Сто вопросов и ответов о сша one hundred questions and answers about

THE USA

l. In which famous location do people in New York City celebrate New Year's Eve?

-Times Square

2. What are the ingredients of a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner?

-Turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie

3. What do the terms "melting pot" and "salad bowl" mean to u.S. Society and culture?

- That the U.S. is a country of immigrants who work together as Americans while retaining their ethnic identities

4. Which art museum in New York City is a spiral-shaped building and what is the name of the architect who built it?

-The Guggenheim Museum: Frank Lloyd Wright

5. Which American artist painted portraits of outstanding historical leaders and scenes of important historical events, including “The Declaration of Independence" and three famous portraits of George Washington?

- John Trumbull

6. Who is the American composer who wrote West Side Story?

- Leonard Bernstein

7. Who is the famous American dancer, singer and actor who played in many films together with his partner Ginger Rogers?

- Fred Astaire

8. Which American artist chose painting mother and child as the main theme of her creative work, spent the better part of her life in Paris, and was very close to the

Impressionists?

- Mary Cassatt

9. Under which two names did the most famous American boxer of the 1960-1970's fight in the ring?

- Muhammad Ali and Cassius Clay

10. Which sport is considered to be the national pastime of America?

- Baseball

11. Give the name of the most famous American chess-player of our time.

- Bobby Fischer

12. Which African-American track and field star won the last four gold medals in the Olympic long jump com petition?

- Carl Lewis

13. Which American rock-and-roll star lived in Memphis, Tennessee?

- Elvis Presley

14. Which American silent film star is called The Little Tramp"?

- Charlie Chaplin

15. What monument in Washington, D.C., dedicated to an American president is nicknamed The Pencil"?

- Washington Monument

16. What do Americans call the championship game of American football?

- Super Bowl

17. In which U.S. city were the 1996 Summer Olympics held?

- Atlanta (GA)

18. What is the name of the awards given to the best movie actors and actresses each year in the U.S.?

- Oscars, or Academy Awards

19. Which U.S. city in the birthplace of "grunge" music?

- Seattle (WA)

20. Which Russian-born American choreographer created the "modern style of classical American ballet"?

- George Balanchine (Georgi Balanchivadze)

21. Who was Henry Hudson and which geographical feature In New York state is named after him?

- English explorer, Hudson River

22. The continental U.S. is divided into how many time zones?

-Four

22. Which American state was the last to acquire "state" status?

-Hawaii

24. In which state do the highest trees in the world grow and what are they called?

-California; "redwood" or "sequoia"

25. What is the name of the first U.S. national park and in which state is it located?

-Yellowstone; Wyoming

25. Which major city in the state of Florida has the same name as a Russian city?

- St. Petersburg

27. At which island did most European immigrants to the U.S. arrive?

- Ellis Island (NY)

28. In which mountain are the faces of four American Presidents chiseled?

- Mt. Rushmore

29. In which city and state is Disney World located?

- Orlando, Florida

30. What is the name of the famous collection of museums in Washington, D.C.?

- Smithsonian Institution

31. What is one of the pet names for the Mississippi River?

- "The Old Man"; "The Big Muddy"

32. Name the six New England states and explain why they are known as "New England"

- Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut; named by Capt. John Smith for its resemblance to the coast of England

33. Name the five Great Lakes - which one is entirely within the U.S.?

- Lakes Huron, Erie, Ontario, Michigan, Superior: Michigan

34. Which of the five Great Lakes is the largest?

- Lake Ontario

35. Which American state (excluding Hawaii and Alaska) borders only one other state?

- Maine

36. Name the lowest spot in the continental U.S.

- Death Valley (CA)

37. Which Caribbean Sea island has a common wealth status with the U.S.?

- Puerto Rico

38. Name the smallest U.S. state.

- Rhode Island

39. In which western U. S. state, originally on part of the Nez Perce Indian Reservation, is the city of Moscow located?

- Idaho

40. Where is the "Rust Belt" in the U.S.?

-The industrial North-Central and North-East states

41. Explain the symbolism of the stripes and the stars on the U.S. flag.

- 50 star s = 50 states; 13 stripes = 13 original colonies

42. What is impeachment and name one president it threatened?

- A formal accusation against a public official Andrew Johnson or Richard Nixon

43. Which U.S. legal holiday - held every four years - falls on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November?

- Election Day

44. When did American women receive the right to vote?

- 1920 (the 19th Amendment of the Constitution)

45. Who was the youngest elected President in the history of the U.S.?

- John F. Kennedy

46. From which two states was the original District of Columbia carved?

- Maryland and Virginia

47. Why does the highest mountain in the U. S. have two names and what are they?

- One is in English, while the other is in the Eskimo language; Mt. McKinley and Mt. Denali (20,320 feet=6.198 m)

48. Where is the Mason-Dixon Line and what was its historical importance?

-Roughly, the border between Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia designated the invisible boundary between "slave" and "free" states and between the "South" and the "North".

49. After the Vice-President, which political figure is next in line to succeed the President?

- Speaker of the House of Representatives

50. Name the two political parties in the U.S. and say which animals symbolize each party?

- Democrats: donkey; Republicans: elephant

51. What is the justification for the U.S. President being able to serve only two terms in office?

- To prevent one person from accumulating too much "power and creating" a "royal presidency"

52. What was the "Homestead Act"?

-Transfer of land from the U.S. government to a "homesteader" after five years of residence at a nominal price

53. Who was the famous Chicago criminal, nick named "Scarface", of the Prohibition era who was arrested on tax evasion charges?

- Al Capone

54. Who was the first president to serve only one term?

-John Adams

54. Who was the first president elected as a member of the Republican Party?

- Abraham Lincoln

56. Which U.S. government agency is charged with the collection of taxes?

- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

57. Name the longest serving U.S. president.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

58. What was the first "talking" film in the U.S.?

- "The Jazz Singer" (1927)

59. When and where was "the shot fired that was heard around the world"?

- Concord/Lexington, Massachusetts on April 18/19, 1775 - the start of the first battles of the American Revolution

60. In which city did the First Continental Congress meet in 1774?

- Philadelphia (PA)

61. What is the name of the Dutch settlement which became New York City?

- Colony was the New Netherlands; Capital city was New Amsterdam

62. In which city and state is the Liberty Bell located?

- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania '*

63. Give the names of the three ships on which Christopher Columbus made his first voyage to America.

- Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria

64. With which "supernatural" event is the old whaling town of Salem, Massachusetts associated?

- Witchcraft

65. Who were the "Blues" and who were the "Greys" during the American War between the States?

- Blues were the North (Union); Greys were the South (Confederacy)

66. What was the colonists' motto during the "Boston Tea Party"?

- No Taxation without Representation