Q 01/05

Which is the most populous city in the Midwest?

A) Detroit

B) Chicago

C) Minneapolis

D) Columbus

Answer · why

B) Chicago

Chicago, with about 2.7 million residents, is the Midwest's largest city by a wide margin; its metropolitan area spills into Indiana and Wisconsin.

Q 02/05

Which Midwestern metropolitan area is the second largest in the region?

A) Detroit

B) Omaha

C) Cleveland

D) Kansas City

Answer · why

A) Detroit

Detroit's metro area, at roughly 4.3 million people, ranks second in the Midwest behind Chicago, ahead of Minneapolis-Saint Paul at about 3.7 million.

Q 03/05

Which ancestry is most commonly reported in the Midwest?

A) Polish

B) English

C) Irish

D) German

Answer · why

D) German

German is the most common self-reported ancestry in the Midwest, claimed by roughly a fifth of residents, and in North Dakota by well over 30 percent.

Q 04/05

Which Midwestern state is the most populous and racially diverse?

A) Michigan

B) Indiana

C) Ohio

D) Illinois

Answer · why

D) Illinois

It is also ranked the state most representative of overall US demographics on several measures.

Q 05/05

What is the Midwest's nickname, thanks to its grain harvests?

A) The nation's breadbasket

B) The nation's larder

C) The nation's pantry

D) The harvest states

Answer · why

A) The nation's breadbasket

The Midwest is called the nation's breadbasket because its deep prairie soils grow much of America's corn, soybeans, wheat and oats.