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This week, we pick on someone bigger
Herald Features Editor
Believe it or not, some Dela-wareans were a little miffed by the last GeoQuiz.
All I can say is we achieved our goal, and that was to reassure ourselves that, yes indeed, someone does actually care about our most insignificant, I mean, underrated, state.
A look at some of the nice, thoughtful e-mails we received:
► “You are an idiot.”
► “Acting as if Durango has some special authority because it is part of the ‘wonderful’ state of Colorado is like touting the virtues of Plattsburgh because it happens to be part of the state of New York.”
► “You do realize that the largest attraction in Durango, aside from the Animas and Skiing, is a (expletive) coal locomotive?”
► “Some female in Delaware must have hurt your little feelings. Get over it! Stop talking crap about my home state and get a life!” (I responded by assuring him that, although women in at least 12 other states have hurt my “little feelings,” causing many unresolved personal issues, no Delawarean girls are to blame.)
► Senior News Reporter Stephanie Kraus wrote in the University of Delaware student newspaper, The Review: “This week, The Durango Herald, a Colorado newspaper, published an article titled, ‘Eleven Things You Must Know About Delaware.’ Mistaking the article for journalism, I read it.”
Nope, it’s just a silly quiz, and we’re trying to have fun here. Yes, we crossed the line with the Delaware GeoQuiz but, well, sometimes you just kind of want to see where that line is.
Other e-mail respondents played along:
► “You missed my late father’s favorite question about Delaware: Q: How many counties does Delaware have? A: Three, except at high tide, when there are only two.”
► “Here’s another fun fact: Delaware is the only state that does not have a commercial airport. A few carriers tried to start service at the Wilmington airport but never succeeded.”
OK, it’s true we have proven we can pick on the little guy. Now we’ll go for bigger fish. Is there anything bigger than Texas? Are we out of our minds here at GeoQuiz? Will our 12 ex-SEAL bodyguards be able to protect us when Texas-sized trouble comes a-callin’? Tune in next time.
But first, here’s this week’s GeoQuiz. (Answers on Page 11C.)
1. The state’s official nickname is a) The Loudmouth State, b) The Tumbleweed State, c) The Lone Star State, d) The Friday Night Lights State.
2. Name the Texas state flower and bird: a) agave and roadrunner, b) bluebonnet and mockingbird, c) orchid and barn owl, d) dogwood and cardinal.
3. Yes, there is something bigger than Texas. Name the one U.S. state that has more area.
4. Turns out Texas is full of No. 2, um, statistics. Name the one state that has more people.
5. Match these Texas landmarks with the correct Texas cities: Landmarks: Alamo, state capitol, Texas Tech, Cowgirl Hall of Fame. Cities: Lubbock, San Antonio, Fort Worth, Austin.
6. The highest point in Texas is Guadalupe Peak. How much lower in elevation is Guadalupe than Colorado’s highest point, Mount Elbert at 14,433 feet? a) 2,000-plus feet, b) 5,000-plus feet, c) 10,000-plus feet, d) 15,000-plus feet.
7. Name all the states that border Texas. For extra-cool-guy credit, name the four Mexican states that border Texas.
8. Name the U.S. president in this list that is not a “famous Texan.” George H.W. Bush, Lyndon B. Johnson, George Bush, Barack Obama.
1. c) The Lone Star State.
2. b) bluebonnet and mockingbird. Agave and roadrunner probably should be, if you can call an agave a flower. And just FYI, dogwood and cardinal are Virginia’s state flower and bird.
3. Alaska. Texas is 268,581 square miles, while Alaska is 663,267 square miles.
4. California. According to The World Almanac, 2006 estimates showed 23.5 million people in Texas and 36.5 million in California.
5. The Alamo is in San Antonio, state capitol in Austin, Texas Tech in Lubbock and Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth.
6. b) 5,000-plus feet. Guadalupe, in western Texas, practically in New Mexico, is 8,749 feet tall. That’s nearly 6,000 feet between Guadalupe and Elbert, but hey, we’re not trying to rub it in.
7. New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. The Mexican states that border it are Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas.
8. Barack Obama. Even if you’re from Texas, I bet you got this one right.
Coming soon, just to be fair: We have a little fun with Colorado.
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