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American Folklore - Quiz
Contributed by: Howes
  • 1. What legendary frontiersman and folk hero is often associated with a coonskin cap?
A) Johnny Appleseed
B) John Henry
C) Paul Bunyan
D) Davy Crockett
  • 2. Which famous folklore figure is known for outwitting Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear in African American folklore?
A) Br'er Rabbit
B) John Henry
C) Casey Jones
D) Pecos Bill
  • 3. In American folklore, who is said to have led the African American slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad?
A) Anne Oakley
B) Harriet Tubman
C) Calamity Jane
D) Betsy Ross
  • 4. Which supernatural being in American folklore is known for granting wishes to those who free it from a lamp or bottle?
A) Leprechaun
B) Genie
C) Kraken
D) Banshee
  • 5. What mythical creature is said to inhabit the forests of the Pacific Northwest in Native American folklore?
A) Chupacabra
B) Sasquatch
C) Wendigo
D) Mothman
  • 6. Which famous folk song tells the story of a steel-drivin' man who raced against a steam drill?
A) Home on the Range
B) John Henry
C) This Land Is Your Land
D) Oh, Susanna
  • 7. What mythical bird is said to burst into flames and be reborn from its ashes in American folklore?
A) Dragon
B) Phoenix
C) Kraken
D) Griffin
  • 8. In Native American folklore, what powerful figure is often depicted as a trickster and transformer?
A) Wendigo
B) Skin-walker
C) Coyote
D) Thunderbird
  • 9. What is a common theme found in Native American creation myths?
A) Explaining how the earth was formed and where humans came from
B) Detailing the discovery of fire
C) Outlining the development of writing systems
D) Describing the invention of agriculture
  • 10. Which figure is often used symbolically in Native American myths?
A) Dragon
B) Unicorn
C) Bear
D) Phoenix
  • 11. What do many Plains tribes' flood myths usually end with?
A) The restoration of the submerged earth
B) The creation of new animals
C) The disappearance of all humans
D) The beginning of a new era
  • 12. What role do stories play in Native American cultures according to Barre Toelken?
A) They serve as entertainment only
B) They embody behavioral and ethical values
C) They are used for historical records
D) They replace religious practices
  • 13. Which of the following is NOT a common element in Native American myths?
A) Myths about the invention of technology
B) Hero stories
C) Creation myths
D) Animal tales
  • 14. What do feathers, beadwork, and dance steps represent in Native American cultures?
A) Items used in trade
B) Tools for hunting
C) Symbols of wealth
D) Icons of cultural meaning
  • 15. Which animal is NOT frequently referred to as a supernatural being in Native American myths?
A) Bear
B) Unicorn
C) Eagle
D) Snake
  • 16. What do hero stories in Native American folklore typically feature?
A) Heroes with supernatural powers who defeat evils
B) Ordinary people solving everyday problems
C) Animals teaching moral lessons
D) Historical figures recounting their lives
  • 17. What is a common purpose of animal tales in Native American folklore?
A) Illustrating hunting techniques
B) Explaining how features of certain animals occurred
C) Providing recipes for traditional dishes
D) Describing the migration patterns of animals
  • 18. What role did Christopher Columbus play in American myth?
A) He was primarily known for his writings on exploration.
B) He is credited with discovering the United States.
C) His role was limited to being an explorer of the Atlantic.
D) He is seen as a heroic figure representing America's self-perception.
  • 19. Who popularized Columbus' life as a romantic figure?
A) Jeremy Belknap
B) George Bancroft
C) Washington Irving
D) Christopher Columbus himself
  • 20. Did Christopher Columbus ever set foot in what is now the United States?
A) No, he never did.
B) Yes, he founded several colonies.
C) Only after establishing settlements in the Caribbean.
D) He visited briefly during his second voyage.
  • 21. How was Columbus portrayed by early American historians like Irving and Bancroft?
A) Primarily as a failed adventurer.
B) As a noble explorer guided by God to reach the New World.
C) As someone who misunderstood his discoveries.
D) As an ordinary navigator with no significant impact.
  • 22. How did the view of Columbus as a genius dependent on monarchical goodwill affect his image?
A) He was seen as irrelevant to America's founding myths.
B) Columbus was viewed as a failed leader.
C) His reputation was diminished among American settlers.
D) He became a lauded revolutionary figure.
  • 23. What was Jamestown's first winter known as?
A) The 'Starving Time'
B) The 'Harsh Winter of 1609-1610'
C) The 'Great Drought'
D) The 'Famine Winter'
  • 24. In what year did William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims found Plymouth Colony?
A) 1619
B) 1607
C) 1630
D) 1620
  • 25. How many years after the Pilgrims' landing was the first written reference to Plymouth Rock?
A) 75 years
B) 121 years
C) 200 years
D) 50 years
  • 26. Who helped the Pilgrims survive through their first winter in America?
A) Captain John Smith
B) Friendly Native Americans, including Squanto
C) Spanish explorers
D) The Powhatan tribe
  • 27. What is the holiday of Thanksgiving said to have begun with?
A) Native American harvest festivals
B) Colonial governors' celebrations
C) British settlers in Jamestown
D) The Pilgrims in 1621
  • 28. What is George Washington often referred to as in American folklore?
A) "The Father of Democracy"
B) "The First Patriot"
C) "Pater Patriae"
D) "The Great Liberator"
  • 29. Who is credited with spreading the cherry tree story in a personalized form?
A) Abraham Lincoln
B) Benjamin Franklin
C) Thomas Jefferson
D) Mark Twain
  • 30. What famous phrase did Patrick Henry end his speech with?
A) "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!"
B) "I have a dream."
C) "Ask not what your country can do for you."
D) "We shall fight on the beaches."
  • 31. Who was responsible for reconstructing Patrick Henry's speech using oral histories?
A) John Adams
B) James Madison
C) William Wirt
D) Thomas Jefferson
  • 32. Which other Revolutionary War figure is known for a famous ride to warn of British troops?
A) Paul Revere
B) Benjamin Franklin
C) Nathan Hale
D) John Hancock
  • 33. Which setting is commonly associated with American tall tales?
A) The Industrial Revolution
B) Medieval Europe
C) Ancient Greece
D) The American Old West
  • 34. Which U.S. House did Davy Crockett represent?
A) Tennessee
B) Mississippi
C) Kentucky
D) Texas
  • 35. Who did Calamity Jane claim to be an acquaintance of?
A) Daniel Boone
B) Davy Crockett
C) Buffalo Bill Cody
D) Wild Bill Hickok
  • 36. Who was the first child born in the Americas to English parents?
A) Virginia Dare
B) Eleanor White Dare
C) Ann Lee
D) Ananias White Dare
  • 37. In which film does King Kong climb to the top of the Empire State Building?
A) An Affair to Remember
B) Appalachian Spring
C) King Kong (1933)
D) Sleepless in Seattle
  • 38. What is the name of the area in Vermont where a number of people went missing between 1945 and 1950?
A) Bridgewater Triangle
B) Bennington Triangle
C) Monument Valley
D) Hoover Dam
  • 39. What was Calamity Jane's real name?
A) Mary Ellen Smith
B) Elizabeth Brown
C) Martha Jane Canary
D) Sarah Johnson
  • 40. What is the name of Paul Bunyan's younger brother?
A) Pecos Bill
B) Cordwood Pete
C) Babe the Blue Ox
D) Johnny Kaw
  • 41. What nickname was given to women who carried water to men on the battlefield?
A) Battle Belle
B) Molly Pitcher
C) Water Wagon Woman
D) Frontline Florence
  • 42. Who founded the Shaker religious sect?
A) John White
B) Loren Coleman
C) Ann Lee
D) Joseph Brackett
  • 43. What is the Nain Rouge associated with?
A) The Great Lakes region.
B) Northern Wisconsin.
C) Detroit, Michigan folklore.
D) Southern New Jersey.
  • 44. Which creature is described as having glowing red eyes and bird-like wings?
A) Champ
B) Mothman
C) The Jersey Devil
D) Bigfoot
  • 45. What did slaves develop from the hymns they learned?
A) Negro spirituals
B) Blues and jazz
C) Recreational songs
D) Work songs
  • 46. What is unique about the authors of 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game'?
A) It was written during a World Series
B) Neither had attended a baseball game before writing it
C) Both were professional baseball players
D) The song was originally for a football match
  • 47. Which creature is said to inhabit the forests of Northern Wisconsin?
A) Champ
B) Bigfoot
C) Mothman
D) The Hodag
  • 48. What did John Henry race against according to legend?
A) A steam-powered hammer
B) Another steel-driver
C) A horse-drawn carriage
D) A locomotive
  • 49. Which cultural icon is associated with the American workforce during World War II?
A) Columbia
B) The Statue of Liberty
C) Uncle Sam
D) Rosie the Riveter
  • 50. What is the name of the main character in 'Rip Van Winkle'?
A) Rip Van Winkle
B) Brom Bones
C) Ichabod Crane
D) Katrina Van Tassel
  • 51. What is a popular song that was often sung as a sea chanty?
A) "The Star-Spangled Banner"
B) "Poor Paddy Works on the Railway"
C) "Amazing Grace"
D) "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"
  • 52. When did the New York Times move to its new headquarters, prompting the renaming of Longacre Square?
A) 1993
B) 1933
C) 1957
D) April 1904
  • 53. Which legendary figure is known for predicting the arrival of spring?
A) Punxsutawney Phil
B) Paul Bunyan
C) Captain Stormalong
D) Johnny Kaw
  • 54. Which century did immigrants from the UK, Ireland, Spain, Germany, and France begin arriving in large numbers?
A) 17th century
B) 18th century
C) 16th century
D) 19th century
  • 55. What was John Henry's job as a railroad worker?
A) Station master
B) Steel-driving man
C) Railroad engineer
D) Train conductor
  • 56. What is the Bridgewater Triangle known for?
A) Cultural festivals
B) Historical landmarks
C) Alleged paranormal phenomena
D) Folk dances
  • 57. What did African slaves bring with them to the United States?
A) European instruments
B) Religious texts
C) Native American artifacts
D) Musical traditions
  • 58. What are some of the names Santa Claus is known by?
A) Babbo Natale, Joulupukki
B) Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas
C) Krampus, Père Noël
D) Ded Moroz, Grandfather Frost
  • 59. Where is the Liberty Bell located?
A) Washington D.C.
B) New York City, New York
C) Boston, Massachusetts
D) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • 60. Where was Washington Irving living when he wrote 'Rip Van Winkle'?
A) Birmingham, England
B) Philadelphia
C) Boston
D) New York City
  • 61. 'Oh My Darling, Clementine' is about a tragedy during which historical event?
A) American Revolutionary War
B) 1849 California Gold Rush
C) World War II
D) Civil War
  • 62. Who was Casey Jones?
A) A famous inventor
B) A gold miner
C) An engineer for the Illinois Central Railroad
D) A Civil War general
  • 63. Which of these is not a subject matter classification for American folk songs?
A) Drinking songs
B) Train songs
C) War songs
D) Classical compositions
  • 64. Which group of workers was prominently involved in the construction of the Empire State Building?
A) Roanoke colonists
B) Mohawk ironworkers
C) Shakers
D) Bridgewater Triangle residents
  • 65. What is the name of the fictional character in 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'?
A) Katrina Van Tassel
B) Brom Bones
C) Ichabod Crane
D) The Headless Horseman
  • 66. What type of dance is the square dance descended from?
A) Tango
B) Waltz
C) Foxtrot
D) Quadrille
  • 67. What is the most famous account of Bigfoot known as?
A) The Champlain Chronicle.
B) The Rhinelander Report.
C) The Patterson-Gimlin film.
D) The Silver Bridge Incident.
  • 68. Who is generally believed to have been Molly Pitcher?
A) Sybil Ludington
B) Margaret Corbin
C) Mary Hays
D) Phyllis Wheatley
  • 69. Which song shares melodic material with the Irish anti-war song 'Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye'?
A) 'Oh My Darling, Clementine'
B) 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home'
C) 'The Star-Spangled Banner'
D) 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game'
  • 70. Which ballet score features the Shaker tune 'Simple Gifts' in its finale?
A) Appalachian Spring
B) Sleepless in Seattle
C) An Affair to Remember
D) King Kong
  • 71. What did masters disapprove of in industrious slaves?
A) Singing and dancing
B) Attending church services
C) Crafting items
D) Learning European music
  • 72. Which mythical creature is said to inhabit Lake Champlain and has over 300 reported sightings?
A) Champ
B) Bigfoot
C) The Jersey Devil
D) Mothman
  • 73. Which type of hymns became a feature at camp meetings in the South?
A) Negro spirituals
B) Work songs
C) Protestant hymns
D) Recreational songs
  • 74. How many stories does the Empire State Building have?
A) 34
B) 102
C) 200
D) 40
  • 75. What kind of creature is Old Black Eyes according to legend?
A) A water spirit haunting lakes and rivers.
B) A spectral hound that frequents the Baker Rocks.
C) A giant bird with fiery eyes.
D) A mischievous forest sprite.
  • 76. What did Negro spirituals primarily express?
A) Work coordination
B) European music styles
C) Joyful celebrations
D) Religious faith
  • 77. Which original Thirteen Colony's culture heavily influenced American folk music?
A) English
B) Dutch
C) French
D) Spanish
  • 78. In which year was 'Simple Gifts' composed by Elder Joseph Brackett?
A) 1848
B) 1944
C) 1933
D) 1587
  • 79. What is the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress known for?
A) A fighter aircraft used in World War II
B) A passenger airliner developed in the 1950s
C) Being a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber
D) An experimental spacecraft
  • 80. Who was the first prominent scholar to study distinctly American folk music?
A) Burl Ives
B) Alan Lomax
C) Robert Winslow Gordon
D) Woody Guthrie
  • 81. When did the American folk music revival begin?
A) 1940s
B) 1950s
C) 1960s
D) 1930s
  • 82. What is the Colt Single Action Army known as?
A) The 'Liberty Bell'
B) The 'Smokey Bear'
C) The 'Peacemaker'
D) The 'Flying Tiger'
  • 83. Which event is associated with the Boston Tea Party?
A) A protest against British taxation without representation
B) The Battle of Bunker Hill
C) Paul Revere's Ride
D) The signing of the Declaration of Independence
  • 84. What was Times Square formerly known as?
A) Longacre Square
B) Empire State Building
C) Pearl Harbor
D) Hoover Dam
  • 85. Who is generally attributed with writing "A Visit from St. Nicholas"?
A) Washington Irving
B) Charles Dickens
C) Clement Clarke Moore
D) Mark Twain
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