# How well do you know the states? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 30, 2007, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568 "2007-10-30T14:01:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/1 "2007-10-30T14:01:34Z")
[Test your geography knowledge - USA: states quiz | Lizard Point Quizzes](http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/usaquiz.html) (sometimes it takes a little while to load) I got 140/150 but at least one of my mistakes was just an inaccurate click. (oh, and if you’re not from the US say so, so we can either be impressed or cut you some slack, depending ;)) ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/2 "2007-10-30T14:11:39Z")
148/150 Stupid New Ham’sha’ I’m in Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/3 "2007-10-30T14:29:18Z")
I got 144. Damn Wyoming. I still don’t know where it is. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/4 "2007-10-30T14:30:33Z")
[QUOTE=An Gadaí] I’m in Ireland. [/QUOTE] Yeah, yeah. I’m in Ireland too. Damned Wyoming. ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_of\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@Sock\_of\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_of_Doom)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/5 "2007-10-30T14:40:06Z")
146/150. Dumb point lost 'cause Rhode Island is too damned small to click. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/6 "2007-10-30T14:43:24Z")
Oh, for the record? I think most people in the US learn the states in elementary school. I went to a really f-d up religious school for those years and we never had to memorize the locations of the states (or know the capitals, or learn the presidents’ names, etc)–but we did have to memorize lots of chunks of the Bible! I still get kind of mad when I think about it. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/7 "2007-10-30T14:44:39Z")
I learned the US states for fun. No wonder I didn’t score with women until well into my twenties. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/8 "2007-10-30T14:45:10Z")
150/150. I usually screw up New Hampshire and Vermont, but this time I got them right. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/9 "2007-10-30T14:48:13Z")
Meh. 0/0 it loads with errors, so I can’t even play. someone call the waaaahmbulance, wouldja? ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/10 "2007-10-30T14:49:16Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] I got 144. Damn Wyoming. I still don’t know where it is. [/QUOTE] I get the states in the middle of the country mixed up all the time-- Like I know roughly where Iowa is, and while I wouldn’t bet money on which exact state it is, I’d be able to narrow it down to 2 or 3 with confidence. I’m like that with most of the midwest/north. For example, which one is Wyoming and which one is Montana? I know which two they are, but not which is which between the two. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/11 "2007-10-30T14:53:10Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] I get the states in the middle of the country mixed up all the time-- Like I know roughly where Iowa is, and while I wouldn’t bet money on which exact state it is, I’d be able to narrow it down to 2 or 3 with confidence. I’m like that with most of the midwest/north. For example, which one is Wyoming and which one is Montana? I know which two they are, but not which is which between the two. [/QUOTE] Yeah, I have that problem too. I’m just as bad with Southern states east of Texas and not with Atlantic coastline. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/12 "2007-10-30T14:57:09Z")
Scored 150. I’m British, lived in the USA about 2 years. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/13 "2007-10-30T15:07:50Z")
146/150 How emarassing that I mixed up Deleware with Maryland. Yet somehow I got Maryland right. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/14 "2007-10-30T15:18:39Z")
Wow. 85 of 138 on Europe. I’m embarassed that I couldn’t find Czecho. And where the fuck is San Marino? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/15 "2007-10-30T15:20:09Z")
144 / 150. Idaho. Who needs that? (Hey, I just realised that Idaho sounds like the beginning of a smutty story: “Idaho once who could …”) ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/16 "2007-10-30T15:21:42Z")
1. Knowing the states is one of those useless bits of trivia that crowds all of the important stuff out of my brain. > [@Who\_me?](#): > > 150/150. I usually screw up New Hampshire and Vermont, but this time I got them right. Just remember, New Hampshire’s right side up. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/17 "2007-10-30T15:26:22Z")
[QUOTE=Who\_me?] 150/150. I usually screw up New Hampshire and Vermont, but this time I got them right. [/QUOTE] I always used to get NH and VT mixed up, but i visited those states for the first time recently, and now have a very clear idea of which is which. I got a perfect score. I’m completely confident all around the coasts and the Canadian border, and with all the small, funny-looking states in the east. The ones i really have to think about are the states in the middle that have no peculiar shape, like Kansas and Wyoming. With a few of them, it’s sort of a process of elimination. “No, that’s Oklahoma because it borders Texas. That one’s South Dakota, because it’s right under North Dakota. I know that Nebraska and Kansas border each other (The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 reminds me of that), and that Kansas is the southernmost of the two. So THAT one there must be Iowa.” ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/18 "2007-10-30T15:32:29Z")
Can i just add that i’m always amused when tests like this give 3 points for an answer that you can only get right or wrong. It’s not like they need a scale greater than 1 to measure a correct answer. Why not just make it 50 out of 50? Maybe they should try for a more complex scoring system to take advantage of the points. “Well, no, that’s NH, but everyone knows that NH looks like VT, and they’re right next to each other, so you get 2 out of 3.” Or “Oops, that’s Utah. But those square states in the southwest are so confusing we’ll give you 1 for effort.” ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/19 "2007-10-30T15:41:10Z")
[QUOTE=mhendo] Can i just add that i’m always amused when tests like this give 3 points for an answer that you can only get right or wrong. It’s not like they need a scale greater than 1 to measure a correct answer. Why not just make it 50 out of 50? Maybe they should try for a more complex scoring system to take advantage of the points. “Well, no, that’s NH, but everyone knows that NH looks like VT, and they’re right next to each other, so you get 2 out of 3.” Or “Oops, that’s Utah. But those square states in the southwest are so confusing we’ll give you 1 for effort.” [/QUOTE] You get more than one try. If you get a state on the first try, you get 3 points; two tries, 2 points; three tries, 1 point. That’s how people ended up with scores that are not multiples of three. ---
**Author:** ![Soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568/20 "2007-10-30T15:44:50Z")
149/150. Stupid Michigan peninsula jumped out in front of Wisconsin. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-know-the-states/424568.md?page=2)