Q 01/05

Alcatraz Island sits in the bay of which US city?

A) San Diego

B) Los Angeles

C) Seattle

D) San Francisco

Answer · why

D) San Francisco

It lies just offshore near the Golden Gate, and cold water plus strong currents made swimming away nearly impossible.

Q 02/05

What is the prison's famous nickname?

A) The Cage

B) The Rock

C) The Fortress

D) The Tomb

Answer · why

B) The Rock

The name comes from Spanish alcatraz, meaning gannet, though it is popularly taken to mean pelican.

Q 03/05

What does the Spanish word 'alcatraz' mean in the island's name?

A) Devil's rock

B) Gannet or pelican

C) Iron fortress

D) Grey stone

Answer · why

B) Gannet or pelican

Explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala first applied the name in 1775 to nearby Yerba Buena Island; it migrated to the Rock later.

Q 04/05

In which year did Alcatraz open as a federal penitentiary?

A) 1912

B) 1929

C) 1934

D) 1941

Answer · why

C) 1934

The Army had used the island for over 80 years; the Justice Department took the disciplinary barracks in October 1933.

Q 05/05

In which year did the federal prison close?

A) 1958

B) 1963

C) 1969

D) 1972

Answer · why

B) 1963

Structural decay, sky-high running costs and the embarrassing 1962 escape all contributed.