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Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Quiz
Contributed by: Elliott
  • 1. What is the primary composition of the Ocoee Supergroup in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) Metamorphosed sandstones, phyllites, schists, and slate
B) Granite and limestone
C) Tectonic plates
D) Marine sediments and igneous rock
  • 2. Which type of rocks are the oldest in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) Ocoee Supergroup rocks
B) Precambrian gneiss and schists
C) Cambrian sedimentary rocks
D) Marine sediments
  • 3. What geological event created the Appalachian range?
A) The advance of subarctic glaciers
B) The expansion of the primordial ocean
C) The collision of the North American and African tectonic plates during the Ordovician period
D) The accumulation of eroding land mass onto the continental shelf
  • 4. Which area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known for its limestone coves?
A) Cades Cove
B) Raven Fork valley
C) Upper Tuckasegee River
D) The bottom of the foothills to the northwest
  • 5. What type of vegetation occupied the valleys and slopes below approximately 4,950 feet during the last Ice Age?
A) Spruce-fir forests
B) Grasslands
C) Tundra vegetation
D) Deciduous forests
  • 6. What geological feature was created by persistent freezing and thawing during the last Ice Age?
A) Marine sediments
B) Tectonic plate boundaries
C) Large blockfields at the base of large mountain slopes
D) Sedimentary rock layers
  • 7. What type of rocks primarily make up the valley floor in Cades Cove?
A) Metamorphic gneiss
B) Younger rocks made out of limestone
C) Granite
D) Older rocks made out of sandstone
  • 8. During which era did the rapid erosion expose older Ocoee Supergroup formations?
A) The Paleozoic era
B) The Precambrian era
C) The Cenozoic era
D) The Mesozoic era
  • 9. What was the primary effect of subarctic glaciers advancing southward across North America around 20,000 years ago?
A) The formation of the Appalachian range
B) The creation of limestone coves
C) Colder mean annual temperatures and an increase in precipitation throughout the range
D) The deposition of marine sediments
  • 10. Which rock types are dominant at sites such as Raven Fork valley and upper Tuckasegee River?
A) Cambrian sedimentary rocks
B) Ocoee Supergroup rocks
C) Metamorphic gneiss, granite, and schist
D) Marine sediments
  • 11. What geological process led to the formation of the Ocoee Supergroup?
A) The deposition of marine sediments
B) The advance of glaciers
C) The accumulation of eroding land mass onto the continental shelf
D) The collision of tectonic plates
  • 12. Which river runs along the southwestern border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) The Little Tennessee River
B) The Oconaluftee River
C) The Little River
D) The Pigeon River
  • 13. What is the tallest single-drop waterfall in the park?
A) Abrams Falls
B) Grotto Falls
C) Rainbow Falls
D) Laurel Falls
  • 14. Which dam does not impound the Little Tennessee River along the park's boundary?
A) Cheoah Dam
B) Calderwood Dam
C) Fontana Dam
D) Chilhowee Dam
  • 15. Which creek is located near Oconaluftee in the park?
A) Eagle Creek
B) Cosby Creek
C) Raven Fork
D) Hazel Creek
  • 16. How many miles of streams are estimated to be within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) 3,500 miles
B) 5,000 miles
C) 2,900 miles
D) 4,700 kilometers
  • 17. Which waterfall is located at the base of Mt. Guyot?
A) Ramsey Cascades
B) Grotto Falls
C) Laurel Falls
D) Rainbow Falls
  • 18. Which of the following is not a major stream in the park?
A) Hazel Creek
B) Oconaluftee River
C) Raven Fork
D) Eagle Creek
  • 19. What is the height of Ramsey Cascades waterfall?
A) 80 feet
B) 110 feet
C) 90 feet
D) 100 feet
  • 20. Which historic district is not listed in the park?
A) Elkmont Historic District
B) Roaring Fork Historic District
C) Cades Cove Historic District
D) Mingus Mill Historic District
  • 21. Which river separates the Great Smoky Mountains from the Bald Mountains?
A) The Little River
B) The Pigeon River
C) The Oconaluftee River
D) The Little Tennessee River
  • 22. Which creek is near Cosby in the park?
A) Hazel Creek
B) Eagle Creek
C) Raven Fork
D) Cosby Creek
  • 23. How many prominent waterfalls are located within the park?
A) 50
B) More than 100
C) 75
D) 150
  • 24. Which of the following is an individual listing on the National Register of Historic Places in the park?
A) Smoky Mountain Hiking Club cabin
B) Mountain Farm Museum
C) Alex Cole Cabin
D) Mingus Mill
  • 25. Which creek is located near Gatlinburg in the park?
A) Raven Fork
B) Eagle Creek
C) Cosby Creek
D) Roaring Fork
  • 26. What is the height of Rainbow Falls?
A) 70 feet
B) 90 feet
C) 80 feet
D) 100 feet
  • 27. Which structure in Oconaluftee has been deemed eligible for listing but is not listed?
A) Smoky Mountain Hiking Club cabin
B) Mountain Farm Museum
C) Oconaluftee Baptist Church
D) Mingus Mill
  • 28. Which of the following waterfalls is not mentioned as popular in the park?
A) Laurel Falls
B) Abrams Falls
C) Hen Wallow Falls
D) Grotto Falls
  • 29. Which historic district includes buildings in the Cataloochee area?
A) No specific district is mentioned for Cataloochee buildings
B) Roaring Fork Historic District
C) Cades Cove Historic District
D) Elkmont Historic District
  • 30. Which creek has its source in the park and is one of the three prongs?
A) Cosby Creek
B) Raven Fork
C) Oconaluftee River
D) Little Pigeon River
  • 31. Which creek is located in the southwest of the park?
A) Cosby Creek
B) Roaring Fork
C) Hazel Creek
D) Raven Fork
  • 32. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is part of which mountain range?
A) The Rocky Mountains
B) The Sierra Nevada
C) The Blue Ridge Mountains
D) The Cascade Range
  • 33. What is the highest mountain in Tennessee located within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) Kuwohi
B) Mount Guyot
C) Clingmans Dome
D) Mount Le Conte
  • 34. How many 'Southern Sixers' are located within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) 12
B) 16
C) 6
D) 10
  • 35. Which mountain is the second highest in the park?
A) Mount Guyot
B) Mount Le Conte
C) Clingmans Dome
D) Kuwohi
  • 36. Which valley is the largest and most prominent in the park?
A) Cades Cove
B) Greenbrier
C) Ocanaluftee
D) The Sugarlands
  • 37. Which mountain rises 5,301 feet (1,616 m) from its base to its summit?
A) Mount Guyot
B) Kuwohi
C) Clingmans Dome
D) Mount Le Conte
  • 38. Which mountains are located to the east of the Great Smoky Mountains?
A) The Plott Balsams
B) The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians
C) The Unicoi Mountains
D) The Bald Mountains
  • 39. When was the Great Smoky Mountains National Park officially dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt?
A) 1934
B) 1988
C) 1940
D) 1983
  • 40. Which major trail passes through the center of Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) Appalachian Trail
B) Natchez Trace
C) Continental Divide Trail
D) Pacific Crest Trail
  • 41. What designation was given to the park by UNESCO in 1983?
A) International Biosphere Reserve
B) Natural World Heritage Site
C) World Heritage Site
D) Global Geopark
  • 42. How many acres does Great Smoky Mountains National Park cover?
A) 500,000 acres
B) 700,000 acres
C) 600,000 acres
D) 522,419 acres
  • 43. Which highway serves as the main entrance to the park from Gatlinburg, Tennessee?
A) U.S. Highway 441 (Newfound Gap Road)
B) U.S. Highway 19
C) Interstate 40
D) State Route 73
  • 44. What type of forest is part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) Appalachian temperate rainforest
B) Tropical rainforest
C) Desert forest
D) Boreal forest
  • 45. Which year did Great Smoky Mountains become the most visited national park in the United States?
A) 2020
B) 2023
C) 2025
D) 2019
  • 46. What is one of the main attractions located near Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) Dollywood
B) Six Flags Over Texas
C) Universal Studios
D) Graceland
  • 47. What is the plant hardiness zone at Kuwohi Visitor Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) 5b
B) 6a
C) 7b
D) 4c
  • 48. What is the average annual extreme minimum temperature at Kuwohi Visitor Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) 20 °F (-6 °C)
B) -14.3 °F (-25.7 °C)
C) -10 °F (-23 °C)
D) 32 °F (0 °C)
  • 49. What natural phenomenon is responsible for large amounts of precipitation in the Smoky Mountains?
A) Monsoon winds
B) La Niña
C) El Niño
D) Orographic lift
  • 50. Which area was significantly affected by mountain waves during the 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires?
A) Asheville
B) Knoxville
C) Gatlinburg
D) Chattanooga
  • 51. What was the status of Great Smoky Mountains National Park according to a 2004 report by the National Parks Conservation Association?
A) The most polluted national park
B) One of the least polluted national parks
C) Unpolluted
D) Moderately polluted
  • 52. What is a contributing factor to flash flooding in Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) Drought conditions
B) Heavy rain after orographic lift
C) Strong winds
D) Earthquakes
  • 53. What is the elevation of Newfound Gap above mean sea level?
A) 7,000 ft (2,134 m)
B) 6,500 ft (1,981 m)
C) 5,048 ft (1,539 m)
D) 3,000 ft (914 m)
  • 54. What is a common weather phenomenon that can lead to tornadoes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) Light drizzle
B) Cold fronts
C) Heatwaves
D) Strong thunderstorms
  • 55. What percentage of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is covered by forests?
A) Approximately 95 percent.
B) Nearly 75 percent.
C) About 50 percent.
D) Less than 10 percent.
  • 56. Which type of trees dominate the lower region forests in the park?
A) Cactus and desert shrubs.
B) Coniferous trees like pine and spruce.
C) Deciduous leafy trees.
D) Bamboo and tropical plants.
  • 57. What is significant about the old-growth forest in the park?
A) It covers less than 5 percent of the park.
B) It includes many trees that predate European settlement.
C) It was planted by early settlers.
D) It consists entirely of non-native species.
  • 58. Which of the following is not a type of bald found in the park?
A) Heath balds.
B) Desert balds.
C) Grassy balds.
D) Mixed oak-pine forests.
  • 59. How many species of native trees are found in the park?
A) 101 species.
B) 200 species.
C) 50 species.
D) 500 species.
  • 60. How many species of non-vascular plants are found in the park?
A) Over 490 species.
B) Less than 100 species.
C) Exactly 300 species.
D) More than 1,000 species.
  • 61. What is the dominant tree species found in both cove and northern hardwood forests?
A) Silverbells (Halesia carolina)
B) Mountain maple (Acer spicatum)
C) Cucumber magnolia (Magnolia acuminata)
D) Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
  • 62. Which species is not typically found in the understory of cove hardwood forests?
A) Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
B) Coneflower
C) Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)
D) Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)
  • 63. Which species is found in the understory of northern hardwood forests but not mentioned for cove hardwood forests?
A) Rugels ragwort
B) Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
C) Smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)
D) Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)
  • 64. Which tree species is common to both cove and northern hardwood forests but not dominant in either?
A) Silverbells (Halesia carolina)
B) American beech (Fagus grandifolia)
C) White basswood (Tilia heterophylla)
D) Yellow buckeye (Aesculus flava)
  • 65. Which species is not mentioned as part of the cove hardwood forest understory?
A) Bloodroot
B) Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
C) Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)
D) Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)
  • 66. What is the primary reason other tree types fail to encroach into beech gaps?
A) Unknown
B) Lack of sunlight
C) Soil acidity
D) High winds
  • 67. What is the Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest also known as?
A) alpine tundra
B) "boreal" or "Canadian" forest
C) deciduous forest
D) temperate rainforest
  • 68. Which species is now dominant in the spruce-fir forest range?
A) red spruce
B) white pine
C) hemlock
D) Fraser fir
  • 69. Which plant is NOT part of the dense broad-leaved understory in the Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest?
A) hobblebush
B) thornless blackberry
C) catawba rhododendron
D) mountain ash
  • 70. What type of plants dominate the herbaceous and litter layers in the spruce-fir forest?
A) Aquatic plants.
B) Shade-tolerant plants such as ferns.
C) Grasses and sedges.
D) Sun-loving flowering plants.
  • 71. Which tree species is commonly found in the Montane alluvial forests?
A) Pine
B) Maple
C) Cedar
D) Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
  • 72. Which species of rhododendron blooms with purple flowers in May and June?
A) Rosebay rhododendron
B) Mountain laurel
C) Flame azalea
D) Catawba rhododendron
  • 73. Which wildflower blooms in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from June to July?
A) Rosebay rhododendron
B) Solomon's seal
C) Bee balm
D) Dutchman's breeches
  • 74. Which species of bat is endangered and found within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) Big brown bat
B) Eastern pipistrelle
C) Little brown bat
D) Indiana bat
  • 75. Which animal is most abundant in the Cataloochee area of the park?
A) White-tailed deer
B) American black bear
C) Raccoon
D) Elk
  • 76. Which state animal is plentiful in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) Bobcats
B) White-tailed deer
C) Raccoons
D) Elk
  • 77. Which mammal is the only marsupial found in North America and present in the park?
A) Tree kangaroo
B) Virginia opossum
C) Bandicoot
D) Kangaroo rat
  • 78. How many bird species are known to use the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a breeding ground?
A) About 90
B) Less than 50
C) Over 200
D) Nearly 120
  • 79. Which bird species is found throughout the lower elevations and cove hardwood forests?
A) Peregrine falcon
B) Raven
C) Red-eyed vireo
D) Bald eagle
  • 80. Which bird species are more typical of cooler climates in the park?
A) Wild turkey
B) Tufted titmouse
C) Black-capped chickadee
D) Ruby-throated hummingbird
  • 81. Which bird species have been sighted at all elevations in the park?
A) Northern parula
B) Ruby-throated hummingbird
C) Wood thrush
D) Red-tailed hawks
  • 82. Which owl species are found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) Great horned owl
B) Snowy owl
C) Barn owl
D) Barred owl
  • 83. Which unique salamander is found only in the Smokies?
A) Eastern red-spotted newt
B) Red-cheeked salamander
C) Blackbelly salamander
D) Shovelnose salamander
  • 84. How many snake species from the family Colubridae are found in the park?
A) 21
B) 10
C) 30
D) 15
  • 85. Which venomous snakes are found at all elevations in the Smokies?
A) Copperhead
B) Black rat snake
C) Timber rattlesnake
D) Corn snake
  • 86. Which trout species is native to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) Rainbow trout
B) Brook trout
C) Atlantic salmon
D) Brown trout
  • 87. Which insect is known for its synchronized flashing light displays in mid-June?
A) Honeybee
B) Dragonfly
C) Monarch butterfly
D) Photinus carolinus firefly
  • 88. Which of these is not an insect group found abundantly in the park?
A) Bees
B) Spiders
C) Moths
D) Butterflies
  • 89. How many trail shelters are located along the Appalachian Trail within the park?
A) 15
B) 10
C) 8
D) 12
  • 90. What does the Mt. LeConte Shelter accommodate?
A) 5 people per night
B) 24 people per night
C) 12 people per night
D) 50 people per night
  • 91. What is the most popular activity after hiking and simple sightseeing in Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A) Bicycling
B) Horseback riding
C) Fishing, especially fly fishing
D) Water tubing
  • 92. How long had Native Americans likely been hunting in the Great Smoky Mountains before European contact?
A) 10,000 years
B) 5,000 years
C) 14,000 years
D) 8,000 years
  • 93. What was the Cherokee name for the Great Smoky Mountains?
A) Kuwohi
B) Tsitsuyi
C) Shaconage
D) Atagahi
  • 94. Which Cherokee village was located at the confluence of Abrams Creek and the Little Tennessee?
A) Chilhowee
B) Oconaluftee
C) Tallassee
D) Kittowa
  • 95. Which Cherokee town is considered their oldest according to legend?
A) Tanasi
B) Chota
C) Kittowa
D) Tallassee
  • 96. Who were the European settlers primarily in conflict with upon arriving in Western North Carolina and East Tennessee?
A) The British
B) The Cherokee
C) The Spanish
D) The French
  • 97. Which general burned the Middle towns including Kittuwa during the American Revolution?
A) General Griffith Rutherford
B) General George Washington
C) General John Sevier
D) General Andrew Jackson
  • 98. By what year had the Cherokee ceded control of the Smokies to the U.S. government?
A) 1805
B) 1776
C) 1821
D) 1838
  • 99. Who helped some Cherokees retain their land on the Qualla Boundary?
A) Andrew Jackson
B) William Holland Thomas
C) John Sevier
D) Griffith Rutherford
  • 100. In which decade did permanent settlers begin arriving in the Smokies?
A) 1770s
B) 1810s
C) 1790s
D) 1850s
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