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Quiz about They Helped Shape America  2nd Edition
Quiz about They Helped Shape America  2nd Edition

They Helped Shape America - 2nd Edition Quiz


This is the second quiz about America's diverse cultural background. Whether you agree or disagree with them - approve or disapprove of them, they've made America what it is.

A multiple-choice quiz by blaxlaw. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
blaxlaw
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
315,709
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
863
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. This U.S. Army engineer was the foreman of the construction job known as the Panama Canal. When the canal opened he then became the U.S. Canal Zone's first governor. Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. This Polish-born immigrant to the U.S. developed an orally-administered polio vaccine that provided a longer period of immunity than Jonas Salk's polio vaccine. Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. This famous chef served in the U.S. Office of Strategic Services during WWII, attended the prestigious Cordon Bleu cooking school, and penned a bestselling cookbook. Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. This musician and performer made some sixty albums during a career that spanned thirty years. The music emphasized American rock and roll with a satirical twist on politics and values. This performer/composer's band was called the Mothers of Invention or, simply, the "Mothers". Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. This American organized the Massachusetts citizenry in opposition to the Stamp Act, and planted the idea of revolution against England. The offspring of a wealthy and successful Bostonian business family, this Colonial founded the Sons of Liberty. Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. This American was a 1920s' "feminist" who began her career writing for both "Vanity Fair" and "Vogue" magazines. After being fired because her works were too "sassy" for the times, she freelanced and produced short stories that were witty, cynical, and often vitriolic. She formed a collection of contemporary writers into a group known as the "Algonquin Round Table". Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. This American was a seaman born in 1814 who, while on ship at sea, whittled a model of a handgun out of wood. Later, his wooden model became an actual revolver. Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. This American wrote many popular songs that ranged from light and breezy to romantic, charming, and witty. This famous lyricist was a cofounder of Capitol Records, as well as its talent scout and president. Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. In 1906 this American created what would eventually become a commercial food dynasty - specializing in breakfast foods - that dramatically altered our eating habits. Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. This American was the general manager and president of the Brooklyn Dodgers - the club who had a contract with the first African American to play modern major league baseball. Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This U.S. Army engineer was the foreman of the construction job known as the Panama Canal. When the canal opened he then became the U.S. Canal Zone's first governor.

Answer: George Washington Goethals

Goethals was born in 1858 and died in 1928. He directed the construction of the Panama Canal from 1907 until 1914 (the year the canal opened).
2. This Polish-born immigrant to the U.S. developed an orally-administered polio vaccine that provided a longer period of immunity than Jonas Salk's polio vaccine.

Answer: Albert Sabin

Sabin was born in Bialystock, Poland, in 1906, and died in 1993. He came to America in 1921. By 1957, Sabin produced an alternative to the injection-administered Salk vaccine by using a live virus.
3. This famous chef served in the U.S. Office of Strategic Services during WWII, attended the prestigious Cordon Bleu cooking school, and penned a bestselling cookbook.

Answer: Julia Child

Child (born Julia McWilliams) was born in 1912 and died in 2004. After being a member of the OSS during the war she lived in Paris for six years. The bestselling book, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", is a classic, and was responsible for bringing French cuisine and cooking techniques into "everyday" American households. Ms. Child was the host of outstanding television cooking shows long before the Food Network came along.

She taught you to cook with humor and good-natured self-deprecation.
4. This musician and performer made some sixty albums during a career that spanned thirty years. The music emphasized American rock and roll with a satirical twist on politics and values. This performer/composer's band was called the Mothers of Invention or, simply, the "Mothers".

Answer: Frank Zappa

Zappa was born in 1940 and died in 1993. If you were around in the '60s you will remember the Mothers' controversial and innovative song lyrics, as well as some interesting album covers. Zappa challenged the social and political beliefs of the time.
5. This American organized the Massachusetts citizenry in opposition to the Stamp Act, and planted the idea of revolution against England. The offspring of a wealthy and successful Bostonian business family, this Colonial founded the Sons of Liberty.

Answer: Samuel Adams

Adams was born in 1722 and died in 1803. He inherited his father's brewery, but it tanked. Samuel was far better suited to matters of politics than money - as evidenced by his help in forming the Articles of Confederation document, founding the Sons of Liberty (a radical Boston political club), and igniting the Boston Tea Party. Adams was a true "revolutionary man".
6. This American was a 1920s' "feminist" who began her career writing for both "Vanity Fair" and "Vogue" magazines. After being fired because her works were too "sassy" for the times, she freelanced and produced short stories that were witty, cynical, and often vitriolic. She formed a collection of contemporary writers into a group known as the "Algonquin Round Table".

Answer: Dorothy Parker

Born Dorothy Rothschild in 1893, Parker died in 1967. The literary group that she anchored met at Manhattan's Algonquin Hotel daily, and included, among others, writers Edna Ferber and James Thurber. The dining room that the group met in was the Rose Room at the Algonquin.

As in the past, like the original Round Table personalities, the current business, creative, literary, and artistic elite gather at the Algonquin's most famous restaurant to share ideas and animated conversation.
7. This American was a seaman born in 1814 who, while on ship at sea, whittled a model of a handgun out of wood. Later, his wooden model became an actual revolver.

Answer: Samuel Colt

Colt died in 1862. His handgun design received a U.S. patent in 1836 after first being patented in France and Britain. The "gun that tamed the West" was not popular at first, but with the onset of the Mexican War, the U.S. commissioned 1,000 of Colt's weapons for soldiers' use.
8. This American wrote many popular songs that ranged from light and breezy to romantic, charming, and witty. This famous lyricist was a cofounder of Capitol Records, as well as its talent scout and president.

Answer: Johnny Mercer

Born John Herndon Mercer in 1909, he died in 1976. Savannah, Georgia, was Mercer's hometown. He was a successful businessman, as well as songwriter - penning the popular tunes "Moon River", "Blues in the Night", "Autumn Leaves", and "Days of Wine and Roses", among others.
9. In 1906 this American created what would eventually become a commercial food dynasty - specializing in breakfast foods - that dramatically altered our eating habits.

Answer: W. K. Kellogg

Will Keith ("W. K.") Kellogg and his brother, John H. Kellogg, created the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company, located in Battle Creek, Michigan. The company was later called the Kellogg Company, and their toasted breakfast cereals became hugely popular. Cornflakes remain a best-seller. W. K. Kellogg was born in 1860 and died in 1951.
10. This American was the general manager and president of the Brooklyn Dodgers - the club who had a contract with the first African American to play modern major league baseball.

Answer: Branch Rickey

Rickey was born in 1881. That contract player was, of course, the great Jackie Robinson. Robinson and Rickey "crossed the color line" in professional baseball, and sowed the seed for racial integration on a national level.
Source: Author blaxlaw

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