) What is a 'shamrock'? a Celtic cross
a city in Ireland a three-leaf cloverit is the three-leafed clover,
a symbol of Ireland
an Irish dance 5) The population of Ireland is _________.
about 10 million about 14 million about 18 million about 6
millionThe Republic of Ireland's population is about 4.2 million,
the population of Northern Ireland is about 2 million. The
population of the whole island is about 6 million.
6) In the 1840s many Irish people died or left Ireland because
of _________. a flood hungerThere was a great famine in 1845-1849 -
potato crops were infected and people lost their major food source.
As a result, many people died and many emigrated to the USA, Canada
etc.
political problems religious problems 7) A typical Irish family
name _________. ends with -sanin Japan they ad SAN after a name as
a title (Mr. Smith = Smithsan)
ends with -son is Smith starts with O'Typical Irish names start
with O' - O'Brian, O'Connor, etc. O' originally meant GRANDSON OF.
Another typical prefix is Mac - which means SON OF (MacDonald
etc.)
8) 'Hurling' is a typical Irish _________. dish drink musical
instrument sportHurling is an outdoor team sport of Gaelic
origin
9) The Republic of Ireland has been independent since the
_________. 1890s 1920sIreland gained independence in 1921 following
the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty .
1940s 1960s 10) Which of these writers was NOT Irish? G. B. Shaw
Jonathan SwiftJonathan Swift was an Irish cleric and a writer, he
was born in Dublin.
Oscar Wilde x - all of them were IrishAll of the above were
Irish writers.
AUSTRALIA1) 'Australia' is _________. a continentAustralia is
the smallest continent.
a monarchy an island x - all of the aboveAlhough you could say
that Australia is a monarchy, you can definitely not consider
Australia to be an island.
2) The full name of the country known as 'Australia' is
_________. The Australian UnionAustralia is a federation, but the
name is not 'Australian Union'.
The Commonwealth of AustraliaThe name of the country is THE
COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA, it was formed in 1901.
The Republic of Australia The United States of Australia 3)
Which of the following is the flag of Australia?
This is the flag of New Zealand.
This is the flag of Australia - a blue field with the Union Flag
in the upper left-hand corner, and a large white sevenpointed star
(known as the Commonwealth Star) below. On the right there is the
Southern Cross constellation(four seven-pointed stars and one
smaller, five-pointed star).
4) Which of the following is a colloquial term for Australia?
Down Below Oz'OZ' is one of the nicknames of Australia, another
nickname is 'DOWN UNDER'.
The Outback Uluru 5) The capital of Australia is _________.
Botany Bay CanberraCanberra, located in the ACT (Australian Capital
Territory), is the capital of Australia. 'Canberra' is also an
aboriginal word meaning 'a meeting place'.
Melbourne Sydney 6) The population of Australia is about
_________ million. 20The population of Australia in 2007 was about
21 million.
40 60 80 7) Which of the following is not an Australian
state?
New South Wales Nova ScotiaNOVA SCOTIA is a province in
Canada.
Queensland TasmaniaTasmania is an Australian state, the capital
is Hobart.
8) The first Europeans to 'discover' Australia were _________.
the DutchThe Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon was the first European
to see Australia, it was in 1606.
the English the French the Spanish 9) _________ claimed
Australia as British territory. Abel 'Tasman' Cook James CookJames
Cook was a British explorer, he first landed in Botany Bay in 1770,
mapped the western coast and claimed it for Britain.
Mount Cook Thomas Cook 10) 'Wombat' is an Australian _________.
aboriginal animalWOMBAT is a small Australian marsupial with short
legs and a small tail.
holy place kind of boat
NEW ZEALAND1) Which of the following is the flag of New
Zealand?
This is the flag of New Zealand - a blue field with the Union
Flag in the upper left-hand corner. On the right there is the
Southern Cross constellation (four red five-pointed stars with a
white lining).
2) The name 'New Zealand' was given to the land by _________.
Abel TasmanThe Dutch sailor Abel Tasman named the land NEW ZEELAND
(Sea Land) in 1642
James CookJames Cook came to New Zealand and mapped it between
1769-1777.
Queen Elizabeth I. Willem Jansz 3) The population of New Zealand
is about _________. 2 million 4 millionThe 2007 estimate is 4,2
million.
6 million 8 million 4) The capital of New Zealand is _________.
Auckland Christchurch Dunedin WellingtonWellington has been the
capital of New Zealand since 1865.
5) The largest city in New Zealand is _________. AucklandThe
population of the urban area is about 1.3 million.
Christchurch Hamilton Wellington 6) New Zealand officially
became a part of the UK in _________. 1642 1770 1840Treaty of
Waitangi was signed in February 1840 - ensuring British sovereignty
and Maori rights.
1910 7) New Zealand was the first country in the world to let
women _________. drive cars join the armed forces play rugby voteIn
1893 women were allowed to vote in New Zealand, which makes it the
first country in the world!
8) New Zealand has _________ official languages. 1 2 3The
official languages of New Zealand are English, Maori (since 1987)
and sign languagage (since 2006).
4 9) 'Tuatara' is a _________. bird reptileA TUATARA is a unique
greenish brown reptile that is equally related to lizards and
snakes.
tree
volcano 10) The name of the traditional Maori war dance is
_________. HakaHAKA is a traditional Maori dance famous especially
thanks to THE ALL BLACKS (an international Rugby team from New
Zealand)
Pakeha Rotorua Uluru
CANADA1) The full name of the country is _________. CanadaThe
name of the country is simply CANADA.
The Commonwealth of Canada The Republic of Canada The United
States of Canada 2) Canada is the _________ country in the world.
fourth largest largest second largestCanada is the second largest
country in the world (9,984,670 square km), the first is
RUSSIA.
third largest 3) The word "canada" comes from a native American
word that means "_". forest home meeting place villageThe word
CANADA comes from St. Lawrence Iroquoian word 'kanata' which means
"village" or "settlement."
4) The population of Canada is almost _________. 20 million
35 millionThe 2007 estimate is about 33 million.
55 million 70 million 5) The capital of Canada is _________.
Montreal OttawaOttawa was chosen to be the capital by Queen
Victoria in 1857.
Toronto Vancouver 6) Canada consists of _________. 10 provinces
and 2 territories 10 provinces and 3 territories10 Provinces
(British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec,
Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia,
Newfoundland and Labrador) and 3 territories (Yukon, Northwest
Territories, Nunavut).
12 provinces and 1 territory 14 provinces and 2 territories 7)
Which of the following is NOT in Canada: New Brunswick New South
WalesNEW SOUTH WALES is an Australian state
Newfoundland Nova Scotia 8) Which of the following is a symbol
of Canada: a maple leafTHE MAPLE LEAF is one of the official
symbols of Canada, it is also included in the flag.
a thistle a three-leaf clover mistletoe 9) How many official
languages are there?
1 2There are two official languages in Canada - English and
French.
3 4 10) Which of the following about Canada is NOT true? The
highest mountain is Mt Logan. The largest city is Montreal.The
largest Canadian city is TORONTO (about 5 million people), not
Montreal. However, this question is a little tricky, because
actually the LARGEST LAKE ENTIRELY IN CANADA is GREAT BEAR LAKE.
Lake SUPERIOR is larger, but the Canadian portion is smaller than
GREAT BEAR LAKE.
The largest lake is Lake Superior. The longest river is the
Mackenzie.
Places in UK1) Loch Lomond is the largest lake in _________.
EnglandLoch Lomond is in Scotland, not England.
Great BritainLoch Lomond, Scotland, 71 square kilometres -
largest lake in Great Britain.
the British Isles the United Kingdom 2) The highest mountain in
the UK, Ben Nevis, is between _________ metres high. 1000-1500Ben
Nevis is actually lower than Snka. It's 1344 meters high.
1500-2000 2000-3000 500-1000 3) The capital of Northern Ireland
is _________. Belfast
Belfast became the capital of Northern Ireland in 1921, right
when Nortern Ireland was established.
Cardiff Dublin Glasgow 4) Stonehenge is a famous _________.
chalk giant chalk horse stone circleStonehenge is probably the most
famous prehistoric monument in the UK - a circle of standing
stones.
wall 5) The Isle of Man is to the _________ of Great Britain.
east north south westThe Isle of Man lies between Great Britain and
Ireland in the Irish Sea, to the west of Britain
6) There are many _________ in Cornwall and Devon. cities lakes
moorsCornwall and Devon, two counties in the southwest of Britain,
are famous for their moors, they were the setting of Doyle's HOUND
OF THE BASKERVILLES, for example.
mountains 7) Which of these rivers is not in England? Avon
ClydeThe River Clyde is a major river in Scotland, not England.
Severn Trent 8) The Lake District is connected with
_________.
Geoffrey Chaucer The Beatles William Shakespeare William
WordsworthWilliam Wordsworth is one of the so called LAKE POETS,
poets who lived in the Lake District at the beginning of 19th
century.
9) Which of these is not a castle? _________ HastingsHastings is
a town in the south of England. In 1066 there was a famous battle,
but it is not a castle. It's always been a fishing port.
Stirling The Tower of London Warwick 10) The Channel Islands
belong to _________. Denmark France Ireland the UKThe Channel
Islands, although they are closer to France, are British Crown
dependencies - but not actually part of the UK, are not represented
in the UK Parliament.
The UK1) The population of the UK is about _________. 100
million 40 million 60 millionThe 2006 estimate was 60,587,300
(Wikipedia)
80 million 2) Which is the capital of Northern Ireland?
BelfastThe capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast.
Cardiff
Dublin Glasgow 3) The flag of the UK is sometimes called
_________. The Crosses and Stripes The Queen's Banner The Union
JackThe flag of the UK is called The Union Flag and is generally
known as 'the Union Jack'.
The United Cross 4) Which of the following is the oldest? Cerne
Abbas chalk giant Hadrian's Wall Oxford University
StonehengeStonehenge was built before 3000 BC.
5) The Isle of Man belongs to _________. Northern Ireland
Scotland Wales x - none of the aboveThe Isle of Man is a direct
dependent of the UK, it does not belong to England, Wales,
Scotland, or Northern Ireland. It even has its own currency.
6) Snowdon is a _________. building in London lake in the Lake
District mountain in WalesSnowdon is the highest mountain in Wales
(1085 m).
valley in Scotland 7) Which of the following rivers is not in
England? Avon Clyde
Clyde is a major river in Scotland, it flows through
Glasgow.
Severn Trent 8) Which mountain range is sometimes called 'The
Backbone of England'? The Cambrian Mountains The Cumbrian Mountains
The Grampian Mountains The PenninesThe Pennines is a mountain range
that stretches from Derbyshire (in the middle of England) to the
border with Scotland - thus forming a kind of 'backbone'.
9) Loch Lomond is the largest lake in _________. EnglandLoch
Lomond is in Scotland, not in England.
Great BritainLoch Lomond (in Scotland) is the lagest lake in
Great Britain. The largest lake in the UK and the whole of the
British Isles is Lough Neagh (Northern Ireland)
The British Isles The United Kingdom 10) 'Gatwick' is _________.
a coach terminal in London a place near the Channel Tunnel entrance
a port in the south of England an airport near LondonGatwick is
London's second largest airport.
LONDON1) London has about _________ inhabitants. 10 millionThe
city itself has a population of about 7.5 million, the urban area
more than 8 million, the whole metropolitan area has more than 12
million people
15 million 20 million
4 million 2) Londinium at the beginning of the first millenium
was a _________ settlement. Anglo-Saxon Celtic French RomanThe
settlement called LONDINIUM was founded by Roman legions in 43
AD.
3) In 1666, most of the city was destroyed by _________. a storm
an earthquake barbarians firea large part of the city was destroyed
by the Great Fire in 1666
4) The architect who constructed a large number of buildings in
London was _________. Guy Fawkes Henry Hudson Pierre L'Enfant Sir
Christopher WrenSir Christopher Wren, (1632 1723) was the greatest
English architect of his time, designed for example 53 London
churches, including St Paul's Cathedral.
5) The construction of the Tower of London started in _________
century. 11ththe construction started with William the Conqueror,
who invaded Britain in 1066
13th 15th 9th 6) Heathrow is one of the largest _________ in
London. airportsHEATHROW is one of the largest airports in London,
together with Gatwick, for example.
bus stations ports railway stations 7) The Poets' Corner is in
_________. Buckingham Palace Hyde Park St James Park Westminster
AbbeyThe Poets' Corner is in the south part of Westminster abbey,
it is called POETS' CORNER because of the writers and artists who
are buried there
8) The Houses of Parliament can be found in the _________.
Buckingham Palace The Mall Trafalgar Square Westminster PalaceThe
whole building is WESTMINSTER PALACE.
9) Big Ben is actually the name of _________. a bellOfficially
the bell is called THE GREAT BELL, although it has an unofficial
nickname BIG BEN - there are several theories about teh origin of
the name. The commonly accepted one is that it was named after Sir
Benjamin Hall, who was responsible for the order.
a clock a palace a tower 10) English kings and queens are
traditionally crowned at _________. Buckingham Palace St. Paul's
Cathedral The House of Lords Westminster AbbeyThe CORONATION CHAIR
(or King Edward's Chair) at Westminster Abbey, a throne where
English Kings and Queens have been crowned here since 1308 (with
the exception of Queen Mary I and Mary II)
11) Trafalgar Square was named after a famous _________.
admiral battleThe Battle of Trafalgar (21st October 1805), a
naval (sea) battle in which the British (led by Admiral Nelson)
defeated a combined French and Spanish fleet.
explorer king