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Altered States Trivia Quiz

Sometimes, States don't make it through the statehood process. Let's learn about ten of them with the help of Michael J. Trinklein's book, "Altered States".

A multiple-choice quiz by LoudHouseFan. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
LoudHouseFan

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
397,403

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
154

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Our first proposed state is an island many of us know and love, Puerto Rico. While language and poverty are two major barriers to statehood, Trinklein cites the Miss Universe pageant as another barrier. How many times has Miss Puerto Rico won Miss Universe, as of my edition's republication in 2010? Hint

two

five

three

four

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. The Mexican Cession gave us most of the American Southwest, but for William Walker, that wasn't enough. In 1853, he launched a coup with four dozen mercenaries to capture what northwestern Mexican state for the US? Hint

Sonora

Sinaloa

Chihuahua

Durango

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Sometimes, parts of states get fed up with being ignored and try to strike off on their own as states. One such proposal was Michigan's upper peninsula. What was name of this proposed state, sometimes including northern Wisconsin? Hint

Superior

Chippewa

Peninsula

Ontonagon

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Question 4 of 10

4. Another proposed state for the contiguous US is a conservative gerrymander on the notoriously liberal West Coast. First proposed by Port Orford, Oregon mayor Gilbert Gable, this state would span southern Oregon and northern California. What is the Founding-Father-inspired name of this proposed state? Hint

Jefferson

Hamilton

Adams

Madison

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Question 5 of 10

5. Keeping with the states named after famous Americans theme, Lincoln was a proposed state in the Pacific Northwest. What two states would Lincoln have been carved out from? Hint

Idaho and Montana

Washington and Oregon

Washington and Idaho

Oregon and Idaho

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Question 6 of 10

6. Our next state is Franklin. It was carved out of territory belonging to North Carolina, and lasted as a rogue state from 1785 to 1796. When it finally collapsed, what state was it folded into? Hint

into Virginia

into Tennessee

into Kentucky

back into North Carolina

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. This state, located in eastern Oklahoma, was proposed around the turn of the century by Native Americans who wanted their own state. What famed of inventor of the Cherokee syllabary would the state have been named after? Hint

Sequoyah

Geronimo

Sacagawea

Tecumseh

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Keeping with the Native American theme, back in the 1970s, tribal chairman Peter McDonald proposed a way to make up for the centuries of oppression Native Americans faced. He suggested that his reservation be made into a state. What tribe did he lead? Hint

Pueblo

Navajo

Apache

Comanche

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Question 9 of 10

9. Here's one you may have heard of recently. President Donald Trump was interested in buying Greenland, the largest island in the world. What country was he planning on buying it from? Hint

Iceland

Sweden

Denmark

Norway

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Question 10 of 10

10. And we'll end this quiz with a very outlandish proposal. What southeastern European country has very pro-American tendencies and according to Trinklein, thousands who want their country to be the 51st state? Hint

Albania

Kosovo

Montenegro

North Macedonia

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: five

Miss Puerto Rico has won Miss Universe five times (1970, 1985, 1993, 2001, 2006). Trinklein says, "If Puerto Rico becomes a state, it will no longer be able to enter its own contestant -- and they've already won five times!"

NOTE: Technically, the book says three times, but my edition is a 2010 reprint.

Answer: Sonora

William Walker, despite his clearly illegal antics, was acquitted by the US government, and went on to keep on filibustering (the term for nation-making through private army coups), first in Nicaragua, then in Honduras. It was Honduras where he was executed by the British at age 36.

Answer: Superior

Superior, proposed capital in Marquette, would have a population of roughly 310,000, and this is the biggest problem facing Superior. According to Trinklein, "It's hard to justify two new senators for a state that has fewer people than Boise, Idaho."

Answer: Jefferson

The state in question would be called Jefferson. When it was first proposed back in 1941, people actually thought it was a good idea. Unfortunately, a little thing called "The Attack on Pearl Harbor" came along and refocused national attention. After that, Jefferson was lost to the mists of time.

5. Keeping with the states named after famous Americans theme, Lincoln was a proposed state in the Pacific Northwest. What two states would Lincoln have been carved out from?

Answer: Washington and Idaho

Lincoln has been proposed time and time again in 1907, 1917, the 1990s, and even as recently as 2005! Each time the Idaho legislature has struck down the idea of losing territory, even if would break up a Frankenstein's Monster that is part Washington, part Utah.

6. Our next state is Franklin. It was carved out of territory belonging to North Carolina, and lasted as a rogue state from 1785 to 1796. When it finally collapsed, what state was it folded into?

Answer: into Tennessee

Franklin was a train wreck from its inception. First, they banned doctors and lawyers (i.e. very smart people) from the legislature. Then, while trying to drum up public support, they found out Benjamin Franklin himself didn't approve of having a state named after him.

After that, they abolished taxes, dooming any attempt to raise a militia, leaving them sitting bison for Native Americans to attack. Finally, they tried to join Spain, but were invaded by North Carolinian forces before that could happen.

After that ordeal, it was made a part of Tennessee.

Answer: Sequoyah

Sequoyah, a half-blooded Cherokee, invented the Cherokee syllabary. Syllabaries have one character for every syllable, and Cherokee's were made by messing with English letters and numbers. For example, the syllable "go" looks like an A, and "se" looks like a 4.

Answer: Navajo

The reason McDonald thought this would work is because the Navajo Reservation is huge and full of resources. Unfortunately, it would've required approval from Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico to come true. And the population of the reservation didn't grow like McDonald hoped.

9. Here's one you may have heard of recently. President Donald Trump was interested in buying Greenland, the largest island in the world. What country was he planning on buying it from?

Answer: Denmark

Greenland is currently administered by Denmark, but not for lack of trying. Abraham Lincoln's secretary of state, William H. Seward, was interested in buying Greenland, but he eventually settled for Alaska. Harry S Truman's secretary of state, James F. Byrnes, also wanted to buy the icy island, but he couldn't get anything. Even President George W. Bush was interested in having the land leased to America.

Answer: Albania

Albania's stalker-like love for America is mostly out of necessity. After breaking up with the USSR and China, Albania fell into the Amerisphere. And according to Trinklein, "Right away they're bringing up statehood. That's really no different than talking about marriage on the first date. Run, America, run!"

Source: Author LoudHouseFan

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