Opinion

Rediscovering America: A quiz on our national parks' 150th anniversary

Posted 2/25/22

March 1 is the 150th anniversary of the opening of Yellowstone National Park, our country’s first national park. The quiz below, from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University, provides an opportunity for you to test your knowledge of America’s National Park System and the National Park Service.

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue. Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor
Opinion

Rediscovering America: A quiz on our national parks' 150th anniversary

Posted

March 1 is the 150th anniversary of the opening of Yellowstone National Park, our country’s first national park.

The quiz below, from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University, provides an opportunity for you to test your knowledge of America’s National Park System and the National Park Service.

1. Which president designated Yellowstone as America’s first official national park?
A. Abraham Lincoln
B. Andrew Johnson
C. Ulysses S. Grant
D. Rutherford B. Hayes

2. Which of the following national parks is not among the 10 oldest?
A. Yosemite National Park
B. Mesa Verde National Park
C. Wind Cave National Park
D. Great Smoky Mountains National Park

3. The National Park Service, the Department of the Interior agency responsible for overseeing and protecting our national parks, was created through legislation enacted in 1916 during the term of which president?
A. William Taft
B. Woodrow Wilson
C. Warren Harding
D. Calvin Coolidge

4. Which of the following had a significant effect on the growth of the National Park System?
A. Manifest Destiny
B. New Deal
C. Great Society

D. All of the Above

5. Who has the authority to add national parks to the National Park System?
A. Congress
B. President of the United States
C. Secretary of the Department of the Interior
D. Director of the National Park Service

6. The National Park Service also oversees which of the following?
A. National Register of Historic Places
B. National Historic Landmarks
C. National Wild and Scenic Rivers
D. All of the Above

7. In 2020, the National Park Service oversaw how many sites?
A. 221
B. 336
C. 423
D. 509

8. The most recent addition to the National Park Service inventory took place in November 2020. What site was added?
A. Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial in the District of Columbia
B. Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument in Mississippi
C. Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Hawaii
D. Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in New York

9. In 2020, approximately how many visits to National Park Service sites took place?

A. 56 million
B. 123 million
C. 237 million
D. 310 million

10. Which president said: “The establishment of the National Park Service is justified by considerations of good administration, of the value of natural beauty as a national asset, and of the effectiveness of outdoor life and recreation in the production of good citizenship.”
A. Theodore Roosevelt
B. Calvin Coolidge
C. Richard Nixon
D. Jimmy Carter

Editor's note: Jason Jividen, an Honored Visiting Graduate Faculty member at the Ashbrook Center, is associate professor of politics at St. Vincent College, Latrobe, Pa. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

..

.

Answers: 1-C, 2-D, 3-B, 4-D, 5-A, 6-D, 7-C, 8-B, 9-C, 10-A

Comments

x