Q 01/05

Which is the only US state flag that is not rectangular?

A) Alaska

B) Ohio

C) Texas

D) Maryland

Answer · why

B) Ohio

The swallowtail 'burgee' was designed by John Eisenmann in 1901; its 17 stars mark Ohio as the 17th state and the disc suggests the letter O.

Q 02/05

Which state's flag was designed by a 13-year-old orphan, Benny Benson, in a 1927 territorial contest?

A) Hawaii

B) Arizona

C) New Mexico

D) Alaska

Answer · why

D) Alaska

His eight gold stars show the Big Dipper and Polaris on a blue field; it beat roughly 700 other entries.

Q 03/05

Which state flag features the Union Jack of the United Kingdom in its canton?

A) Hawaii

B) Maine

C) Massachusetts

D) Georgia

Answer · why

A) Hawaii

The Kingdom of Hawaii was never a British possession; the flag reflects King Kamehameha I's friendship with the Royal Navy, and its eight stripes are ...

Q 04/05

Which mainland state's flag once served as the national flag of an independent country?

A) Vermont

B) Utah

C) Texas

D) California

Answer · why

C) Texas

The Lone Star Flag flew over the Republic of Texas; its designer is not known for certain.

Q 05/05

The bear on the Bear Flag is said to be modelled on Monarch, who was what?

A) The last of the state's grizzlies held in captivity

B) A circus bear from San Francisco

C) A bear shot by explorer John C. Frémont

D) The mascot of the 1849 gold rush miners

Answer · why

A) The last of the state's grizzlies held in captivity

Monarch was captured in 1889 by a reporter for William Randolph Hearst; California grizzlies are now extinct.