The Brave Little State of Vermont Quiz

Answer: Montpelier

The population of Montpelier in 2010 was 7,885. During daytime hours, the population of Montpelier more than doubles as public and private workers enter from surrounding communities. Montpelier is named for the French city of Montpelier. (The home of fourth US President--and key architect of the US Constitution--James Madison was also called Montpelier.) Admiral George Dewey (famed for his role in the Spanish-American War) was a native son.

I hope the scroll (with "We the People") and quill pen might lead you to think about Madison and Montpelier.

Answer: Green Mountains

The name "Vermont" comes from the French phrase "les Verts Monts", which means "the Green mountains". "The Green Mountain State" is a common nickname for Vermont. The Green Mountain range runs the length of Vermont from north to south. The Green Mountain Boys were a Vermont militia unit founded before the American Revolutionary War by Ethan Allen. The term Green Mountain Boys is an informal nickname used by the Vermont National Guard.

I hope the green triangles that I put in the image suggested mountains to you.

Answer: Connecticut

The Connecticut River runs 410 miles from near the US-Canada border to Long Island Sound. During its course, the river touches or goes through four New England states (New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut). Over 40% of Vermont is part of the Connecticut River watershed. The portion of the river that lies between New Hampshire and Vermont is primarily in New Hampshire territory.

I hope my outline of the state of Connecticut gave you a bit of help if you needed it.

Answer: Champlain

Lake Champlain is named for seventeenth century French explorer Samuel de Champlain. The lake covers 514 square miles and is relatively long (163 miles) and narrow (14 miles). Plattsburgh, NY, and Burlington, VT are important communities located along the lake's shores.

Rainy Lake is on the border between Minnesota and Ontario. Boundary Lake is on the border of North Dakota and Manitoba. Lake St. Clair is located between Lakes Huron and Erie on the Michigan-Ontario border.

Though Champlain's life predates the development of the tri-color French flag, I hoped that the image might lead you to choose a lake named after a French explorer.

Answer: Dairy

Over 65% of agricultural sales in Vermont come from dairy farms--representing over two billion dollars in sales. There are over 100,000 cows in Vermont--not bad for a state with fewer than 1,000,000 people. Though there are fewer dairy farms (over 11,000 in 1947 and about 1,500 in 2003) and fewer cows than there once were, production of milk per cow has increased.

Hopefully, the image of the wedge of cheese led you to choose dairy farming.

Answer: Hubbardton

The Battle of Hubbardton took place on July 7, 1777, and was part of the Saratoga Campaign of the Revolutionary War. With the number of casualties in the low hundreds for each side, the battle was technically a victory for the British, although they were not able to do much to take advantage.

The Battle of Saratoga took place in New York. The Battle of Monmouth took place in New Jersey. The Battle of Bunker Hill took place in Massachusetts. The Battle of Bennington, though named for a Vermont town, took place just across the border in New York.

I hope the image of a wheel with the arrow pointing at the hub led you to choose "HUBbardton".

Answer: Ben and Jerry's

Ben and Jerry's was founded in 1978 by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. Often sold in pint containers, the brand is known for its humorously named flavors such as Chunky Monkey or Cherry Garcia. The company has also thrown its support behind various social and environmental issues.

The other Ice Cream brands are headquartered in other parts of the United States. I hope that the image of the hundred dollar bill led you tho think about the "BENjamins" (as in "all about the Benjamins") and from there to "BEN and Jerry's".

Answer: Maple Syrup

Although Vermont leads US states in the production of maple syrup, it produces only 6% of the world's supply. The province of Quebec, by comparison, produces about 70% of the world's supply. Maple Syrup, in the United States, must be made almost entirely from the sap of maple trees.

I hope that picture of a tree would suggest maple syrup to you.

Answer: two

Lamoille and Washington Counties are the only ones of the fourteen that do not border New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, or Quebec. Lamoille is the more northern of the two and was formed in 1835. Washington County is the more southern of the two and includes the state capital of Montpelier within its borders.

In the image, there were two "c's" for each color which I hoped would suggest to you two counties.

Answer: Castleton

Castleton University, founded in 1787, is located in Castleton, VT. The school has more than 30 undergraduate programs. Dartmouth University is located in New Hampshire. Cornell University is located in New York. Brown University is located in Rhode Island.

The image represents a castle which I hope led you to choose Castleton.