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Quiz about Eastern Washington
Quiz about Eastern Washington

Eastern Washington Trivia Quiz


Washington's official nickname is "the Evergreen State," but much of the eastern half of the state is anything but green! This quiz explores this often overlooked area.

A multiple-choice quiz by SterlingT. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
SterlingT
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
350,933
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
367
Last 3 plays: Guest 67 (9/10), Guest 76 (8/10), Guest 205 (9/10).
Question 1 of 10
1. Which town in eastern Washington has been called the "town so nice they named it twice"? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Most people know that the Columbia River forms much of the southern border of Washington, but what river marks a small section of the eastern border? (Step carefully on this one.) Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. The Palouse is an interesting area in southeastern Washington. It does not have many trees, but it is covered with numerous random hills, humps, and hollows. A city in the Palouse region is the home of Washington State University. Can you name this city? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. My hometown, Ellensburg, hosts a professional sporting event every Labor Day weekend. It is the largest event of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. What kind of event is it? (Don't let this one throw you.) Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The largest city in eastern Washington was also exactly the 100th largest city in the US in 2012. Can you remember the name of this city, whether written or spoken? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. In the extreme northeast of the state is a county named for an Indian tribe--not for the name they called themselves, but the name that French fur traders gave them. The French words mean, roughly, "hangs from ear". What is the name of this county? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Yakima is the largest city in south central Washington. The Yakima Valley, once known primarily for apples, later became a major wine region as well. But how in the world do you pronounce it? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. A small Catholic college in eastern Washington has a typical undergraduate enrollment of under 5000 students (2012 data), but one of the top college basketball programs in the US. What is this school, named for a relatively obscure Italian saint? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. In a remote area of eastern Washington there is a huge structure. It is the largest electric power producing facility in the country. Woody Guthrie actually wrote a song about this facility. What is its name? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. In the Quinault Rain Forest in western Washington, the annual rainfall has been measured as high as 180 inches (15 feet)! What is the average rainfall in Ellensburg, a mere 100 miles east of Seattle on I-90? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 17 2024 : Guest 67: 9/10
Feb 25 2024 : Guest 76: 8/10
Feb 22 2024 : Guest 205: 9/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Which town in eastern Washington has been called the "town so nice they named it twice"?

Answer: Walla Walla

Besides its memorable name, Walla Walla is known for its sweet onions. The town is located in Walla Walla County.
2. Most people know that the Columbia River forms much of the southern border of Washington, but what river marks a small section of the eastern border? (Step carefully on this one.)

Answer: Snake River

Hells Canyon, carved by the Snake River, is the deepest river gorge in North America. It's beautiful, but hardly as impressive as the Colorado River's Grand Canyon.
3. The Palouse is an interesting area in southeastern Washington. It does not have many trees, but it is covered with numerous random hills, humps, and hollows. A city in the Palouse region is the home of Washington State University. Can you name this city?

Answer: Pullman

The Palouse is extremely fertile, but it was challenging to farm a region with little level acreage until the twentieth century. In 1930, a company in Moscow, Idaho manufactured a smaller combine specifically for use in the Palouse.
4. My hometown, Ellensburg, hosts a professional sporting event every Labor Day weekend. It is the largest event of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. What kind of event is it? (Don't let this one throw you.)

Answer: Rodeo

My little town had a population less than 10,000 when I was a child. I remember the professional cowboys flying into our tiny airport in their private planes and the special trains arriving with the brahma bulls and bucking broncos. I thought it was fascinating that the animals traveled the same professional circuit as the cowboys.

A rider might draw the same bull in a rodeo a thousand miles away!
5. The largest city in eastern Washington was also exactly the 100th largest city in the US in 2012. Can you remember the name of this city, whether written or spoken?

Answer: Spokane

When I was a child, people called the area around Spokane the "Inland Empire". I believe it later changed to the "Inland Northwest" since a much more populous region in southern California is also referred to as the "Inland Empire".
6. In the extreme northeast of the state is a county named for an Indian tribe--not for the name they called themselves, but the name that French fur traders gave them. The French words mean, roughly, "hangs from ear". What is the name of this county?

Answer: Pend Oreille

The French named the tribe after the large shells that the people wore dangling from their ears. The Native American tribe called themselves the Kalispel. A more famous tribe of the Northwest with a French name is the Nez Perce.
7. Yakima is the largest city in south central Washington. The Yakima Valley, once known primarily for apples, later became a major wine region as well. But how in the world do you pronounce it?

Answer: YAK-i-mah

Some of the oldest vineyards in Washington are located in the Yakima Valley. Although many of the wineries are closer to Seattle in western Washington, nearly all of them get at least some of their grapes from the Yakima Valley. Washington is second only to California in the production of wine in the US.
8. A small Catholic college in eastern Washington has a typical undergraduate enrollment of under 5000 students (2012 data), but one of the top college basketball programs in the US. What is this school, named for a relatively obscure Italian saint?

Answer: Gonzaga University

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have gone to the NCAA Tournament every year from 1999 to 2012. Particularly memorable was 1999 when they reached the Elite Eight.
9. In a remote area of eastern Washington there is a huge structure. It is the largest electric power producing facility in the country. Woody Guthrie actually wrote a song about this facility. What is its name?

Answer: Grand Coulee Dam

Woody Guthrie was actually hired for a month by the Department of the Interior to write songs about the Columbia River and the construction of federal dams. He wrote more than 20 songs in one month, including "Roll On, Columbia" and "Grand Coulee Dam".
10. In the Quinault Rain Forest in western Washington, the annual rainfall has been measured as high as 180 inches (15 feet)! What is the average rainfall in Ellensburg, a mere 100 miles east of Seattle on I-90?

Answer: 9 inches

Nine inches! Counting snow! Where I now live, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, it can rain four inches in a single storm!
Source: Author SterlingT

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
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