Especially during this season of political campaigning (although, like wildfire season, political campaigning has pretty much become a 24/365 or 366 happening), one word seems to be getting a lot of play. If you watched either party’s convention, or just listen to political speeches, you’ll notice that it gets used a lot. That word is, of course, “America”. So, here’s a short quiz to see just how much we know about “America”.
1. What is the source of the name “America”?
2. What was the earliest use of the name “America”?
3. What rationale was given for naming the geographic area “America”?
4. What is the indigenous name for what is known as “America”?
5. What are the major geographical divisions of “America”?
6. What are the major subdivisions of “America”?
7. What are the northern-most, southern-most, western-most, and easternmost locations in “America”?
Here are the books in the library that have “America” (in some form) in their title (all are non-fiction, unless otherwise noted):
North American Road Atlas, by AAA (reference)
This Is the American Earth, by Ansel Adams
The American Heritage Spanish Dictionary, by American Heritage
Audubon’s American Birds, by J.J. Audubon
Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America’s Leading Atheists, by Dan Barker
The American Heritage Dictionary of Science, by Robert K. Barnhart (reference)
America’s Working Women, by Rosalyn Baxanadall
In the Trail of the Wind: American Indian Poems and Ritual Orations, by John Bierhorst
American Dreams: The United States Since 1945, by H.W. Brands
American Cooking, by Dale Brown
Folktales of the Native American, by Dee Brown
Native American Animal Stories, by Joseph Bruchac
Made in America, by Bill Bryson
One Summer: America, 1927, by Bill Bryson
How Many Days to America, by Eve Bunting (juvenile fiction)
Mammals of North America, by Victor H. Cahalane
American Passage, by Vincent J. Cannato
Native Americans of the Old West, by Benjamin Capps
An Encyclopedia of Modern American Humor, by Bennett Cerf
America Vulnerable, by James Chace
Images of America: Wells Fargo, by Robert J. Chandler
Russian America, by Hector Chevigny
American Power and the New Mandarins, by Noam Chomsky
In Pursuit of Gold: Chinese American Miners and Merchants of the American West, by Sue Fawn Chung
The First Americans, by Robert Clairborne
Emperor of America, by Richard Condon (fiction)
Well, that only got us partway through the “Cs” of authors’ names. So, to be continued…