How much do you know about the state of Texas?
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Although Alaska is technically a larger state than Texas, the Lone Star State is nonetheless the first thing North Americans often think of when they want to communicate something large. There’s a reason “That’s a Texas-sized ten-four” became a saying, after all.
Not only is Texas famously big but it’s a state that prizes large sizes. Appropriately, that means there’s a lot to know about it. Of course, the question is how much of that information has crossed your path over the years. Texas is certainly a hard state to ignore, but it’s also hard to know everything about it.
What is the capital of Texas?
A. Dallas
B. Houston
C. San Antonio
D. Austin
Answer: Austin
Although it’s the least populated city on this list (the rest each has well over a million people living in them), Austin is indeed the capital of Texas. Known for its eclectic music scene, comparatively left-wing politics, and artsy expressiveness, Austin is a proudly weird city among its larger peers.
How did Texas become a state?
A. The United States claimed it from Mexico after the Mexican-American War
B. Texas called to be annexed by the U.S., prompting the Mexican-American War
C. The American government claimed it after war with Native American nations
D. The Spanish government sold it to The United States during Mexican independence
Answer: Texas called to be annexed by the U.S., prompting the Mexican-American War
Although it’s true that the annexation of Texas was one of the most significant factors for the outbreak of the Mexican-American War, Texas had already asserted their own independence long before this event occurred in 1845. Indeed, it took about nine years up to that point before the American government decided that adding the state was worth provoking war with Mexico.
Whose hat is being respectfully memorialized here?
A. Davy Crockett
B. Waylon Jennings
C. Tom Landry
D. Dwight Eisenhower
Answer: Tom Landry
Although all of these men can still command deep respect in Texas after their passing, only one is famously associated with this fedora. That would be legendary and founding Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry.
What massive body of water laps at Texan shores?
A. The Atlantic Ocean
B. The Pacific Ocean
C. The Gulf Of Mexico
D. Chesapeake Bay
Answer: The Gulf Of Mexico
Considering that Texas used to be Mexican territory, it’s not exactly surprising to hear that its coastal land borders the Gulf of Mexico. That’s how port cities like Corpus Christi and Port Aransas attract so many tourists.
What is Jim Bowie most famous for?
A. Inventing the Bowie Knife
B. Fighting in the War of 1812
C. Fighting in the Battle For The Alamo
D. Land development in Texas
Answer: Fighting in the Battle For The Alamo
Although Jim Bowie did fight in the War of 1812 and was involved in various Texas land developments, it was actually his brother Rezin who invented his famous hunting knife. Instead, Bowie’s most famous contribution to American history saw him fight and die alongside Davy Crockett and William B. Travis at the Battle For the Alamo in 1836.
What significance do longhorn cattle have in Texas?
A. They’re just the symbol of a popular college football team
B. They’re the Texas state mammal
C. They’re the Texas state animal
D. They’re the Texas large state mammal
Answer: They’re the Texas large state mammal
Anyone who asks what Texas’s official state animal is asking a trick question because Texas has eight state animals. Even saying that longhorn cattle are Texas’s official mammal isn’t quite specific enough, as it has a small state mammal and a large state mammal. The Texas longhorn is their large state mammal, while the armadillo is their small state mammal.
What proud Texas restaurant chain has an orange color scheme?
A. Wuddruckers
B. Wickey’s Barbecue Pit
C. Whataburger
D. Wooyah Burgers
Answer: Whataburger
Most of the chains listed here don’t actually start with the letter “W,” which leaves Whataburger as the only one whose iconography fits this picture. Of course, a true Texan would also know what the other restaurants altered to suddenly start with “W” are really called.
What is the highest point in Texas?
A. The top of El Capitan
B. The tip of Guadalupe Peak
C. The top of Houston’s JP Morgan Chase Tower
D. The summit of Bush Mountain
Answer: The tip of Guadalupe Peak
Although El Capitan and Bush Mountain are famously high points in Texas, nothing in the Lone Star State is taller than Guadalupe Peak, which is also known as Signal Peak. Although the JP Morgan Chase Tower in Houston is the tallest building in Texas, it doesn’t even come close to Guadalupe Peak’s height.
Finish this line: “The stars at night/Are big and bright”
A. “Deep in the heart of Texas”
B. “Where the Rio Grande is flowing/ And the starry skies are bright”
C. “And at last here I am on the hill, overlooking El Paso”
D. Clap clap clap clap “Deep in the heart of Texas”
Answer: Clap clap clap clap “Deep in the heart of Texas”
While a person could get partial marks for recognizing the opening line of “Deep In The Heart Of Texas,” the only way to get full marks is to add the clapping. That’s how they’ve been doing it since the ’40s, so it’s an essential part of the song for sure.
What’s the most popular music genre in Texas?
A. Hip-hop
B. Classic rock
C. Country
D. Latin
Answer: Latin
Although it’s likely that country music is deeply popular in Texas, that doesn’t make it the most popular style in data obtained by iHeart Radio, Wide Open Country, and Digital Music News. As it turns out, all three outlets agree that regional Mexican music and other genres that fall under the wide umbrella of “Latin” music make up the most listened-to music in Texas.
How many electoral votes does Texas have in federal elections?
A. 54
B. 28
C. 40
D. 30
Answer: 40
Although they don’t have the most electoral votes in the nation (California has 54), the 40 electoral votes a national candidate can hope to achieve in Texas makes the Lone Star State one of the most important campaign battlegrounds in presidential elections.
Why is everyone supposed to remember The Alamo?
A. A doomed battle that nonetheless turned the tide in Texan independence
B. The battle that ended the Mexican-American war took place there
C. A peaceful resolution to the Texan War Of Independence happened at this mission
D. Pee-Wee Herman’s bike is still in its basement
Answer: A doomed battle that nonetheless turned the tide in Texan independence
Although the Alamo’s defenders were famously defiant and effective despite being outnumbered almost ten times over, the fact that they were massacred inspired a surge of military enlistments within the nascent Republic of Texas. After defeating the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto over a month later, Texas gained its independence from Mexico in April 1836.
What is the “barbecue capital” of Texas?
A. Waco
B. Lockhart
C. Galveston
D. Dallas
Answer: Lockhart
Barbecue is proudly central to Texan cuisine and while there are multiple styles of barbecue in Texas, the most famous of these styles has its roots in Lockhart. That’s why it was officially recognized as the state’s barbecue capital by the state’s 76th Legislature by H.R. Resolution 1024 in 1999.
Where did the phrase “Don’t mess with Texas” come from?
A. The American Civil War
B. The Texas Revolution of 1836
C. A football chant
D. A state anti-littering campaign from the 1980s
Answer: A state anti-littering campaign from the 1980s
Although people are usually talking to other states or nations when they say, “Don’t mess with Texas,” the slogan was originally used to tell Texans not to mess with their state by littering on the state’s major roads. Although the slogan caught on after it was introduced by the Texas Department of Transportation in 1985, it’s since developed a life of its own.
Who is considered the “Father of Texas?”
A. Sam Houston
B. Joseph Dallas
C. Stephen F. Austin
D. James K. Polk
Answer: Stephen F. Austin
Although Sam Houston was the first president of the Republic of Texas and Joseph Dallas was credited for settling the area named after him, Stephen F. Austin is considered the state’s true “Father.” That’s because the 300 American families who would end up forming the foundation for an independent Texas were brought there through his efforts.
How is the rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma often settled?
A. Shootouts
B. With a rodeo
C. College football
D. With a drag race
Answer: College football
Although the rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma has existed for over a century, and everything from political slights to border disputes has factored into it, the most prominent battleground for the tension is called the Red River Rivalry. This is an interstate college football game that has existed since 1900 but has been played every year since 1919, which amounts to over 100 games.
What do people in Texas primarily call soft drinks?
A. Soda
B. Pop
C. Tonic
D. Coke
Answer: Coke
Although much of the country is split between calling it either “soda” or “pop” some parts of New England call it “tonic.” Texas, however, agrees with much of the American Southeast in calling it “Coke,” regardless of whether or not the soft drink in question is made by Coca-Cola.
What was the most recent U.S. President to be born in Texas?
A. Lyndon B. Johnson
B. George W. Bush
C. George H.W. Bush
D. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson
Although George W. Bush served as the 46th governor of Texas shortly before being elected as the nation’s 43rd president, he wasn’t actually born in the Lone Star State. In fact, there hasn’t been a U.S. president born in Texas since Lyndon B. Johnson, who was born in Stonewall in 1908.
Which of these major Texas industries emerged first?
A. Beef
B. Oil
C. Defense
D. Cotton
Answer: Beef
The Texan oil boom began in the early 20th century (along with its fledgling status as a hub for defense contractors), which makes it centuries too late to be an early Texas industry. Although missionaries grew cotton in Texas by the late 18th century, the Bullock Texas State History Museum confirmed that cattle were being raised by the thousands in the El Paso region as early as 1680.
What river runs along the Texas-Mexico border?
A. Red River
B. Rio Grande
C. Columbia River
D. Yellowstone River
Answer: Rio Grande
Although it runs along much of the United States’ southern border, the Rio Grande is often considered the natural demarcation point between Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, and Nuevo León. Although California chiefly borders Baja California, Mexico, and Arizona borders the southern nation’s Sonora state, Texas is large enough to touch four of Mexico’s states.
