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Quiz about A Variety of Questions about Kansas
Quiz about A Variety of Questions about Kansas

A Variety of Questions about Kansas Quiz


Here are a variety of questions about Kansas, beginning with the first Spanish explorer to set foot in the area, and ending with a reference to the state's most famous rock group.

A multiple-choice quiz by chessart. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
chessart
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
56,351
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
20
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
14 / 20
Plays
2290
- -
Question 1 of 20
1. Which Spanish explorer first set foot in the area which is now Kansas? Hint


Question 2 of 20
2. What was Kansas' nickname in the years leading up to the Civil War? Hint


Question 3 of 20
3. Who sacked and burned the town of Lawrence in 1863? Hint


Question 4 of 20
4. Which group settled in Kansas during the 1870's to escape religious persecution in Russia? Hint


Question 5 of 20
5. Which Kansan served as Vice-President of the United States? Hint


Question 6 of 20
6. Who was the only Republican governor in the country to be re-elected in 1934? Hint


Question 7 of 20
7. Which famous Kansas newspaperman edited the Emporia Gazette from 1895 until his death in 1944? Hint


Question 8 of 20
8. Which famous medical facility, noted for its psychiatric research, was founded in Topeka in the 1920s? Hint


Question 9 of 20
9. Jim Ryun became famous for his accomplishments in which field? Hint


Question 10 of 20
10. What is Wichita's nickname? Hint


Question 11 of 20
11. The Eisenhower Museum is located in which Kansas town? Hint


Question 12 of 20
12. Which Kansas town was the location for the TV series 'Gunsmoke'? Hint


Question 13 of 20
13. Which event is held annually in Wichita during the first two weeks of August? Hint


Question 14 of 20
14. Kansas leads the nation in the production of which product? Hint


Question 15 of 20
15. How many stars are in the Kansas state seal? Hint


Question 16 of 20
16. What is the state motto of Kansas? Hint


Question 17 of 20
17. Which is the state's largest newspaper? Hint


Question 18 of 20
18. What river flows through Wichita on its way south through Tulsa and on to the Gulf of Mexico? Hint


Question 19 of 20
19. Which river forms part of the border of Kansas? Hint


Question 20 of 20
20. The state's name comes from a Kansas Indian word 'kanza', meaning what? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Which Spanish explorer first set foot in the area which is now Kansas?

Answer: Coronado

Coronado entered Kansas in 1541, searching for gold.
2. What was Kansas' nickname in the years leading up to the Civil War?

Answer: bleeding Kansas

In 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska Act established the territory of Kansas, and both pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups flocked to the new territory. Because of the sometimes violent nature of the conflict between the two groups, the territory soon became known as 'bleeding Kansas'.
3. Who sacked and burned the town of Lawrence in 1863?

Answer: Quantrill's Raiders

On August 21, 1863, several hundred men under the leadership of William Quantrill entered Kansas from Missouri and destroyed the town of Lawrence. Approximately 200 buildings were burned, and 150 people were killed.
4. Which group settled in Kansas during the 1870's to escape religious persecution in Russia?

Answer: the Mennonites

The Mennonites had settled in Russia in 1790, based on assurances from the czar that they would be exempt from military service. This promise was broken in the 1870s, and the emigration ensued, many of them settling in Kansas. They brought with them the hard red winter wheat that they had grown in the Ukraine, leading to Kansas becoming the number one producer of wheat in the U.S.
5. Which Kansan served as Vice-President of the United States?

Answer: Charles Curtis

Curtis was a U.S. Senator, and then served as Herbert Hoover's Vice President from 1929 to 1933.
6. Who was the only Republican governor in the country to be re-elected in 1934?

Answer: Alf Landon

Alf was rewarded with the Republican nomination for President in 1936. However, he won only two states and was swamped by FDR.
7. Which famous Kansas newspaperman edited the Emporia Gazette from 1895 until his death in 1944?

Answer: William Allen White

White catapulted into national prominence in 1896 with his anti-Populist editorial, 'What's the matter with Kansas?', which helped William McKinley defeat William Jennings Bryan in the election that year. His poignant editorial 'Mary White', written in 1921 after the accidental death of his daughter in a horse-riding accident, is a classic. White also wrote biographies of Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge.
8. Which famous medical facility, noted for its psychiatric research, was founded in Topeka in the 1920s?

Answer: the Menninger Clinic

Founded in 1925 by the Menninger family, the clinic has become world famous for its innovative and humane treatment of psychiatric disorders. In 2003 the clinic moved to Houston, Texas.
9. Jim Ryun became famous for his accomplishments in which field?

Answer: track and field

Ryun burst into national prominence in 1965 when he set the high school record for the mile run, with an incredible time of 3:55.3. This record stood for 36 years, an amazing length of time for a track and field record, until finally broken in May of 2001 by Alan Webb. Ryan is currently (as of 2001), a U.S. Congressman from the Second District of Kansas.
10. What is Wichita's nickname?

Answer: The Air Capital of the World

Boeing, Beech, Cessna, and Lear Jet all have plants in Wichita. The world's largest hand-dug well is in Greensburg, Kansas.
11. The Eisenhower Museum is located in which Kansas town?

Answer: Abilene

Although Eisenhower was born in Texas, he grew up in Abilene and that is considered his home town.
12. Which Kansas town was the location for the TV series 'Gunsmoke'?

Answer: Dodge City

'Gunsmoke', the longest-running dramatic series in TV history, is based on the Dodge City of the 1870's. The railroad and the cattle drives brought all kinds of people there, leading to the town persuading Wyatt Earp to move there and restore law and order as the town marshal. By the 1880's, the cattle drives had ended and an era had ended.
13. Which event is held annually in Wichita during the first two weeks of August?

Answer: the NBC World Series

Every year 32 of the best semi-pro teams in North America gather in Wichita for a double elimination tournament. The first tournament in 1935 was won by Bismarck, North Dakota, which sent a team led by the legendary Satchel Paige, and the event has been held annually ever since.
14. Kansas leads the nation in the production of which product?

Answer: wheat

15. How many stars are in the Kansas state seal?

Answer: 34

Kansas became the 34th state in the U.S. on January 29, 1861.
16. What is the state motto of Kansas?

Answer: ad astra per aspera

'To the stars through difficulties'.
17. Which is the state's largest newspaper?

Answer: the Wichita Eagle

The Kansas City Star is a Missouri newspaper.
18. What river flows through Wichita on its way south through Tulsa and on to the Gulf of Mexico?

Answer: the Arkansas river

The Little Arkansas and the Big Arkansas join in Wichita to form the Arkansas River. The Big Arkansas begins in Colorado but is dry in much of Western Kansas, due to overuse of the river's water by Colorado. In 1985 Kansas sued Colorado for violation of an agreement concerning water use, and has been awarded {$14} million in damages.

As of 2001, interest on this amount is still to be determined, and Colorado has paid nothing on the judgment awarded by the U.S. Supreme Court. Kansas also has ongoing litigation against Nebraska over water rights.
19. Which river forms part of the border of Kansas?

Answer: the Missouri River

The Missouri River forms the boundary in the northeast corner of Kansas. Other than that, Kansas is perfectly rectangular.
20. The state's name comes from a Kansas Indian word 'kanza', meaning what?

Answer: south wind

The Native American tribe in the area was called 'the people of the south wind'. One of the albums by the rock group Kansas was called 'People of the South Wind', in tribute to the original inhabitants.
Source: Author chessart

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor spanishliz before going online.
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