Part 2 — Answer key

Compare your answers after you have finished Part 1.

1. Texas has a lot of famous cities, but only one is the state capital. Which city is the capital of Texas?
   Austin
2. Houston is the capital of Texas.
   False
3. If you see a single star on a Texas-themed sign, it is usually nodding to Texas’s best-known nickname. Which nickname is that?
   Lone Star State
4. The bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas.
   True
5. You are planning a trip to Texas’s largest city by population. Where are you going?
   Houston
6. A museum label says, “Texas becomes the 28th U.S. state.” Which year should be on that label?
   1845
7. Texas declared independence from Mexico in 1836.
   True
8. You want to stand inside one of the most famous mission-forts in U.S. history, the Alamo. Which city do you need to be in?
   San Antonio
9. The Battle of the Alamo was a Texian victory.
   False
10. Texas has beaches, ports, and hurricanes along one major body of water. Which body of water borders Texas to the southeast?
    Gulf of Mexico
11. People sometimes add a “seventh flag” by accident. Which of the following actually IS one of the traditional “Six Flags over Texas”?
    France
12. A lot of states pick flashy birds, but Texas went with a familiar songbird. What is the state bird of Texas?
    Mockingbird
13. If you are chasing the highest natural point in Texas, which place are you aiming for?
    Guadalupe Peak
14. You are writing a quick “why it mattered” caption for a battlefield sign. Which battle is best described as the decisive Texian victory that secured independence?
    Battle of San Jacinto
15. A weekend itinerary includes Fredericksburg, Enchanted Rock, and scenic drives through rolling limestone hills. Which Texas region are you in?
    Hill Country
16. You are kayaking in the river that runs through Austin and is backed up into lakes like Travis and Austin. Which river is it?
    Colorado River
17. A souvenir shop sells “Seven Flags over Texas” shirts. Which flag below is the most likely extra that people mistakenly add, even though it is not one of the traditional Six Flags?
    England
18. A history poster shows two big dates but the captions got swapped. Which caption belongs with 1845?
    Texas becomes a U.S. state
19. You are visiting the battlefield where Santa Anna was captured, and the huge San Jacinto Monument towers over the site. Which major Texas city is closest?
    Houston
20. A travel blog says, “This island city is where Juneteenth traces to the announcement of emancipation in Texas.” Which place is it talking about?
    Galveston
21. When someone says they are hiking “in the Big Bend,” the name is literally about a bend in which river?
    Rio Grande
22. The Battle of San Jacinto happened after the fall of the Alamo.
    True
23. Texas is the only U.S. state that was once an independent republic.
    False
24. Texas has more counties than any other U.S. state.
    True
25. Antonio López de Santa Anna was captured at the Alamo.
    False
26. El Paso is closer to San Diego than it is to Houston.
    True
27. A teacher says, “Texas won independence at San Jacinto, so it immediately became a U.S. state.” What is the missing later milestone that statement skips over?
    Annexation by the United States
28. You are planning a national park trip focused on desert mountains, canyons, and the Rio Grande. Which region is your base area in?
    Big Bend
29. Texas’s state motto is “Friendship,” and it connects to where the name “Texas” is believed to come from. Which Indigenous language group is most associated with that origin?
    Caddo
30. You are designing a map legend that highlights the longest river that stays entirely within Texas. Which river should get that label?
    Brazos River
31. You are visiting the place where delegates formally broke from Mexico in writing. Where was the Texas Declaration of Independence signed?
    Washington-on-the-Brazos
32. A county-by-county election map of Texas looks almost like a mosaic compared to other states. How many counties does Texas have?
    254
33. You are creating a “Republic of Texas road trip” route that hits the very first capital city of the Republic before it moved elsewhere. Which city should be first on your list?
    Columbia
34. A historic marker features a defiant slogan above a cannon, “Come and Take It.” Which town is most closely associated with that flag?
    Gonzales
35. A guide describes a region as a vast, flat tableland nicknamed the “Staked Plains” (Llano Estacado). What broader Texas area is that?
    High Plains of the Panhandle and South Plains