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National Park Quiz 22: Angels and Saints

Wild Goose Island in Glacier National Park. Photo by firehole via Flickr.

1. The photo accompanying this quiz was taken in Glacier National Park and is quite similar to the one that graces the Traveler home page. That’s Wild Goose Island in the middle of the photo, so the water body has to be
a. Saint Elizabeth Lake
b. Saint Mary Lake
c. Lake Saint Gilmary
d. Lake Saint Clare

2. Saint Dominique Chamber, Saint Georges Palace, Saint Peters Dome, Saints Rest, and Screaming Blob of Pain are all names of chambers or passages in Wind Cave, which is the principle attraction of Wind Cave National Park in
a. Wyoming
b. Utah
c. Colorado
d. South Dakota

3. It’s a daunting task if you’re afraid of heights, but making your way up and up and up the Angels Landing Trail at ______ rewards you with a magnificent view at the top.
a. Grand Canyon National Park
b. Zion National Park
c. Crater Lake National Park
d. Yosemite National Park

4. Grand Canyon’s famed Bright Angel Trail was originally used by the ______ Indians to travel between the canyon rim and a creek within the canyon.
a. Pima
b. Kaibab
c. Havasupai
d. Maricopa

5. A visit to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area will give you the opportunity to see all of the following EXCEPT:
a. Paramount Ranch, the setting of hundreds of film productions
b. habitat suitable for mountain lions
c. an aerial gunnery range used to train Marine, Navy, and Air Force aviators
d. surf-washed Pacific Ocean beaches

6. You can visit the Garden of Eden while touring
a. Bryce Canyon National Park
b. San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
c. Arches National Park
d. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

7. Standing around 150 feet high, and reminding many people of “angel’s wings,” Angel Arch is one of the principle geologic attractions at
a. Canyonlands National Park
b. Arches National Park
c. Zion National Park
d. Bryce Canyon National Park

8. An 18th century stone church and a cemetery dating to 1704 can both be found at Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site in
a. Philadelphia. Pennsylvania
b. Baltimore, Maryland
c. Mount Vernon, New York
d. Savannah, Georgia

9. ______ on St. Croix Island is the only place where members of Christopher Columbus’ expedition are known to have set foot on U.S. territory.
a. St. Croix Island International Historic Site
b. Virgin Islands National Park
c. San Juan National Historic Site
d. Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve

10. Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site honors sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1845-1907), the man who designed
a. the 1907 twenty dollar gold piece
b. the metal skeleton on which the Statue of Liberty was erected
c. the Virginia and Massachusetts monuments at Gettysburg National Military Park
d. the Lincoln Monument

Extra credit question:

11. Found in many national parks in the coterminous United States, the tree-of-heaven is
a. an invading species that can form thickets and choke out native vegetation
b. frequently harvested by poachers, who sell it for use in traditional Asian medicine
c. a low growing tree with a pleasant odor and beautiful white blossoms
d. a slow growing tree with cherry red leaves and three-inch long thorns

Super Bonus Question:

12. In his classic (1987) book Playing God in Yellowstone: The Destruction of America's First National Park, Alston Chase asserted all of the following EXCEPT: (Choose the statement that “does not belong.”).
a. The National Park Service’s overriding priority is attracting visitors.
b. Political pressure influences national park management to an excessive degree.
c. The National Park Service should take a “hands off approach” to the management of wildlife resources.
d. National Park Service wildlife management policies favor some species at the expense of others.

Answers:

(1) b

(2) d

(3) b

(4) c

(5) c

(6) c The Garden of Eden area of Arches National Park has interesting rock formations and great hiking trails.

(7) a

(8) c

(9) d The 1493 Columbus landing site on St. Croix Island in what is now Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve (Christiansted, Virgin Islands) was designated a National Historic Landmark on October 9, 1960.

(10) a Many consider the 1907 $20 gold piece that Saint-Gaudens designed to be the most beautiful American coin ever minted. Ironically, Saint-Gaudens died in 1907.

(11) a The tree-of-heaven is an aggressive, foul smelling invader. The National Park Service would dearly love to eradicate it from the national parks.

(12) c Chase, who headed an education program at Yellowstone National Park, claimed that the “hands off” approach to wildlife management in Yellowstone was a prime reason for the Yellowstone ecosystem’s serious state of disarray.

Grading: 9 or 10 correct, rest on your laurels; 7 or 8 correct, pretty darn good; 6 correct, passably fair; 5 or fewer correct, nothing to brag about.

Comments

In regards to question #8. While Saint Paul's Church is in New York state, it is just outside the boundary of New York City in the city of Mount Vernon, NY.


Nice catch, Griz. All these years I've thought that the church was in the Bronx! I've made the correction.


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