The Beehive State Quiz
How much do you know about Utah history? Take this quiz to test your knowledge. The answers are found at the bottom of the quiz questions. This quiz appeared in the Deseret Morning News on January 4, 2008. The quiz questions were compiled by Carma Wadley.
1) How many governors has Utah had during its 112-year history?
a. 23
b. 16
c. 19
d. 26
2) Can you identify Utah’s state _______:
a. Song
b. Rock
c. Tree
d. Gem
e. Animal
f. Fish
3) The first Europeans to travel into the territory that is now Utah were Spanish Franciscans Dominquez and Escalante. In what year
did they first come?
a. 1776
b. 1540
c. 1820
d. 1720
4) Where did the name ‘Utah’ come from?
a. ‘Yutah’ – a Shoshone name for mountains
b. ‘Utahah’ – an Anasazi word for ‘people of the north’
c. ‘Ewtah’ – a Navajo name for the Shoshones that lived in the area
d. ‘Uttah’ – a Book of Mormon name for mountains
5) All states are allowed to have two statues of famous residents in the Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. For many years, Utah’s
only statue was of Brigham Young. In 1990, a second statue was added of:
a. Philo T. Farnsworth
b. Ab Jenkins
c. Reva Beck Bosone
d. Maurice Abravanel
6) What was the name of the pre-historic lake that covered most of what is now Utah, and who was it named for?
7) The first white person known to have visited the Great Salt Lake came in 1825. He was:
a. John C. Fremont
b. Kit Carson
c. Jedediah Smith
d. Jim Bridger
8) Match the following counties with their county seats:
a. Daggett 1. Loa
b. Summit 2. Junction
c. Kane 3. Manila
d. Juab 4. Coalville
e. Uintah 5. Moab
f. Emery 6. Nephi
g. Grand 7. Panguitch
h. Garfield 8. Castle Dale
i. Piute 9. Kanab
j. Wayne 10. Vernal
9) The first pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. How many total immigrants arrived in the valley that first year?
a. 3,490
b. 1,637
c. 642
d. 2,211
10) One reason the federal government sent troops to Utah as post of the Utah War in 1857 was to escort a new, non-Mormon, territorial
governor to replace Brigham Young. This man was:
a. Albert Sidney Johnston
b. Alfred Cumming
c. John Milton Bernhisel
d. John W. Dawson
11) In his explorations throughout the area between 1869-1872, John Wesley Powell discovered the last river to be names in the United
States. This was the:
a. Colorado River
b. Green River
c. Escalante River
d. Virgin River
12) The highest elevation in Utah is Kings Peak at 13,498 feet. What is the lowest elevation in the state?
a. Sea level
b. 1,650 feet
c. 980 feet
d. 2,000 feet
13) Which Utah senator holds the record for serving the most terms?
a. Jake Garn
b. Arthur V. Watkins
c. Reed Smoot
d. Orrin Hatch
14) Who was the first governor of the state of Utah
a. Heber M. Wells
b. William Spry
c. John C. Cutler
d. Charles R. Mabey
15) How long did it take to build the Salt Lake Temple?
a. 40 years
b. 50 years
c. 22 years
d. 35 years
16) Utah has an area of 84,916 square miles. How does this rank with other states in the union?
a. 17th
b. 11th
c. 22nd
d. 8th
17) What is the current state motto of the Utah Office of Tourism?
18) The Utah Arts Council has the distinction of being the oldest such organization in the country. When was it founded?
a. 1896
b. 1850
c. 1889
d. 1904
19) Mining has been one of Utah’s most important industries over the years. Match the following mining moguls with the description that best fits:
a. Daniel C. Jackling 1. Discovered the Silver Reef mine in 1866
b. Patrick E. Connor 2. Was a developer of the Silver King mine
c. Thomas Kearns 3. Discovered the Humbug mine near Eureka
d. Jesse Knight 4. Is known as the ‘Father of Utah mining’
e. John Kemple 5. Founded the Utah Copper Company
20) Match the following with the number that fits:
a. Number of national parks 1. 13
b. Number of national monuments 2. 5
c. Number of ski resorts 3. 6
d. Number of national forests 4. 10
e. Number of state parks 5. 23
f. Number of national scenic byways 6. 43
g. Number of Utah scenic byways 7. 7
ANSWERS TO QUIZ QUESTIONS:
1) B
2) a. ‘Utah, We Love Thee’
b. Coal
c. Blue spruce
d. Topaz
e. Elk
f. Rainbow trout
3) A
4) C
5) A
6) LakeBonneville, named for French explorer Benjamin Louis de Bonneville
7) D
8) a. 3
b. 4
c. 9
d. 6
e. 10
f. 8
g. 5
h. 7
i. 2
j. 1
9) B
10) B
11) C
12) D, at Beaver Creek Dam
13) D
14) A
15) A
16) B
17) Life Elevated
18) C
19) a. 5
b. 4
c. 2
d. 3
e. 1
20) a. 2
b. 4
c. 1
d. 3
e. 6
f. 7
g. 5
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