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Eastern Washington Trivia Quiz

Washington's official nickname is "the Evergreen State," but much of the eastern half of the state is anything but green! This quiz explores this often overlooked area.

A multiple-choice quiz by SterlingT. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
SterlingT

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
350,933

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
386

Question 1 of 10

1. Which town in eastern Washington has been called the "town so nice they named it twice"? Hint

Gooba Gooba

Walla Walla

Hubba Hubba

Boola Boola

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Most people know that the Columbia River forms much of the southern border of Washington, but what river marks a small section of the eastern border? (Step carefully on this one.) Hint

Rio Grande

Red River

Snake River

Colorado River

3. The Palouse is an interesting area in southeastern Washington. It does not have many trees, but it is covered with numerous random hills, humps, and hollows. A city in the Palouse region is the home of Washington State University. Can you name this city? Hint

Pullman

Grays Harbor

Seattle

Forks

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. My hometown, Ellensburg, hosts a professional sporting event every Labor Day weekend. It is the largest event of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. What kind of event is it? (Don't let this one throw you.) Hint

NASCAR race

Bocce ball tournament

Golf tournament

Rodeo

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Question 5 of 10

5. The largest city in eastern Washington was also exactly the 100th largest city in the US in 2012. Can you remember the name of this city, whether written or spoken? Hint

Spokane

Vancouver

Boise

Bellingham

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Question 6 of 10

6. In the extreme northeast of the state is a county named for an Indian tribe--not for the name they called themselves, but the name that French fur traders gave them. The French words mean, roughly, "hangs from ear". What is the name of this county? Hint

Pend Oreille

Coeur d'Alene

Lunette

Le Fou

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Yakima is the largest city in south central Washington. The Yakima Valley, once known primarily for apples, later became a major wine region as well. But how in the world do you pronounce it? Hint

ya-KEEM-ah

YAK-i-mah

ya-KIME-ah

yak-i-MAH

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. A small Catholic college in eastern Washington has a typical undergraduate enrollment of under 5000 students (2012 data), but one of the top college basketball programs in the US. What is this school, named for a relatively obscure Italian saint? Hint

Assisi Tech

Gonzaga University

Aquinas Academy

Filippo Lippi Art Institute

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Question 9 of 10

9. In a remote area of eastern Washington there is a huge structure. It is the largest electric power producing facility in the country. Woody Guthrie actually wrote a song about this facility. What is its name? Hint

The Seattle Solar Energy Project

Dixy Lee Ray Nuclear Power Plant

Grand Coulee Dam

The Chinook Windmills

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Question 10 of 10

10. In the Quinault Rain Forest in western Washington, the annual rainfall has been measured as high as 180 inches (15 feet)! What is the average rainfall in Ellensburg, a mere 100 miles east of Seattle on I-90? Hint

43 inches

9 inches

26 inches

17 inches

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which town in eastern Washington has been called the "town so nice they named it twice"?

Answer: Walla Walla

Besides its memorable name, Walla Walla is known for its sweet onions. The town is located in Walla Walla County.

2. Most people know that the Columbia River forms much of the southern border of Washington, but what river marks a small section of the eastern border? (Step carefully on this one.)

Answer: Snake River

Hells Canyon, carved by the Snake River, is the deepest river gorge in North America. It's beautiful, but hardly as impressive as the Colorado River's Grand Canyon.

Answer: Pullman

The Palouse is extremely fertile, but it was challenging to farm a region with little level acreage until the twentieth century. In 1930, a company in Moscow, Idaho manufactured a smaller combine specifically for use in the Palouse.

Answer: Rodeo

My little town had a population less than 10,000 when I was a child. I remember the professional cowboys flying into our tiny airport in their private planes and the special trains arriving with the brahma bulls and bucking broncos. I thought it was fascinating that the animals traveled the same professional circuit as the cowboys.

A rider might draw the same bull in a rodeo a thousand miles away!

5. The largest city in eastern Washington was also exactly the 100th largest city in the US in 2012. Can you remember the name of this city, whether written or spoken?

Answer: Spokane

When I was a child, people called the area around Spokane the "Inland Empire". I believe it later changed to the "Inland Northwest" since a much more populous region in southern California is also referred to as the "Inland Empire".

Answer: Pend Oreille

The French named the tribe after the large shells that the people wore dangling from their ears. The Native American tribe called themselves the Kalispel. A more famous tribe of the Northwest with a French name is the Nez Perce.

7. Yakima is the largest city in south central Washington. The Yakima Valley, once known primarily for apples, later became a major wine region as well. But how in the world do you pronounce it?

Answer: YAK-i-mah

Some of the oldest vineyards in Washington are located in the Yakima Valley. Although many of the wineries are closer to Seattle in western Washington, nearly all of them get at least some of their grapes from the Yakima Valley. Washington is second only to California in the production of wine in the US.

Answer: Gonzaga University

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have gone to the NCAA Tournament every year from 1999 to 2012. Particularly memorable was 1999 when they reached the Elite Eight.

Answer: Grand Coulee Dam

Woody Guthrie was actually hired for a month by the Department of the Interior to write songs about the Columbia River and the construction of federal dams. He wrote more than 20 songs in one month, including "Roll On, Columbia" and "Grand Coulee Dam".

Answer: 9 inches

Nine inches! Counting snow! Where I now live, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, it can rain four inches in a single storm!

Source: Author SterlingT

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