West Virginia Golden Horseshoe

The Randolph County community of Helvetia was settled in 1869 by immigrants from:

Switzerland

Of the four candidates who ran for president in 1860, Abraham Lincoln ran a distant fourth in the election in Virginia. More than one-half of his votes came from which part of the state?

Brooke, Hancock, and Ohio counties

This former Huntington resident is known as "the father of Black History."

Carter G. Woodson

This architect designed the present West Virginia State Capitol building.

Cass Gilbert

According to census statistics released in 2008, West Virginia's four largest cities are:

Charleston, Huntington, Parkersburg, and Morgantown

On April 22, 1861, nearly twelve hundred Harrison County citizens gathered at the courthouse in Clarksburg and in response to the Ordinance of Secession by Virginia it was resolved that:

Delegates from all counties in northwestern Virginia be chosen to meet in Convention at Wheeling.

If you started a canoe trip at the head of Middle Island Creek and followed the flow of the river, which body of water would you reach first?

Gulf of Mexico

Charleston, West Virginia, shares the same time zone as which of the following major world cities? 1. Havana, Cuba 2. London, England 3. Baghdad, Iraq 4. Lisbon, Portugal 5. Caracas, Venezuela

Havana, Cuba

This circuit court judge is the first African American to serve as a federal judge in West Virginia.

Irene Berger

This Kanawha County native is a County Music Association award-winning singer whose song "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" was a No. 1 hit.

Kathy Mattea

This Beverly native was renowned for his design and construction of covered bridges on western Virginia turnpikes.

Lemuel Chenoweth

O Beulah Land, a novel written by this Charleston native, describes the economic, political, and social background of early settlers in western Virginia following the American Revolution.

Mary Lee Settle

The state motto of West Virginia is "Montani Semper Liberi," which is a Latin phrase meaning:

Mountaineers are always free

This Clarksburg native, who served as a Union officer during the Civil War, later served as secretary of the navy under President Rutherford Hayes.

Nathan Goff

The construction of which of these roads was important to the growth of pre-Civil War western Virginia?

Northwestern Turnpike

The sites of West Virginia's original and present state capital are located within these two geographic regions.

Ohio River Valley and Allegheny Plateau

This author of The Good Earth, who was born in Pocahontas County on June 26, 1892, was the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Pearl Buck

As the cost of gasoline soared during 2008, people in the United States talked both of reducing energy use and of developing alternative sources to replace imported oil. In West Virginia, attention has focused primarily on:

the development of coal to-liquid plants

One result of the treaties of Fort Stanwix and Hard Labor was:

a wave of colonial westward migration and settlement

In 2007, chemical company DuPont Corporation was found guilty in a trial involving hazardous wastes left at the former Harrison County site of:

a zinc-smelling plant

The elected official who is keeper of the Great Seal of West Virginia is:

the Secretary of State

The building of Hawk's Nest Tunnel in Fayette County in 1930-31 is remembered for

the deaths of hundreds of laborers from silicosis

Which of the following statements about pre-historic cultures in West Virginia is TRUE? 1. The Adena Indians built ceremonial burial mounds, including the one at Grave Creek. 2. The Woodland Indians were hunters who invented the atlatl, a spear with a Clovis point. 3. The Archaic Indians were the earliest nomadic people in the area and hunted mastodons and mammoths 4. The Paleo Indians were living in present-day West Virginia when European explorers first traveled into the area. 5. The Hopewell Indians were the ancestors of the Paelo Indians and lived in longhouses with thatched roofs.

The Adena Indians built ceremonial burial mounds, including the one at Grave Creek

Use the Employment in West Virginia's Basic Industries map to answer the following question. Which of the following statements is reflected in the map above?

The Potomac Section has the highest employment in manufacturing

During the Civil War, West Virginia was important to both North and South for all of the following reasons, EXCEPT: 1. The division of Virginia would be a military and political victory for the Confederacy. 2. The eastern panhandle included parts of the Shenandoah Valley, which contained rich farmland and was an important north-south route. 3. The salt works in the Kanawha Valley were important for the preservation of meat. division of Virginia would be a military and political victory for the Union. 4. The B&O Railroad was essential for the east-west movement of troops and supplies.

The division of Virginia would be a military and political victory for the Confederacy.

The coal industry in West Virginia did not become commercially viable until:

The extension of railroads into the mountainous area

In 1872, delegates wrote a constitution to replace the one approved in 1863. Which of the following was a provision of the 1872 constitution?

The governor was given the veto power

The exploits of this West Virginian during the Spanish-American War were documented in A Message to Garcia.

Andrew Summers Rowan

Which of the following steps is NOT part of the law-making process in West Virginia? 1. A bill that passes the Legislature is sent to the Governor, who may pocket veto it. 2. A bill is assigned to a Legislative committee. 3. A budget bill that is vetoed by the governor may be overridden by a two-thirds majority of both houses of the Legislature. 4. A bill that passes both houses of the Legislature in different forms is referred to a conference committee. 5. A bill is introduced in one or both houses of the Legislature.

1. A bill that passes the Legislature is sent to the Governor, who may pocket veto it.

Which BEST defines a labor "strike?" 1. A group effort to enforce a demand by refusing to work 2.A refusal to allow nonunion members to work 3. A discovery of rich mineral deposits 4.An organized "slowdown" in production to force an employer to raise wagers 5. A demonstration against an employer

1. A group effort to enforce a demand by refusing to work

All of the following events took place after the death of Sen. Robert C. Byrd in June 2010, EXCEPT: 1. A replacement was appointed by the U.S. president to fill temporarily the vacancy created by Senator Byrd's death. 2. Senator Jay Rockefeller became West Virginia's senior senator. 3. West Virginia's Secretary of State issued an opinion that a special election to fill Senator Byrd's unexpired term could not be held until 2011-2012. 4. A special election was held in 2010 to decide who would fill the remainder of Senator Byrd's unexpired term. 5. The U.S. president, vice president, and leading members of Congress attended a memorial service for Senator Byrd at the state capitol in Charleston.

1. A replacement was appointed by the U.S. president to fill temporarily the vacancy created by Senator Byrd's death.

The federal "Help America Vote Act" of 2002 required states to make several changes in the way they handle voter registration by January 2006. Which of the following changes in West Virginia took place as a result of this act? 1. All answers are correct. 2. Replacement of punch card and lever voting machines 3. Adoption of a centralized voter registration system 4. Placement of a handicap-accessible voting machine at each voting precinct 5. Modification of provisional voting requirements

1. All answers are correct

Below are listed several events of the nineteenth century. Examine the statements and decide upon their correct chronological order. 1. John and William Rathbone strike oil at Burning Springs. 2. The Staunton and Parkersburg Turnpike reaches Parkersburg. 3. The first free school in western Virginia opens at Sinks Grove. 4. German and Swiss immigrants settle Helvetia. 5. The first African American is elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates.

3, 2, 1, 4, 5

In 1716, this lieutenant governor of Virginia led an expedition across the Blue Ridge Mountains into the Shenandoah Valley.

Alexander Spotswood

Select the statement that most correctly reflects the West Virginia vote in the 2008 election. 1. John McCain carried the vote in the Eastern Panhandle region and Barack Obama carried the Southern coalfield region. 2. Voters in the more rural regions voted for John McCain, but in the more urban regions, the voters supported President Barack Obama. 3. Voters voted a straight Republican ticket. 4. Voters voted a straight Democratic ticket. 5. Voters over the age of 65 did not go to the polls.

2. Voters in the more rural regions voted for John McCain, but in the more urban regions the voters supported President Barack Obama

One of the themes of geography is human and environmental interactions. Which of the following geographic description/human use correlations demonstrates this theme best? 1. More than 75 percent of the state is forested./Each year, more than 1 billion board feet of timber is cut in West Virginia. 2. The Allegheny Highlands region contains the state's highest points of elevation./Shepherdstown was settled in the early 1700s. 3. The average monthly temperature in July is 74 degrees./The New and Gauley rivers attract many whitewater rafting enthusiasts each year. 4.The Kanawha drainage basin flows westward./The state capital was moved from Wheeling to Charleston. 5. The state contains plentiful quantities of silica-rich sand./Chemical plants were established in the Kanawha Valley and other parts of the state.

1. More than 75 percent of the state is forested. Each year, more than 1 billion board feet of timber is cut in West Virginia.

Which of the following arguments might convince someone to support mountaintop removal? 1. Mountaintop removal causes a short-lived disturbance, but the area is quickly reclaimed. 2. Valley fills created by mountaintop removal destroy the aquatic environment. 3. Mountaintop removal raises the risk of flooding. 4. Mountaintop removal causes a decline in woodland areas and species. 5.Blasting to remove mountaintops creates dust and damages nearby homes.

1. Mountaintop removal causes a short-lived disturbance, but the area is quickly reclaimed

Which of the following would NOT be a member of the judicial branch of government in West Virginia? 1. Municipal Judge 2. Magistrate 3. Family Law Judge 4. Circuit Judge

1. Municipal Judge

Which of the following events is NOT associated with the Hatfield-McCoy Feud? 1. Sid Hatfield was shot and killed on the steps of the McDowell county courthouse by Baldwin-Felts agents. 2. Ellison Mounts was convicted of murder and hanged in February 1890. Randolph McCoy accused Floyd Hatfield of stealing pigs. 3. An 1882 Election Day fight between members of the Hatfield and McCoy families led to the death of Ellison Hatfield. 4. The United States Supreme Court ruled that the arrest of several members of the Hatfield clan by a Kentucky posse was legal

1. Sid Hatfield was shot and killed on the steps of the McDowell county courthouse by Baldwin-Felts agents.

Read the following excerpt from a congressional report. This report dealt with which the following 20th century event? "The subcommittee finds that...the dust was allowed to collect in such quantities and became so dense that visibility of workmen was lowered to a few feet. That workmen left at the close of a working shift with their clothing and bodies covered with a dense coating of white silica dust. That their air-circulating system, insufficient, and out of repair. That respirators were not furnished to or used by the employees... That as a result many workmen became infected with silicosis..." 1. The construction of the Hawk's Nest Tunnel in 1930-31 2. The deaths of 125 people in the Buffalo Creek disaster of 1972. 3. The enforcement of a fetal protection policy at American Cyanamid's Willow Island plant in the 1970s 4. The miners' strike at Paint Creek and Cabin Creek in 1912-13. 5. The 1969 strike in support of black lung compensation

1. The construction of the Hawk's Nest Tunnel in 1930-31

A study of the timber industry in West Virginia would establish all of the following, EXCEPT: 1. The original forest was harvested in an environmental manner so as to generate a second-growth harvest. 2. It had a direct cause and effect relationship with the work of the 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps in the state. 3. It was responsible for the establishment of many small communities, which ceased to exist after timber operations concluded. 4. It had a direct cause and effect relationship with the establishment of the Cass Scenic Railroad and Park. 5.It had its greatest harvest during the period of 1880-1930

1. The original forest was harvested in an environmental manner so as to generate a second-growth harvest

Based solely upon information found in this account, which of the following conclusions can be made? "For sometime past there has existed among the employees of the B&O railroad a feeling of bitterness against the Company, growing out of the suspicion that the numerous reductions in their wages within the past year or two have been the result of mere greediness and selfishness on the part of management of the road, having no reference whatever to diminutions in its earnings. . . . Thus matters remained until Monday last, when another order of reduction went into effect, putting wages down to the starvation point. This last turn of the thumbscrew the employees determined to resist and it culminated in a general strike of the fireman and brakemen throughout the four divisions of the road. . . . The railroad authorities having been apprised of the condition of affairs appealed to Gov. Mathews, who seeming to have lost his head, ordered Col. C.J. Faulkner Jr., to assemble his company and protect any of the train men who were willing to proceed with their trains." 1. The strike was caused by a reduction in the wages of B&O Railroad workers. 2. All statements are correct. 3. Gov. Mathews sent troops to Martinsburg to end violence by the striking workers. 4. When the police were unable to arrest the strikers, Mayor Shutt asked Gov. Mathews for help. 5. The B&O Railroad experienced record earnings in the previous year.

1. The strike was caused by a reduction in the wages of B&O Railroad workers.

On November 16, 1898, J.R. Clifford brought the case of Williams v. Board of Education of Tucker County to the West Virginia Supreme Court. This case is significant because: 1. This was the first ruling in U.S. history to determine that racial discrimination was illegal. 2. Children in all-black schools attended school for 5 months of the year and children in all-white schools attended school for 8 months of the year. 3. Teachers in all-black schools were given the same rate of pay as teachers in all-white schools. 4. The court found in favor of Williams, an African American teacher. 5. J.R. Clifford was the first African American attorney in West Virginia

1. This was the first ruling in U.S. history to determine that racial discrimination was illegal.

Which of the following statements BEST shows the role geography played in the sectionalism that developed between east and west in antebellum Virginia? 1. Western Virginia was hilly and poorly suited to the slave-supported plantation system that existed in the east, creating different economic systems in east and west. 2. The rivers in West Virginia flow in a north-south direction, carrying water either south to the Gulf of Mexico or north to Lake Erie, which led to more contact with Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky than with eastern Virginia. 3.Salt producers in the Kanawha Valley made use of slave labor, which brought a sharp decline in the slave population of eastern counties after 1830, angering plantation owners who depended on hired slaves to tend their cotton fields. 4. Western Virginia was settled by independent-thinking Scots-Irish who became isolated from the rest of the country and developed a mountain culture that had nothing in common with eastern Virginia. 5.The Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains blocked settlers from moving westward from the Tidewater region, so none of the people who lived in western Virginia came from the eastern part of the state.

1. Western Virginia was hilly and poorly suited to the slave-supported plantation system that existed in the east, creating different economic systems in east and west.

The glass industry in West Virginia has existed for decades and continues to play an important role in our economy. Glass factories have produced numerous types of glass products, including all of the following, EXCEPT: 1. favrile glass 2. marbles 3. hand-blow glass 4. window glass 5. cameo glass

1. favrile glass

Which of the following outcomes would be the MOST LIKELY result in West Virginia from a federal cap-and-trade program? Cap and trade is a market-based policy tool to control pollution through economic incentives. Under a cap-and-trade program, the government sets a limit (cap) on emissions and gives away or sells allowances to industry. Industries needing more allowances can trade with those needing fewer. 1. fewer coal mining jobs 2. lower energy costs 3. higher income taxes 4. population growth 5.more construction jobs

1. fewer coal mining jobs

Parts of West Virginia face dramatic change in the wake of development. Three examples are a proposed housing development along the New River Gorge; rapid housing growth in the Eastern Panhandle; and construction of Corridor H through Tucker, Grant, and Hardy counties. Which of the following statements is NOT true of development in these three locations? 1. Development in each of the locations will expand the local tax base. 2. Development in each of the locations will bring permanent high-paying jobs to the area. 3. Development in each of the locations will increase their respective populations. 4.Development in each of the locations involves efforts to balance economic growth with preservation of natural and/or historic resources. 5. Development in each of the locations will increase the need for new infrastructure.

2. Development in each of the locations will bring permanent high-paying jobs to the area

Which of the following office holders and statements is NOT correct? 1. Cecil H. Underwood -- youngest to be elected governor. 2. Francis H.Pierpont -- served as West Virginia's first governor. 3. John J. Jacobs -- served as governor under the 1863 and 1872 state constitutions. 4. Arch A. Moore -- served more terms than any other governor. 5. Cecil H. Underwood -- oldest to be elected governor.

2. Francis H.Pierpont -- served as West Virginia's first governor.

Prehistory is divided into time periods (i.e., Paleo-Indian, Archaic, etc.). Which of the following is NOT a criterion used in establishing these periods? 1. Manner in which dead were honored 2. Types of languages spoken 3. Ways of making a living 4.Kinds of tools used

2. Types of languages spoken

Which of the following statements best describes the information that you could learn from reading the "Color the Two Panhandles" poem? 1. West Virginia has plentiful gold and silver deposits in its two panhandles. 2. The economies of the northern and eastern panhandles are dependent on apple farming. 3. The northern and eastern panhandles are very different in history and economy. 4. The northern and eastern panhandles should be colored differently on a map of West Virginia. 5. The temperature in the northern Panhandle is much hotter than in the eastern Panhandle.

3. The northern and eastern panhandles are very different in history and economy

Below are listed several events that occurred during the early history of western Virginia. Examine the statements and decide upon their correct chronological order: 1.The signing of the Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War. 2. A temporary agreement, the Treaty of Camp Charlotte, is signed between Dunmore and the Shawnee. 3. John Brown and his followers seize the arsenal at Harpers Ferry. 4. Morgan Morgan settles at Bunker Hill in Berkeley County. 5. Betty Zane performs an act of heroism during the second attack on Fort Henry

4, 1, 2, 5, 3

Which of the following BEST describes the requirements an individual must meet in order to register to vote in West Virginia? 1. An individual must be a citizen of the United States. 2. An individual must be a resident of West Virginia and of the local jurisdiction in which he/she intends to vote. 3 An individual must be a minimum of 18 years of age at the time of registration or before the next general election. 4. All answers are correct. 5. 1 and 2 are the only correct answers.

4. All answers are correct

Which of the following statements describe the West Virginia coalfields between 1919 and 1921? 1. John L. Lewis, president of the United Mine Workers of America successfully organizing miners in Logan and Mingo counties in 1921. 2. John L. Lewis, president of the United Mine Workers of America, asked President Warren G. Harding to send federal troops to West Virginia to make mine owners accept yellow-dog contracts. 3. The United Mine Workers of America hired agents of the Baldwin-Felts Agency to protect labor organizers working in southern West Virginia. 4. Mine owners opposed efforts to unionize miners, leading to violent conflicts at Matewan and Blair Mountain. 5.Passage of National Industrial Recovery Act led to a 10 percent increase in coal production in West Virginia between 1919 and 1921.

4. Mine owners opposed efforts to unionize miners, leading to violent conflicts at Matewan and Blair Mountain

How many justices serve on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals?

5

After West Virginia split from Virginia during the Civil War, the two states argued over how much of Virginia's public debt the new State of West Virginia had to pay. Which of the following statements about that controversy is correct? 1. West Virginia has never paid the debt it owed Virginia. 2. Abraham Lincoln refused to sign the West Virginia statehood bill until the Restored Government of Virginia gave a promissory note for West Virginia's portion of the debt. 3. The constitution West Virginia adopted in 1862 assumed responsibility for 1/2 of the public debt Virginia owed in 1861. 4. In 1871, the Virginia General Assembly claimed West Virginia should pay the entire debt because the money had paid for transportation improvements in the western counties. 5. Virginia sued West Virginia in the United State Supreme Court, which ruled that West Virginia owed Virginia a little more than $7 million

5. Virginia sued West Virginia in the United States Supreme Court, which ruled that West Virginia owed Virginia a little more than $7 million.

Which of these actions must be followed in the process of amending the state constitution?

A majority of voters must approve the proposed amendment in an election

Which of the following statements reflects DuBois's message? In 1906, the Niagara Movement held its second conference in Harpers Ferry. During that meeting, W.E.B. DuBois made an "Address to the Country." Read this excerpt then answer the question. "We do not believe in violence, neither in the despised violence of the raid nor the lauded violence of the soldier, nor the barbarous violence of the mob, but we do believe in John Brown, in that incarnate spirit of justice, that hatred of a lie, that willingness to sacrifice money, reputation, and life itself on the altar of right. And here on the scene of John Brown's martyrdom we reconsecrate ourselves, our honor, our property to the final emancipation of the race which John Brown died to make free." 1. DuBois pledged that members of the Niagara Movement would protest unceasingly until African Americans had their full civil rights. 2. DuBois urged African Americans to make up arms against the country. 3. DuBois pledged members of the Niagara Movement would support the re-enslavement of African Americans. 4. DuBois urged African Americans to sell their property and give money to the Niagara Movement. 5. DuBois stated that change would come in time and urged African Americans to be patient.

DuBois pledged that members of the Niagara Movement would protest unceasingly until African Americans had their full civil rights.

Apple and peach farming are most important to the economy of the:

Eastern Panhandle

Who was the first African American woman elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates?

Elizabeth Simpson Drewry

Which of the following best supports the historic roles of John Lederer, Thomas Batts, Robert Fallam, James Needham and Gabriel Arthur?

Exploring for new usable land suitable for farming and fur trading.

This Charleston native, author of code of conduct for U.S. business operating in South Africa, organized Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC), and was the first African American appointed to the General Motors board of directors.

Leon Sullivan

This state legislator is the current Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates.

Richard Thompson

In 2006, this man became the nation's longest-serving U.S. Senator.

Robert C. Byrd

In 2010, Southern Methodist University's (SMU) Geothermal Laboratory reported the discovery that the temperature of the earth beneath West Virginia is much higher than previously thought. If SMU's research is proven correct:

West Virginia could become an important leader in renewable energy production.

At the general election in November 1956, the following amendment to the state constitution was approved by the voters: "Regardless of sex, all persons, who are otherwise qualified, shall be eligible to serve as petit jurors, in both civil and criminal cases, as grand jurors and as coroner's jurors." What did this amendment do?

allowed women to be jurors

As a result of the Virginia Land Law of 1730, western Virginia:

attracted an ethnically and religiously different group of settlers from those who lived in eastern Virginia

Which of the following tree types is historically NOT found in West Virginia?

bald cypress

In 2009, a coal-fired power plant in Mason County began a carbon sequestration project. What does this project involve?

capturing carbon dioxide and storing it underground to reduce greenhouse gas

Municipal courts have jurisdiction in cases involving:

city ordinances

Which of the following characteristics best describes the humid continental climate?

cold winters and hot summers

Which combination of activities is depicted on the West Virginia State Seal?

farming, mining, hunting

Mason County native Michael J. Owens was an automation pioneer in which industry?

glass making

When both state and federal funds are considered, in fiscal 2010, according to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, the largest category of spending in the state budget was for: West Virginia's state budget is made up of spending that is called for by both state and federal policies and is paid for by funds from both levels of government. The largest beneficiary of state funds is education.

health and human services

According to a Mine Safety and Health Administration report issued in May 2007, what was the primary cause of the Sago mine disaster of January 2006?

lightning and the failure of mine seals

In the aftermath of his raid on Harpers Ferry, John Brown was tried on three charges. What were they?

murder, treason against the Commonwealth of Virginia, and conspiring with slaves to make insurrection.

In 2000, West Virginia ranked ninth in the production of this natural resource, for which the state had been the leading producer since 1917.

natural gas

What are West Virginia's official state colors?

old gold and blue

State legislative district boundaries are determined by:

population

Use the Ancestry Map from the U.S. Census Bureau to answer the following question. What historical factor BEST explains the black presence in McDowell County?

recruitment of blacks for work in the coal industry

Interest in Marcellus shale natural gas deposits has grown dramatically in recent years because of technological development that:

relies on horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing methods

In 2001, the majority of West Virginians who were not employed in farming worked in these two areas:

services and wholesale/retail trade

Global warming is a concern for West Virginia as well as for the rest of the planet. Ecosystems, agriculture, and the tourist industry are a few aspects of West Virginia that could be affected if predictions about global warming come true. At the same time, efforts to curb global warming could also have serious effects on the state. West Virginians worried about the downside of efforts to curb global warming are MOST concerned that:

such efforts target carbon emissions and could bring regulations that could disrupt the coal industry

Blackwater Falls gets its name from its black-looking water, which its caused by:

tannis from decomposing hemlocks and red spruce needles

As a direct result of the New Deal's National Industrial Recovery Act:

tens of thousands of West Virginia miners were organized by the United Mine Workers of America

Late in 2008, a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates died. Who has the authority to select a person to fill that vacancy?

the Governor

On February 26, 1972, an impoundment dam on Buffalo Creek collapsed, sending millions of gallons of water down a narrow valley, killing 125 and leaving more than 4,000 homeless. The disaster resulted in:

the erection of a memorial at Kistler

Cranberry Glades is famous because:

the glades have artic vegetation and animal life.

In the 2007, Kanawha County election on casino-style table games, a recount was requested. Under West Virginia's election law:

the party requesting a recount must pay the costs of recounting ballots when the recount does not change the results of the election

Which of the following is an important factor shaping life in the Potomac Section in the early 21st century?

the region's nearness to Washington, D.C.

Harman Blennerhassett was indicted for this crime because of his plot with Aaron Burr.

treason