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Quiz about Origins Of American Placenames

Origins Of American Placenames Quiz

In a "young country" like the U.S.A., the names of towns and regions are often etymologically very transparent, yet there are quite a few "surprises". Just check some here.

A multiple-choice quiz by flem-ish. Estimated time: 7 mins.

Author
flem-ish

Time
7 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
89,340

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
635

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Some names have Amerindian origins. Which of these is based on a Muskogean word for "old town"? Hint

Utah

Chicago

Tallahassee

Chesapeake

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Question 2 of 10

2. Some U.S.A. Names have their origins in French. An example is Teton Mountains and Grand Teton. What did Teton originally mean? Hint

roof

head

teat

rock

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Question 3 of 10

3. Catskill in the State of New York is supposed to have Dutch origins. What did the name originally mean? Hint

stream where cats come

hill where the game of "kaatsen" (Dutch for "fives") was practised

slaughterhouse for cats

hill where cats come

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Question 4 of 10

4. Saints' names were very popular in those areas of U.S.A. that had first been conquered by the Spaniards. Which place-name in Texas counts six letters and originally refers to St. Augustine?

Answer: (Also a name in the world of cars.)

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Question 5 of 10

5. The full name of L.A. is or was : Nuestra Senora de los Angeles de la Porciuncula. What does Porciuncula mean in this very long name? Hint

Little Pigsty.

Little Porch

Little Portion

Little Hamhouse

6. Settlers tended to give names to their new locales that reminded them of their origins. Which of these names in or near New York does not refer to a place in the Netherlands, but to a suburb of Antwerp in Belgium? Hint

Flushing

Hoboken

Harlem

Brooklyn

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Question 7 of 10

7. Giving names after famous people was a very current phenomenon in the U.S.A. Inspiration was found among the U.S.A. presidents ( Jefferson; Madison; Monroe..), the Founding Fathers (Franklin), antique celebrities (Cicero). Occasionally a local settler, or even a character from a movie might be "commemorated". However, the inventiveness of Americans went far beyond such "easy solutions". For which of these names was the source of inspiration NOT a person at all, but a linguistic joke? Hint

Tarzana

Lafayette

Tesnus

the Bronx

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Question 8 of 10

8. Often the origin of a place-name is a matter of discussion among etymologists. One of the explanations for Rhode Island sees a reference in it to the Aegean Island of Rhodes. The other story links it with a colourword in: Hint

Dutch

French

Spanish

Portuguese

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Question 9 of 10

9. Which old U.S. City was given a name from Greek that was meant to stamp it as a City of Brotherly Love ?

Answer: (Twelve letters.)

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Question 10 of 10

10. Names of mountains and rivers often referred to visual impressions. Occasionally they also referred to what was found in the area. Which of these names occurs in Arizona? Hint

Malachite Mountains

Gold River

Mica Mountain

Silver Mountains

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Some names have Amerindian origins. Which of these is based on a Muskogean word for "old town"?

Answer: Tallahassee

In the case of Utah, the Mormom settlers had originally opted for "Deseret" drawn from the Book of Mormon in which it means "honey bee", and meant as a symbol for industry and productivity.
Chesapeake is from "Chesepiooc" 'place on a big river'.
Chicago is from Algonquian, and means "onion field".

2. Some U.S.A. Names have their origins in French. An example is Teton Mountains and Grand Teton. What did Teton originally mean?

Answer: teat

Roof in French would be 'toit' ; the word for head is 'tete'. And though most mountains are "rocky", not all mountain chains have been called the Rocky Mountains.

3. Catskill in the State of New York is supposed to have Dutch origins. What did the name originally mean?

Answer: stream where cats come

"Kaatsen" or "fives" is a popular sport in the Low Countries, but it would be hard to practise it on a hill.
The word "kill" refers to water and may mean a stream, a creek. In some Flemish dialects it is still used to refer to a "pool of water" as left behind by the sea at ebbtide.

4. Saints' names were very popular in those areas of U.S.A. that had first been conquered by the Spaniards. Which place-name in Texas counts six letters and originally refers to St. Augustine?

Answer: Austin

More names of saints are to be found in Texas and California: Santa Ana, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, San Antonio, San Diego.

5. The full name of L.A. is or was : Nuestra Senora de los Angeles de la Porciuncula. What does Porciuncula mean in this very long name?

Answer: Little Portion

Porciuncula is a Franciscan shrine near Assisi.

Answer: Hoboken

Brooklyn refers to the village of Breukelen. Flushing to the ancient port of Vlissingen on the island of Walcheren, which itself is a part of the Dutch province of Zeeland. Harlem of course must be linked to the city in North Holland that is at a short distance from Amsterdam.
Commemorative names often were preceded by New (Hampshire;Jersey;Orleans..) but not always: Boston;Birmingham; Montgomery.

Answer: Tesnus

Tarzana in California of course refers to the film-hero portrayed by Johnny Weissmueller.The town had been founded under an other name in 1922. It was here that Edgar Rice Burroughs lived when he was writing his "Tarzan of the Apes" story. In 1927 the town-authorities decided to rename their city after Burrough's famous character. Lafayette is after the French Marquis.

The Bronx is surprisingly enough called after a Swedish-born sea-captain of the Dutch West India Company. Jonas Bronck,(1600-1643)was granted the right to settle land by that same company."Bronx" stands for "the farm belonging to Mr. Bronck". Tesnus however is not a reference to one or other Mr. Tesnus but simply "sunset" in reverse.

Answer: Dutch

In ancient documents the name is written as Roodt Eyland, which stands for Red Island. Eylandt is Dutch for island. Roodt is an older orthography for "rood" (red).

9. Which old U.S. City was given a name from Greek that was meant to stamp it as a City of Brotherly Love ?

Answer: Philadelphia

Philein means "to love". Adelphoi means "brothers."
Pennsylvania has other remarkable names. One of them being "Intercourse".

10. Names of mountains and rivers often referred to visual impressions. Occasionally they also referred to what was found in the area. Which of these names occurs in Arizona?

Answer: Mica Mountain

Mica is a mineral.Mica Mountain is 8,544 foot high.

Source: Author flem-ish

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