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New York City History: Part 2 Quiz

The history of New York City gets more interesting when you realize how our lives have been affected by it.

A multiple-choice quiz by hamandeggs. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
hamandeggs

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
117,610

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
1270

Last 3 plays: Guest 159 (9/10), Guest 67 (8/10), Guest 172 (5/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Who felt that it was the image-making of New York City that got him elected the President of the United States? Hint

Abraham Lincoln

John F. Kennedy

George Washington

Franklin D. Roosevelt

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. What New Yorker became the first American to make a living only with his pen? Hint

Washington Irving

Geore Templeton Strong

Walt Whitman

F. Scott Fitzgerald

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Dewitt Clinton served 10 terms as a mayor and three as a governor. He shaped New York's financial future by overseeing the creation of what? Hint

Grand Central

Erie Canal

Coney Island

The subway

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Question 4 of 10

4. Next, Dewitt Clinton announced plans to level the geography of Manhattan to create what in 1811? Hint

Broadway

Central Park

The grid

The subway

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. In the 1830's what New York newspaper, unfortunately, pioneered the idea to sell more copies by filling it with news of murder, rape, violence and death? Hint

The Aurora

The New York Herald

The New York Times

The Mirror

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. What proportion of the population of Ireland entered America through South Street during the potato famine in 1845-46? Hint

one tenth

one half

one fifteenth

one eighth

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Question 7 of 10

7. Who said of what book, it "arose out of my life in Brooklyn and Manhattan, absorbing a million people for 15 years ...?" Hint

Walt Whitman - Leaves of Grass

Jerry Seinfeld - Seinlanguage

F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby

Mark Twain - The Stranger

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Question 8 of 10

8. What did Fredrick Olmsted co-design in an attempt to encourage the different classes to assimilate? Hint

Central Park

The subway

Madison Square Garden

Coney Island

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. What bad-table mannered pioneer became the richest man in America by buying up all the real estate property he could in Manhattan? Hint

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Donald Trump

J.P.Morgan

John Jacob Astor

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. What did the Conscription Act lead to in New York City? Hint

Gang Wars

The human stampede on Brooklyn Bridge

The Wall Street Bombing

The Draft Riots

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 12 2024 : Guest 159: 9/10
Mar 28 2024 : Guest 67: 8/10
Feb 27 2024 : Guest 172: 5/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Who felt that it was the image-making of New York City that got him elected the President of the United States?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln

The hat he bought on Broadway, the photo taken of him at Brady's studio, and the newspapers that re-printed the photo alongside his rousing anti-slavery speech at the Cooper Institute - is what he felt rocketed him into the Presidency.

2. What New Yorker became the first American to make a living only with his pen?

Answer: Washington Irving

"A History of New York" was a best-selling mythical history of the city written under the false name "Knickerbocker". Wealthy New Yorkers later claimed they were decsedants of the "Knickerbocker" family, unaware that it was a fiction.

3. Dewitt Clinton served 10 terms as a mayor and three as a governor. He shaped New York's financial future by overseeing the creation of what?

Answer: Erie Canal

He connected the Hudson to the Great Lakes, thus connecting them to the Atlantic Ocean. By forcing the middle of the country to trade with the world through New York, he stole the importance of New Orleans and sealed New York's fate as the financial capital.

4. Next, Dewitt Clinton announced plans to level the geography of Manhattan to create what in 1811?

Answer: The grid

It was and still is 12 avenues wide, 155 streets long; covering 11,000 acres, creating 2000 blocks. It was an amazing act of prediction. The population that he expected to settle in to NYC (millions) seemed absurdly high at the time. It was and still is democratic, bold, easy to divide real estate wise, and simple enough for immigrants to navigate in.

The Burns PBS documentary was used in this question.

5. In the 1830's what New York newspaper, unfortunately, pioneered the idea to sell more copies by filling it with news of murder, rape, violence and death?

Answer: The New York Herald

James Gordan Bennett made it the most popular newspaper in the world and invented modern journalism. A pretty important fact about NYC, even if not a great one.

6. What proportion of the population of Ireland entered America through South Street during the potato famine in 1845-46?

Answer: one eighth

This huge and sudden influx caused a range of social problems in New York. The new Irish immigrants took on the worst jobs or became beggars. It created the imbalance in New York as there were now more inhabitants of working age than jobs. And the class struggle began in America. 1.5 million entered the country. One million came through South Street. And they came to meet an already over-crowded city.

The PBS New York Documentary by Burns was used in this question.

7. Who said of what book, it "arose out of my life in Brooklyn and Manhattan, absorbing a million people for 15 years ...?"

Answer: Walt Whitman - Leaves of Grass

He was probably the only person, at that time, who loved the diversity of New York City, and saw it as something to celebrate, rather than destroy. "Leaves of Grass" was released in 1855, with Whitman's intention being to show the people what brought them together.

8. What did Fredrick Olmsted co-design in an attempt to encourage the different classes to assimilate?

Answer: Central Park

Opening just before the Civil War, the park didn't fulfill this prophecy right away. But in the longer run it did - and this 843 acre man made structure still keeps the city invisible to those relaxing inside it. It really is beautiful.

9. What bad-table mannered pioneer became the richest man in America by buying up all the real estate property he could in Manhattan?

Answer: John Jacob Astor

he is famous for being a fur trader. But he wagered on the fact that New Yorkers would soon have to move upwards on Manhattan. He's interesting because he was the first American to make a fortune out of the city. Biggest fortune in the nation at the time.

10. What did the Conscription Act lead to in New York City?

Answer: The Draft Riots

The first federal draft ever in America was during the Civil War. Possibly over tens of thousands rioted for 4 days until the union troops could arrive. Complete chaos. Horrible attrocities. Nothing like it has had ever happened before or since in this country. 119 people confirmed killed. Most were drowned and not counted.

Source: Author hamandeggs

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