United States
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99 free United States trivia questions with answers — geography quiz, new questions added Oct 2026.
50 free United States trivia questions with answers. Think you know America? From the founding fathers to modern landmarks, from state capitals to constitutional amendments, this quiz covers the breadth of the United States. Whether you are brushing up on your civics or diving into obscure state facts, these 99 questions will challenge every level of knowledge.
30 of 99 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01When does a new state's flag star appear?
July 4
July 4; admission alone doesn't change the flag, so a state admitted just after the holiday waits nearly a year for its star.
Q 02Which city was the US capital when George Washington was first sworn in?
New York
New York; Federal Hall there also housed the first Congress, until a 1790 law moved the capital to Philadelphia while a permanent one rose on the Potomac.
Q 03Which river is the longest in the United States?
Missouri
Missouri; it runs from Montana's Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi just north of St. Louis, so the famous Mississippi is shorter than its own tributary.
Q 04What is the largest state in the US by area?
Alaska
Alaska; the United States bought it from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million, and a gold strike in the Yukon in 1896 soon transformed the region's fortunes.
Q 05Which phrase did Congress adopt as the official US national motto in 1956, later printed on paper currency?
In God We Trust
In God We Trust; until 1956 the country had no official motto, though E pluribus unum had served informally since it went on the Great Seal in 1782.
Q 06Which San Francisco landmark is painted a color called International Orange?
Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge; its architect chose the orange to suit the hills and stand out in fog, and the paint also shields the steel from salt spray.
Q 07Whose signature on the Declaration of Independence became slang for any signature?
John Hancock
John Hancock; the first printed copies carried only his typeset name, and his famous signature went on the parchment on August 2, 1776.
Q 08Which national park holds the lowest point in North America?
Death Valley
Death Valley; it was named by a lost 1849 wagon party, yet only one member of that Bennett-Arcane group died during their month-long ordeal.
Q 09What is the US Flag Code's preferred way to dispose of a worn-out flag?
Burning it
Burning it; the Code asks for a dignified end to a worn flag, yet in 1989 the Supreme Court ruled that burning one in protest is protected speech.
Q 10Which US national park was the first to be established?
Yellowstone
Yellowstone, widely held to be the world's first national park; with no park service yet, the US Army ran it from 1886 until 1918.
Q 11Which amendment to the US Constitution abolished slavery?
13th
13th; it bans slavery 'except as a punishment for crime', a loophole Southern states soon exploited by leasing out convicts as forced labor.
Q 12Mount Rushmore was carved into a mountain in which state?
South Dakota
South Dakota; an 1868 treaty had promised the Black Hills to the Lakota, and after the Supreme Court ruled in 1980 they were taken illegally, the Sioux refused the money.
Q 13Which was the 50th state to join the United States?
Hawaii
Hawaii; its queen was overthrown in 1893 by a group backed by US Marines, and the islands were annexed as a US territory in 1898.
Q 21Which candidate won the US popular vote in 2000 but lost in the Electoral College?
Al Gore
Al Gore; he won about 540,000 more votes than George W. Bush, but a Supreme Court ruling halted a recount and left Bush with 271 electoral votes.
Q 22Which bird's scream do films often dub over the bald eagle's weak, chirping call?
Red-tailed hawk
Red-tailed hawk; in courtship a pair circles together, and the diving birds may briefly touch talons in midair.
Q 23The Grand Canyon is located in which US state?
Arizona
Arizona; Theodore Roosevelt protected it as a national monument in 1908, but park bills kept failing in Congress until it finally became a national park in 1919.
Q 14Who was the first woman to serve on the US Supreme Court?
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor; fresh out of Stanford Law School, she was turned away by firms that told her, 'We don't hire women.'
Q 15Which president gave the longest inaugural address and died about a month later?
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison; his death left John Tyler to insist he was fully president, not acting, a precedent later written into the 25th Amendment.
Q 16What is the smallest US state by area?
Rhode Island
Rhode Island; despite the name, most residents live on the mainland, and the island officially called Rhode Island is Aquidneck, home to Newport.
Q 17Where were the first shots of the American Civil War fired in April 1861?
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter; no one was killed in the bombardment itself, but two Union privates died when cartridges exploded during a 100-gun salute to the flag.
Q 18As of the 2020 census, what was the most populous US state?
California
California, with about 39.5 million people, yet it lost a House seat after that census, the first time in its history it had lost one.
Q 19Which Los Angeles landmark was first built in 1923 to advertise a real estate development?
The Hollywood Sign
The Hollywood Sign; it read HOLLYWOODLAND and was meant to last about 18 months, until the last four letters came down in 1949.
Q 20Which US territory is the largest by population?
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico; its people have been US citizens since 1917, yet while they live on the island they cannot vote for president.
Q 24Which was the first US state to allow women to vote?
Wyoming
Wyoming; it refused to drop women's voting rights when it became a state in 1890, which is how it earned the nickname The Equality State.
Q 25Which landmark appeared on the back of the US penny from 1959 to 2008?
Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial; the Mint put it in place of the wheat-ear design in 1959 to mark the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.
Q 26Which amendment gives US citizens the right to bear arms?
2nd
2nd; despite its opening words about 'a well regulated Militia', the Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that it protects an individual right unconnected with militia service.
Q 27Which of the Great Lakes is the largest by surface area?
Superior
Superior; yet Lakes Michigan and Huron are hydrologically one lake, and counted together they cover more area than Superior does.
Q 28Which American inventor is credited with inventing the light bulb?
Thomas Edison
Many inventors built incandescent lamps before him, but their bulbs were too flawed for large-scale commercial use. Edison later teamed up with British rival Joseph Swan to form Ediswan.
Q 29Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles Tennessee and which other state?
North Carolina
North Carolina; the park is named for the smoke-like mist over its ridges, a haze fed by compounds that the forests themselves give off.
Q 30Which US president bought the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon's government in 1803?
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson; his envoys had been sent to buy New Orleans, but Napoleon offered them all of Louisiana for $15 million.