Crooked Lines on Paper Trivia Quiz

Answer: Arizona

The area of modern Arizona was once a Spanish Territory (Alta California), then a possession of Mexico and, after the Mexican-American War, a United States Territory (the Arizona Territory). Arizona Admission Day is the same day as Valentine's Day.

Answer: Maryland

The State of Maryland, while among the smallest of the states in terms of area, is also among the most densely populated (2014 data). It was founded as a refuge for Roman Catholics fleeing religious persecution in England.

Answer: Hawaii

Of all the United States, Hawaii is the only one completely surrounded by water. It is also unique in that it does not have a single straight line anywhere in the map of its boundaries.

Answer: Washington

The Snake River and the Columbia River separate Washington State from Idaho and Oregon. Washington was first part of the Oregon Territory and then part of the Washington Territory before it became a state in 1889.

Answer: West Virginia

West Virginia is located entirely within Appalachia. It was formed in 1863 when the fifty northwestern counties of Virginia refused to join the rest of the State of Virginia in the Confederacy. It is unique in that no other state was created by seceding from a Confederate State.

Answer: Connecticut

The State of Connecticut was named after the Connecticut River. The Connecticut River was named using an Algonquian word meaning "long tidal river". While most state nicknames cast the state in a favourable light, nutmeggers were dishonest Connecticut traders who whittled fake nutmeg out of wood to defraud unwary purchasers.

Answer: Louisiana

Louisiana was originally called "La Louisiane" -- the land of Louis -- after King Louis XIV of France. Its modern culture (and cooking) is a remarkable mix of French, Spanish, African and Native American cultures.

Answer: South Carolina

The term "Carolina" derives from the Latin "Carolus", which referred to King Charles II of England after whom the province was named. North and South were, at first united, but grew apart over time and became two British colonies.

Answer: Delaware

"The Twelve-Mile Circle" defines the boundary between Delaware and Pennsylvania. It originates in an agreement which granted Delaware the territory within twelve miles of the courthouse cupola in New Castle, Delaware.

Answer: Oklahoma

Because of a surveying error made in 1819, the western boundary of the Oklahoma panhandle is a little over two miles too far east, in Texas' favour. The area land of Oklahoma was claimed by the French, sold to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Native Americans displaced from their history lands were relocated to Indian Territory (modern Oklahoma).

After attempts to create an all-Indian state of the Union failed, Oklahoma became a state of both Indian and white residents.