Travelling Through the US Trivia Quiz

Answer: St. Augustine

St. Augustine is situated on the Atlantic coast in the south eastern state of Florida. It was founded in 1565 and is considered the oldest continuously inhabited city in the USA. The city was named after the saint as the sailors had sighted it on his feast day. For over two centuries, St. Augustine was the capital of Spanish Florida. It finally became a part of the United States in 1819.

Answer: New Orleans

Louisiana's city of New Orleans was named after the Duke of Orleans, who got his title from the French city of Orleans. Located along the Mississippi river, the city is best known for its annual Mardi Gras celebration, before Lent, the 40 day Christian period of fasting begins.

There are a few theories on how the nickname of the "Big Easy" came about. One of these assumes it was to show the contrast between the hectic pace of life in New York City, which is known as the "Big Apple", to the relaxed way of life in New Orleans. Another postulates that it referred to the relative ease with which musicians could find work in the city given its rich music tradition.

Answer: Dallas

Dallas is found in the state of Texas. On 22 November, 1963, President John F Kennedy arrived in the city to begin his presidential re-election campaign and also smooth any friction within the local Democratic Party members. The presidential convoy had set out from the airport when along the way, Kennedy was shot at by Lee Harvey Oswald.

The president succumbed to his injuries sending shockwaves throughout the country. His vice-president, Lyndon Johnson, was sworn in as the new President while aboard the Air Force One, the first US president to be sworn in on a plane.

Answer: Seattle

Seattle is located in Washington state. The movie "Sleepless in Seattle" featured the hit romantic pairing of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. Ryan's character falls for Hanks' after hearing his son on the radio trying to find a partner for his widower dad. The two characters meet only at the end of the movie atop the Empire State building, a tribute to another film, "An Affair to Remember".

Answer: New York City

"Friends" and "Seinfeld" are iconic television shows of the 90s, each having their own strong fanbase, years after the series ended. Interestingly, both were set in New York City. "Friends" followed the lives of six friends (what else!) as they went about their careers and relationships. From Joey's catchphrase - "How you doin'?" to Rachel's hairstyle ("The Rachel"), the show became part of the 90s pop culture.

"Seinfeld" was again the story of four friends. However, in terms of tone, the show was a lot different from "Friends", despite both being sitcoms. The terms double dipping, yada yada yada and the non-festival of Festivus all came to us through this show.

Answer: Atlantic City

Atlantic City is located in the state of New Jersey. It is famous for its boardwalks and casinos. The US version of the popular boardgame Monopoly has properties named after places within this city. Atlantic City is also known for hosting the "Miss America" pageant for the most part of its run, since the first competition in 1921.

Answer: Sunnydale

Spanning 144 episodes over seven seasons, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" followed Buffy slaying vampires! Played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy Summers was the latest in a long line of vampire slayers, out to fight against the forces of darkness. The success of the show resulted in a spin-off called "Angel".

The show was set in a fictional town called Sunnydale, in the real state of California. The high school attended by the characters was known as Sunnydale High School. Incidentally, the school where the show was originally shot was the same one where another popular show, "Beverley Hills 90210" had been filmed years earlier.

Answer: San Francisco

Cioppino is a fish stew that was first created in San Francisco by Italian immigrants. It borrows from different regional stews of Italy. The stew uses fresh catch and could include shrimp, scallops, crab, mussels or other forms of sea food. These are then cooked along with tomatoes in a wine sauce.

Answer: St. Louis

St. Louis lies along the Mississippi river in the state of Missouri, on the border with the neighbouring state of Illinois. The city was founded by French traders in 1764 and named after the then king of France, Louis IX. It was the first US city to host the Olympics when it hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1904.

The city is famous for the Gateway Arch, a 630 foot monument which is the world's tallest arch. St. Louis is nicknamed the "Gateway to the West" as it was the place from where explorations to the western US commenced.

Answer: Boston

Boston is one of the oldest and most historical of American cities. The Freedom Trail is a route through the heart of the city that covers over a dozen locations of historical significance. These include the Boston Latin School, the oldest public school in the USA which counts Founding Father Benjamin Franklin as one of its pupils; Old South Meeting House, where the Boston Tea Party began; and the USS Constitution, the old warship nicknamed "Old Ironsides".