Q 01/05

Which two rivers meet at Columbia to form the Congaree?

A) The Broad and the Saluda

B) The Saluda and the Catawba

C) The Catawba and the Edisto

D) The Edisto and the Broad

Answer · why

A) The Broad and the Saluda

The Broad and the Saluda meet at the fall line, where rapids block boats heading upriver, so the spot grew into a frontier crossing and trading post l...

Q 02/05

Why did South Carolina's lawmakers found Columbia as a new capital in 1786?

A) To be closer to inland farmers

B) To escape Charleston's yellow fever

C) To guard the Cherokee frontier

D) To be nearer the gold mines

Answer · why

A) To be closer to inland farmers

Moving the capital to be closer to inland farmers was a compromise meant to calm the feud between small Upcountry farmers and the Lowcountry's coastal...

Q 03/05

What set Columbia's 1786 town plan apart from older American towns?

A) Very wide streets

B) Diagonal avenues

C) A central round plaza

D) Canals in place of streets

Answer · why

A) Very wide streets

Very wide streets were the plan's hallmark: its two main avenues ran 150 feet across, and lots were sold to settlers while sites were held for public ...

Q 04/05

Columbia's nickname "Soda City" comes from what?

A) The shortening of its name to "Cola"

B) A 19th-century bottling plant on Main Street

C) The mineral springs under the State House

D) A Coca-Cola bottler that sponsored the city fair

Answer · why

A) The shortening of its name to "Cola"

'Soda City' plays on 'Cola', the local shortening of Columbia's name, a pun on the soft drink; the Saturday Soda City Market on Main Street takes its ...

Q 05/05

Which historically Black college in Columbia was founded by the African Methodist Episcopal Church?

A) Benedict College

B) Allen University

C) Claflin University

D) Morris College

Answer · why

B) Allen University

Allen University began in 1870 as Payne Institute in rural Cokesbury, then moved to Columbia in 1880 and took the name of Richard Allen, the AME Churc...