America: A Quiz

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”?

America in the Downieville Library

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…