The Iditarod sled dog race, from Anchorage to Nome, honors what 1925 event?

A relay to deliver diphtheria medicine to Nome

What is the Permanent Fund Dividend that many Alaska residents receive each year?

A payment from a fund built on oil revenue

Alaska Quiz: Glaciers, Grizzlies and the Last Frontier of the USA

This Alaska quiz explores the largest state of the USA, with questions on the purchase from Russia known as Seward's Folly, the Iditarod sled dog race and the 1925 serum run, the flag designed by 13-year-old Benny Benson, the polar night of Utqiaġvik, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, the Permanent Fund Dividend, Kodiak bears, Little Diomede and Alaska's huge coastline. Ten questions.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 90 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 90s

History
The United States bought Alaska from which country in 1867?
Races
The Iditarod sled dog race, from Anchorage to Nome, honors what 1925 event?
Flags
Alaska's flag, with the Big Dipper and the North Star, was designed by whom?
Darkness
In Utqiaġvik, the northernmost town in the USA, the sun does not rise for about how long in winter?
Pipelines
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline carries oil from Prudhoe Bay to which port?
Money
What is the Permanent Fund Dividend that many Alaska residents receive each year?
Bears
Kodiak bears, found on islands off southern Alaska, are among the largest what?
Borders
Little Diomede Island in Alaska lies only about 4 kilometers from an island belonging to which country?
Size
Alaska is the largest US state. Roughly how many times bigger is it than Texas?
Statehood
In which year did Alaska become the 49th state?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: The United States bought Alaska from which country in 1867?
Answer: Russia
The price was about 7.2 million dollars, roughly two cents an acre. Critics mocked the deal as Seward's Folly, after Secretary of State William Seward.
Q2: The Iditarod sled dog race, from Anchorage to Nome, honors what 1925 event?
Answer: A relay to deliver diphtheria medicine to Nome
Dog teams carried serum across about 1,000 kilometers of snow to stop an outbreak. Sled dogs Balto and Togo became famous heroes.
Q3: Alaska's flag, with the Big Dipper and the North Star, was designed by whom?
Answer: A 13-year-old boy
Benny Benson, an Alaska Native student, won a contest in 1927. His design of gold stars on a blue field became the official flag.
Q4: In Utqiaġvik, the northernmost town in the USA, the sun does not rise for about how long in winter?
Answer: About two months
The polar night lasts from mid-November to late January. In summer, the sun stays up for nearly three months.
Q5: The Trans-Alaska Pipeline carries oil from Prudhoe Bay to which port?
Answer: Valdez
The pipeline is about 1,290 kilometers long and crosses three mountain ranges. Much of it is raised above the ground to protect the frozen soil.
Q6: What is the Permanent Fund Dividend that many Alaska residents receive each year?
Answer: A payment from a fund built on oil revenue
The amount changes each year, depending on the fund's earnings. Almost every resident, including children, can qualify.
Q7: Kodiak bears, found on islands off southern Alaska, are among the largest what?
Answer: Bears in the world
They are a subspecies of brown bear and can weigh more than 600 kilograms. They feed heavily on salmon in summer.
Q8: Little Diomede Island in Alaska lies only about 4 kilometers from an island belonging to which country?
Answer: Russia
Big Diomede, the Russian island, is across the International Date Line. The two islands are a day apart on the calendar.
Q9: Alaska is the largest US state. Roughly how many times bigger is it than Texas?
Answer: More than twice
Alaska covers about 1.7 million square kilometers. It also has a longer coastline than all the other states combined.
Q10: In which year did Alaska become the 49th state?
Answer: 1959
Hawaii became the 50th state a few months later. Alaska's capital, Juneau, cannot be reached by road from the rest of the continent.

Alaska Quiz – America's Last Frontier

Alaska is the largest state of the USA, covering about 1.7 million square kilometers in the far northwest of North America. Separated from the rest of the country by Canada, it is known as the Last Frontier for its wild landscapes of mountains, glaciers, forests, tundra and coastline. It has fewer than a million people, making it one of the least densely populated places in the country.

Alaska Native peoples, including the Inupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Tlingit and Athabascan, have lived there for thousands of years. Russia claimed Alaska in the 18th century and sold it to the United States in 1867. Gold rushes in the 1890s brought prospectors, and Alaska became a state in 1959. Oil discovered at Prudhoe Bay later brought great wealth.

Alaska's nature is spectacular. Denali, North America's highest peak, rises over 6,000 meters, and glaciers such as Mendenhall and Hubbard flow toward the sea. Grizzly and Kodiak bears catch salmon, while moose, caribou, whales and bald eagles are common. The northern lights glow in winter skies.

Life follows extreme seasons. In Utqiaġvik, the sun disappears for about two months in winter. Summers bring nearly endless daylight. The Iditarod sled dog race, honoring the 1925 serum run to Nome, is a winter highlight.

Residents receive the Permanent Fund Dividend, and Alaska's flag was designed by a young student, Benny Benson.

Many visitors arrive on cruise ships along the Inside Passage, stopping at towns such as Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway. Others drive the scenic roads around Anchorage, fly into remote national parks or ride the Alaska Railroad toward Denali.

This quiz covers the history, nature, traditions and records of Alaska.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is perfect for nature lovers, adventurers and geography fans.

How the USA bought Alaska
The Iditarod and the 1925 serum run
Alaska's flag and Benny Benson
The polar night of Utqiaġvik
The pipeline and the Permanent Fund Dividend
Kodiak bears, Little Diomede and Alaska's size

Quick Facts About Alaska

Anchorage is Alaska's largest city.
Alaska has more than 100,000 glaciers.
The state has dozens of active volcanoes.
Many villages can only be reached by plane or boat.
Alaska's state sport is dog mushing.
The forget-me-not is Alaska's state flower.