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American Wild West History Quiz with Answers: Quiz 15

 This article was originally published on Hubpages in July 2011.

This fun free quiz is a great addition to costume parties, school, youth groups, summer-time picnics, or theme days at nursing homes.

Homeschoolers may also find this quiz a useful starting point for further research, as its questions cover First Nations and settler histories, as well as more contemporary western films and country music.

Complete the Western Film Title

Title
Missing Word
A Fistful of _______
Dollars
Butch Cassidy and the _______
Sundance Kid
The Magnificent _______
Seven
Rio _______
Bravo (Grande is also an acceptable answer)
The Man Who Shot Liberty _______
Valance
Once Upon a Time in the _______
West
The Outlaw Josey _______
Wales
True _______
Grit
High _______
Noon
The Good, the Bad, and _______
the Ugly
A Man Called _______
Horse
Dances With _______
Wolves

Have players complete the movie title by filling in the blank!

Questions About Pioneers, Settlers, and Cowboys

1) What was a chuck wagon? The wagon which carried food supplies and cooking utensils.

2) What were Dutch ovens? Cast iron pots with lids in various sizes so that they could be stacked one on top of the other or used separately over an open fire.

3) What was the maintype of bread cooked andeaten by cowboys, gold prospectors, and pioneers. Sourdough? 

4)Which type of bread did Native Americans teachsettlers how to make? Cornbread.

5) What is another name for The Devil's Rope? Barbed wire, used by ranchers to fence-off prairies.

6) Many cowboys believed that the use of barbed wire heralded the end of what? The Wild West.

7) What was a running iron? A ring or flat iron used to draw brand marks—as opposed to a ready-made branding iron shaped as a stamp—used by cattle rustlers to quickly mark stolen cattle.

8) What time of the years did cattle round-ups usually take place? Spring and autumn.

9)  If a cowboy was dressed in woolly chaps, what would he be wearing? Leggings made from wool to keep their legs warm in the winter.

10) What did cowboys wear on their heads? A stetson or sombrero.

11) What was a pommel slicker? A long waterproof coat which kept both the rider and the saddle dry.

12) Dried animal skin cut into long, thin strips then plaited was known as what? Rawhide.

13) Name the famous breed of cows used on many ranches. Longhorn.

14) Name the star or disc-shaped object attached to a cowboy’s heel. A spur.

15) Why did Rochdale cowboys have trouble with their spurs? They didn’t fit on their clogs.

16) Which British comedian wrote the song “Rochdale Cowboy”? Mike Harding.


How Well Do You Know Western Actors?

First Name
Last Name
Gene
Autry
Smiley
Burnette
Gary
Cooper
Olivia
de Havilland
Evelyn
Finley
Glen
Ford
Gabby
Hayes
Rita
Hayworth
Randolph
Scott
John
Wayne
Peggy
Stewart
Roy
Rogers
Burt
Lancaster
Yul
Brynner

Give your friend the star's first name and see if they can guess their last name!

Test Your Knowledge of First Nations History

1) Where did the Apache live? In the southwest deserts; mainly in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma.

2) How many First Nations people were there before European settlers arrived? Between 10 and 18 million.

3) How many different languages were spoken by Indians in North America alone? Approximately 296.

4) What did the Plains Indians invent to aid communication in the face of so many diverse languages? Sign language.

5) Name some typical traditional tools used by First Nations peoples. Bows, arrows, clubs, tomahawks/axes, and spears/lances.

6) List the different types of dwelling traditionally built by First Nations peoples. Tipi, wigwam, huts on stilts, igloo, wattle and daub, adobe, longhouse, grass-covered round huts, dug-outs with arched grass or hide roofs, and wooden plank houses.

7) Between 1618 – 1619, what wiped out up to 70% of First Nations peoples? Smallpox.

8) Which animal, brought to America by Spaniards, changed the lives of the Plains Indians? Horses.

9) In which infamous battle was General Custer defeated? The Battle of Little Big Horn.

10) Which famous Indian Chief was originally named ‘Slow’ when his name was translated to English? Sitting Bull.

11) Which was Chief Sitting Bull’s tribe? Sioux.

12) What was the forced relocation of the Cherokee Nation in 1838 called? For an extra point, explain why. The Trail of Tears, so named because so many people died on the journey.

13) What was the name of the religious dance that became popular on the reservations when all hope of survival seemed lost? The Ghost Dance.

14) How many First Nations tribes exist today? There are 562 federally recognized tribes—though others are still trying to win legal recognition.

15) How many Indian Reservations still exist? 314.

16) What Indian Chief’s name is shouted just as a person is about to do something brave or rash? Geronimo.


Which Country Artists Sang These Hit Songs?

Song
Artist
"Stand by Your Man"
Tammy Wynette
"Crazy"
Patsy Cline
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"
Hand Williams
"I Will Always Remember You"
Dolly Parton
"Ring of Fire"
Johnny Cash
"Coal Miner's Daughter"
Loretta Lynn
"Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain"
Willie Nelson
"Behind Closed Doors"
Charlie Rich
"I Can't Stop Loving You"
Ray Charles
"Faded Love"
Bill Wills & the Texas Playboys
"Mama Tried"
Merle Haggard

More Western-Themed Questions

1) Who held two Aces and two 8s when he was shot dead playing poker? Wild Bill Hickok.

2) What was a hand of two Aces and two 8s known as following Wild Bill’s death? The Dead Man’s Hand.

3) How many people were killed in the gunfight at the OK Corral? Three.

4) In which city was the OK Corral? Tombstone, AZ.

5) What was William Frederick Cody more usually known as?Buffalo Bill.

6)  Why were Spaghetti Westerns so named? They all had Italian producers.

7) Who played the main role in the film “Calamity Jane”? Doris Day.

8) What did the 49’ers do in California? Pan for gold.

9) Why was Dodge City’s cemetery called Boot Hill Cemetery? Because so many of its inhabitants died with their boots on.

10) Name the outlaw gang run by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The Hole in the Wall Gang.

11) What was the Lone Ranger’s horse called? Silver.
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