Which U.S. State? (1) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Arkansas

The loblolly pine is classified as a 'southern yellow pine' by the wood industry, and commercially it is the most important tree species grown in the southeastern United States.

The famous "Eisenhower Tree" which stood at the 17th hole at Augusta National was a loblolly pine. Eisenhower, a club member, apparently hit the tree so often that he campaigned to have it taken down. Nature finally achieved what even the President could not: a 2014 ice storm damaged the tree so badly that it had to be removed.

A 117-foot tall loblolly pine known as the "Morris Pine" stands in southeastern Arkansas, where the species is the official state tree. Over the 300 years old, the "Morris Pine" is 56 inches in diameter.

Arkansas was previously nicknamed "The Land of Opportunity" but is now officially called "The Natural State".

Answer: Vermont

The northern leopard frog ('Rana pipiens') is found in ponds, swamps, marshes and slow-moving streams across much of the northern U.S. and southern Canada. This remarkable creature is a massive contributor to medical science: it has provided scientists with information about the nervous system since the 1950s and has recently been found to produce an enzyme which has cancer-treating potential. It is the official state amphibian of both Minnesota and Vermont.

"The Green Mountain State" is the major producer of maple syrup in the U.S. and its state tree is the sugar maple. The Morgan horse is the official state mammal. The birthplace of two former U.S. Presidents, Calvin Coolidge and Chester B Arthur, Vermont was also the home state of the title character and her Aunt Polly in Eleanor H. Porter's 1913 novel "Pollyanna" and of fictional villain Simon Legree from the classic novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin".

Answer: Oregon

Named for the port of Dungeness in neighbouring Washington state, the Dungeness crab was designated as the official state crustacean of Oregon in 2009. It is native to the eelgrass beds off the west coast of the North America from California to Alaska. The only two other states with official state crustaceans are Louisiana (the freshwater crayfish) and Maryland (the blue crab).

Nicknamed "The Beaver State", Oregon's official state animal is the American beaver.

Oregon is one of 20 states with milk as its official state beverage and one of 22 states that has the Square Dance as its official state dance (I kid you not!). It is also one of only two states with an official state mushroom, the Pacific golden chanterelle ('Cantharellus formosus').

Answer: Wisconsin

Known as "The Badger State" and "America's Dairyland", it should be no surprise that the official state drink of Wisconsin is milk. Supporters of the Green Bay Packers, the state's NFL franchise, are known as 'Cheeseheads' and are often seen wearing cheese-shaped 'hats'. Predictably, the state land mammal is the badger and the official domestic animal is the dairy cow.

Wisconsin is the only state that has adopted the polka as its official state dance. Continuing the entertainment theme, the accordion is designated as the state's musical instrument.

The American water spaniel is a dog breed that was developed in Wisconsin in the 19th century. Hunters wanted a dog that could retrieve game both on land and in water but was small enough to be carried in a small rowing boat: the result was the American water spaniel. Agile dogs known for their endurance, they produced their first national flyball champion in 1993.

The alternatives also have official state dog breeds: in Texas it is the blue lacy, in South Carolina the Boykin spaniel, whilst the great Dane is the official dog breed of Pennsylvania.

Answer: Massachusetts

The garter snake chosen by Massachusetts as its state reptile is harmless, which is more than can be said for the other choices: Arizona's stake reptile is the Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake, Ohio's is the northern black racer, whilst the timber rattlesnake is West Virginia's choice.

"The Bay State", "The Old Colony State" and "The Codfish State" are all nicknames that have been applied to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The mayflower is the state's official flower, the Boston terrier is its official state dog breed with the tabby cat its feline equivalent. One of only 14 states with an official state shell, Massachusetts choice is the wrinkled whelk or New England Neptune.

Answer: Minnesota

One of the most easily recognizable of all edible mushrooms, the common morel is sometimes called the "May Mushroom" in the U.S. because it produces fruit in the spring months.

It is appropriate that Minnesota, nicknamed "The Land of 10,000 Lakes", should have a freshwater species as its state fish. The state's other nicknames include "North Star State", "The Gopher State" and, perhaps less fittingly, "The State of Hockey". Indeed, ice hockey is the state's official team sport, but the state's only NHL franchise (The Minnesota WILD) was founded as recently as 2000 and in its first 15 years managed just one divisional title (in the 2007-08 season) and no Stanley Cup final appearances. Ice fishing is Minnesota's official individual sport.

Answer: Arizona

The Colt Army revolver is the official state firearm of Arizona. The alternatives also have state firearms: for Alaska it is the Pre-1964 Winchester Model 70 rifle, in West Virginia it is the single-shot, breech-loading Hall rifle, whilst the M1911 pistol is the official state firearm of Utah, the first state to adopt such a thing (in 2011).

Nicknamed "The Grand Canyon State" and "The Copper State", so it is no surprise to discover that Arizona's official state mineral is copper. Its state gemstone is turquoise. The state mammal here is the ring-tailed cat (also sometimes called a bassarisk), which is not really a cat at all, but a member of the raccoon family. Arizona's official state butterfly is the two-tailed swallowtail and the state reptile is the Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake.

Answer: Idaho

Their close association with the Nez Perce Indian tribe means that the appaloosa has made a substantial contribution to Idaho history, and it was adopted as the official state horse breed in 1975.

The alternatives are all amongst the 14 states that have official state horse breeds. It is no surprise that Kentucky, home of the world-famous Derby, has adopted the thoroughbred as its official state breed. In Texas, it is the American quarter horse, and in Missouri it is the Missouri fox trotter. Only New Jersey has the horse as its official state animal.

Nicknamed "The Gem State", it should not be surprising that Idaho has an official state gemstone. Texas has the Texas blue topaz as its official gemstone. There would be no prizes for guessing that the potato is Idaho's official state food. The huckleberry is its state fruit.

Answer: Montana

Montana is the exception: it adopted the grizzly bear as its official state animal in 1983. Kansas was the first to adopt the American bison as its state animal, doing so in 1955. Oklahoma followed suit in 1972 and Wyoming joined the club in 1985.

Nicknamed "Big Sky Country" and "The Treasure State", Montana has the duck-billed dinosaur as its official state fossil, bluebunch wheatgrass as the state grass, and both sapphire and agate as its official state gemstones. It is one of six states that has the western meadowlark as the state bird, the others being Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon and Wyoming.

Answer: Delaware

The very first state to ratify the Constitution, Delaware is best-known as "The First State". Other nicknames for the state include "The Small Wonder", "The Blue Hen State" and "The Diamond State".

The official state fruit of Delaware is the strawberry but its official dessert (adopted in 2009) is the peach custard pie. Since 1939, the Delaware blue hen has been the state's official bird: the Fighting Blue Hens is the nickname of University of Delaware's athletic teams but the name originates from the fighting cocks that soldiers carried for entertainment during the American War of Independence.

Of the alternatives, the rose is the official state flower of New York; the American dogwood is the choice in Virginia, and the state flower of Rhode Island is the violet.