Q 01/05

Polk was which number president of the United States?

A) 11th

B) 8th

C) 9th

D) 10th

Answer · why

A) 11th

He served from 1845 to 1849, between John Tyler and Zachary Taylor.

Q 02/05

In which state was Polk born, in a log cabin in 1795?

A) Tennessee

B) North Carolina

C) Virginia

D) Kentucky

Answer · why

B) North Carolina

He was born in Pineville, the first of ten children, and moved with his family to the Duck River area in 1806.

Q 03/05

Polk was known as "Young Hickory" as a protégé of which president?

A) Thomas Jefferson

B) Martin Van Buren

C) Andrew Jackson

D) James Monroe

Answer · why

C) Andrew Jackson

Jackson was "Old Hickory"; Sarah Polk and her siblings are said to have called him "Uncle Andrew".

Q 04/05

Polk is the only president to have also held which office?

A) Chief Justice

B) Secretary of War

C) Mayor of a major city

D) Speaker of the House

Answer · why

D) Speaker of the House

He became Speaker in 1835 and served two terms before leaving Congress to run for governor.

Q 05/05

Which Whig did Polk narrowly defeat in the 1844 presidential election?

A) Daniel Webster

B) William Henry Harrison

C) Henry Clay

D) Winfield Scott

Answer · why

C) Henry Clay

Polk won 49.5% of the popular vote and 170 of 275 electoral votes.