ON THE LOOSE IN WASHINGTON DC

A Washington, DC Quiz...

Washington DC was planned with which of the following as the center point of the city's four quadrants?

             a) The White House
             b) The Washington Monument
             c) The Capitol Building
             d) Rock Creek Park

ANSWER: c) The Capitol Building --The boundaries that delineate the city's four quadrants (Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast) radiate from the central rotunda of the Capitol Building. House numbers in the city are determined by how many blocks away they are from the Capitol.

People passing by the Capitol building during the day can tell when the Senate is in session because...

             a) So many cars are parked out front
             b) Loud arguing can be heard from the street
             c) An American flag is flying above the Senate chamber roof
             d) Signs are posted around the neighborhood

ANSWER: c) An American flag is flying above the Senate chamber roof --The same goes for the House: when the House is in session, an American flag flies above the House chamber. If either the House or the Senate is in session at night, a lantern is lit atop the Capitol's dome.

The statue of a woman atop the Capitol Building's dome is meant to represent...

             a) Happiness
             b) Freedom
             c) The Law
             d) Hillary Clinton

ANSWER: b) Freedom --The Statue of Freedom is 19.5 feet tall and was placed atop the dome in 1863.

The Vice President lives...

             a) In the White House, downstairs from the President
             b) In the Smithsonian Castle
             c) In a house on the grounds of the Naval Observatory
             d) In a cave in Rock Creek Park

ANSWER: c) In a house on the grounds of the Naval Observatory --Until recently, Vice Presidents were not provided with an official residence. But in the 1970s it was deemed too expensive to provide security for the private homes of vice presidents, so in 1974, One Observatory Circle (formerly the official residence of the Chief of Naval Operations) was made the official residence for Vice Presidents.

In the 1700s, when George Washington decided where the nation's new capital city would be located, many people were surprised by his choice because the land at the time was...

             a) Forest
             b) Marshy wetlands
             c) Tundra
             d) Desert

ANSWER: b) Marshy wetlands --When the city was first established the area was a rough-and-tumble place--muddy and sparsely populated, with very few women.

Which of the following buildings was not used to house Union soldiers during the Civil War?

             a) The Treasury
             b) The White House
             c) The Capitol Building
             d) The Supreme Court

ANSWER: d) The Supreme Court --During the Civil War, the city was overrun with soldiers, who were put up in many large government buildings. If the Supreme Court building had existed then, it would likely have been pressed into service as well, but it wasn't built until 1935.

DC's beautiful cherry trees were...

             a) Originally planted by Johnny Appleseed
             b) Brought from Spain by Christopher Columbus
             c) A gift to Washington from the country of Japan
             d) Originally planted by George Washington

ANSWER: c) A gift to Washington from the country of Japan --In 1912, the mayor of Tokyo presented Washington, DC with a gift of 3,000 cherry trees.

Washington DC has how many voting representatives in Congress?...

             a) Two
             b) Three
             c) Four
             d) None

ANSWER: d) None --According to the U.S. Constitution, every state is granted representation in both the House and the Senate. But because Washington, DC is not a state but a federal district, DC has no voting representation in Congress. There is one DC delegate to the House, but he or she is not allowed to vote.

Return to the Washington, DC Quiz

TRY MORE QUIZZES ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB:

Take the Smithsonian's Giant Panda Challenge
Test your knowledge about Giant Pandas.

Visit Congress for Kids
Uncle Sam leads an interactive tour of the federal government, then tests your knowledge.

SOME QUIZZES FOR GROWNUPS...

Try National Geographic's "Washington, D.C. Quiz"

Try your hand at Traveler Magazine's "Capital Cities Quiz"

Try National Geographic's "Presidents Quiz."

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