State Capitol Buildings Quiz: Domes, Towers and Records

This state capitol buildings quiz looks at the statehouses themselves, from Louisiana's skyscraper capitol and Texas's pink granite dome to Hawaii's volcano design, Nebraska's Sower, Thomas Jefferson's Virginia capitol, Juneau and the U.S. Capitol. Ten questions, 90 seconds.

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

Question 1 / 10 Time: 90s

Records
Which state has the tallest state capitol building in the U.S.?
Materials
The Texas State Capitol in Austin was built mainly from which stone?
Words
What does the word capitol, spelled with an o, refer to?
Design
Which state's capitol is surrounded by a reflecting pool and has chambers shaped to recall volcanoes?
Statues
Which statue stands on top of the Nebraska State Capitol's tower?
Capitals
Montpelier, home of Vermont's State Capitol, is the only U.S. state capital without what?
History
Which state capitol was designed by Thomas Jefferson?
Capitals
Juneau, where Alaska's capitol stands, cannot be reached from the rest of North America in which way?
Design
Which state's capitol is a 19-story Art Deco tower in Bismarck?
U.S. Capitol
Which statue stands on top of the dome of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which state has the tallest state capitol building in the U.S.?
Answer: Louisiana
The Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge is 450 feet tall with 34 floors. It was built in the early 1930s under Governor Huey P. Long.
Q2: The Texas State Capitol in Austin was built mainly from which stone?
Answer: Pink granite
Texas used local sunset red granite, which looks pink. Completed in 1888, the building is taller than the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Q3: What does the word capitol, spelled with an o, refer to?
Answer: A building
A capitol is the building where a legislature meets, while a capital is the city that serves as the seat of government. The word comes from the Capitol in ancient Rome.
Q4: Which state's capitol is surrounded by a reflecting pool and has chambers shaped to recall volcanoes?
Answer: Hawaii
The Hawaii State Capitol, opened in 1969, has an open-air design. Its columns represent palm trees, and the pool around it symbolizes the ocean surrounding the islands.
Q5: Which statue stands on top of the Nebraska State Capitol's tower?
Answer: The Sower
The Sower, a 19-foot bronze figure scattering seeds, honors Nebraska's farming roots. The capitol's tall tower earned it the nickname the Tower of the Plains.
Q6: Montpelier, home of Vermont's State Capitol, is the only U.S. state capital without what?
Answer: A McDonald's
Montpelier, with fewer than 9,000 residents, is also the least populous state capital. Its capitol has a gold-leaf dome topped by a statue of Ceres, goddess of agriculture.
Q7: Which state capitol was designed by Thomas Jefferson?
Answer: Virginia
Jefferson modeled the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond on the Maison Carrée, a Roman temple in Nîmes, France. It was completed in 1788.
Q8: Juneau, where Alaska's capitol stands, cannot be reached from the rest of North America in which way?
Answer: By road
Mountains and icefields surround Juneau, so visitors arrive by air or sea. Alaska's capitol looks more like an office building than a typical domed statehouse.
Q9: Which state's capitol is a 19-story Art Deco tower in Bismarck?
Answer: North Dakota
North Dakota's capitol was built in the 1930s after the old one burned down. Its height and plain style earned it the nickname the Skyscraper on the Prairie.
Q10: Which statue stands on top of the dome of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.?
Answer: Statue of Freedom
The bronze Statue of Freedom was placed on the dome in 1863, during the Civil War. She wears a helmet with an eagle's head and feathers.

State Capitol Buildings Quiz – Where America's States Are Governed

Every U.S. state has a capitol building where its lawmakers meet, and many are among the most impressive buildings in their states. Most were built between the late 1800s and the 1930s, when states wanted to show their pride and prosperity. Many copy the classic dome of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., but others break the mold completely.

Some statehouses hold records. Louisiana's capitol is a 34-story tower, Texas built its capitol from local pink granite and made it taller than the national Capitol, and Montpelier in Vermont, home to a small gold-domed capitol, is the least populous state capital of all.

Others stand out for their design. Hawaii's capitol has no dome at all; instead it is an open-air building whose shapes recall volcanoes, palm trees and the ocean. Nebraska and North Dakota chose tall towers that rise above the prairie, and Thomas Jefferson based Virginia's capitol on a Roman temple in France.

Visiting a state capitol is usually free, and many offer guided tours that explain their art, history and architecture. For road-trippers, collecting capitol visits has become a hobby, much like visiting national parks.

This quiz explores the buildings themselves rather than just the names of capital cities.

Inside, capitols are often just as striking. Many have marble staircases, painted ceilings, murals of local history and the chambers where the state house and senate debate new laws. Visitors can usually sit in a public gallery and watch lawmakers at work when the legislature is in session.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz suits architecture fans, civics students and travelers who like to explore state capitals.

Which state has the tallest capitol
The difference between capital and capitol
How Texas, Hawaii and Nebraska designed their capitols
Which capitol Thomas Jefferson designed
Why Juneau and Montpelier are unusual capitals
What stands on top of the U.S. Capitol

Quick Facts About State Capitols

Several capitols have domes covered in real gold leaf, including those of Colorado and Georgia.
Minnesota's capitol has one of the largest self-supported marble domes in the world.
Louisiana's capitol is also where Governor Huey P. Long was shot in 1935.
Several New England states, including Massachusetts, call their capitol the State House.
Ohio's capitol has a flat-topped drum instead of a tall dome.
Many capitols hold portraits of every governor in state history.