Midwest states and capitals quiz

Answer key

1. Springfield. Springfield is Illinois’s capital. Chicago is the state’s largest city, so its prominence does not make it the seat of state government.
2. Indianapolis. Indianapolis is both Indiana’s capital and its largest city. Its name contains the state’s name, which provides a useful spelling cue.
3. Des Moines. Des Moines is Iowa’s capital, at the meeting of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers. The city and one river share the same name.
4. Topeka. Topeka is Kansas’s capital. Wichita and the Kansas City metropolitan area are more familiar to many visitors, but neither supplies this capital answer.
5. Lansing. Lansing is Michigan’s capital. Detroit is a separate city to the southeast, while Michigan State University is in neighboring East Lansing.
6. St. Paul. St. Paul is Minnesota’s capital and one of the Twin Cities. Minneapolis is its neighboring twin, not the state capital.
7. Jefferson City. Jefferson City is Missouri’s capital. Kansas City and St. Louis are larger cities, but neither is the seat of state government.
8. Lincoln. Lincoln is Nebraska’s capital. Omaha lies farther east along the Missouri River and is a different city.
9. Bismarck. Bismarck is North Dakota’s capital. Fargo is a different city near the state’s eastern boundary with Minnesota.
10. Columbus. Columbus is Ohio’s capital, inland from Lake Erie. Cleveland and Cincinnati are major Ohio cities but are not the capital.
11. Pierre. Pierre is South Dakota’s capital. It is distinct from Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota, despite the neighboring states’ similar names.
12. Madison. Madison is Wisconsin’s capital. Milwaukee lies farther east on Lake Michigan and is a separate city.
13. Illinois. The highlighted state is Illinois (IL). Illinois lies west of Indiana and south of Wisconsin. Its northeastern corner reaches Lake Michigan, while its western boundary follows the Mississippi.
14. Indiana. The highlighted state is Indiana (IN). Indiana lies between Illinois and Ohio, with Michigan to the north. Its small Lake Michigan frontage is at the northwestern corner.
15. Iowa. The highlighted state is Iowa (IA). Iowa lies between the Missouri River on much of its west and the Mississippi on its east. Minnesota is directly north and Missouri directly south.
16. Kansas. The highlighted state is Kansas (KS). Kansas lies directly below Nebraska and above Oklahoma. Its northeast corner is less regular than the rest of its mostly rectangular outline.
17. Michigan. The highlighted state is Michigan (MI). Michigan has two major peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula lies between Lakes Michigan and Huron, while the Upper Peninsula stretches along Lake Superior.
18. Minnesota. The highlighted state is Minnesota (MN). Minnesota lies north of Iowa and east of the Dakotas. Its northeastern tip reaches Lake Superior, while its northern edge meets Canada.
19. Missouri. The highlighted state is Missouri (MO). Missouri is below Iowa and above Arkansas. Its southeastern bootheel extends south along the Mississippi and helps distinguish its outline.
20. Nebraska. The highlighted state is Nebraska (NE). Nebraska lies north of Kansas and south of South Dakota. Its western panhandle reaches farther west than the central portion of its southern boundary.
21. North Dakota. The highlighted state is North Dakota (ND). North Dakota lies below Canada and above South Dakota. Minnesota is to its east across much of the Red River boundary.
22. Ohio. The highlighted state is Ohio (OH). Ohio lies east of Indiana and west of Pennsylvania. Lake Erie forms its northern edge, while the Ohio River curves along its south.
23. South Dakota. The highlighted state is South Dakota (SD). South Dakota is directly below North Dakota and above Nebraska. Wyoming is to its west, with Minnesota and Iowa to its east.
24. Wisconsin. The highlighted state is Wisconsin (WI). Wisconsin lies west of Lake Michigan and north of Illinois. Lake Superior also reaches its northern edge.
25. 12. The Census Midwest contains twelve states in two divisions: five East North Central states and seven West North Central states. Other regional definitions may differ.
26. Missouri. Missouri is in the Midwest; the Census groups Kentucky and Oklahoma in the South and Pennsylvania in the Northeast.
27. Colorado. Colorado belongs to the Census Mountain division of the West. The three other choices belong to the West North Central division of the Midwest.
28. Mississippi River. Iowa’s eastern edge follows the Mississippi, while much of its western edge follows the Missouri.
29. Missouri River. The Missouri River marks much of Nebraska’s eastern edge. Lincoln is inland, while Omaha sits close to the river opposite Iowa.
30. Ohio River. The Ohio River separates much of Ohio from Kentucky and West Virginia. It eventually joins the Mississippi farther west.
31. North Dakota and Minnesota. The Red River of the North flows north along much of the North Dakota–Minnesota boundary.
32. Michigan. Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas lie on opposite sides of the Straits of Mackinac. The Mackinac Bridge links them by road.
33. Illinois. Chicago sits on Lake Michigan in northeastern Illinois. Springfield, farther south and inland, is the state capital.
34. Michigan. Detroit lies along the Detroit River in southeastern Michigan, across from Windsor, Ontario. Lansing is Michigan’s state capital.
35. Ohio. Cleveland faces Lake Erie in northern Ohio. The capital, Columbus, lies farther inland near the center of the state.
36. Wisconsin. Milwaukee is on Lake Michigan’s western shore. Wisconsin’s capital, Madison, is inland to the west.
37. Minnesota. Minneapolis and the state capital, St. Paul, are the Twin Cities of Minnesota.
38. Nebraska. Omaha is in eastern Nebraska along the Missouri River. Lincoln, not Omaha, is the state capital.
39. Kansas. Wichita is in south-central Kansas. Topeka, rather than Wichita, is the state capital.
40. Missouri. The city of St. Louis is in Missouri; East St. Louis is across the Mississippi in Illinois.
41. South Dakota. Mount Rushmore is in South Dakota’s Black Hills. The neighboring state of North Dakota contains Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
42. North Dakota. Theodore Roosevelt National Park protects badlands in western North Dakota. It is distinct from Mount Rushmore, which lies in South Dakota.
43. Minnesota. Lake Itasca in Minnesota is traditionally recognized as the Mississippi’s source.
44. Missouri. The Ozarks cover much of southern Missouri and extend into neighboring states, especially Arkansas.
45. Des Moines. The Des Moines and Raccoon rivers meet in Iowa’s capital. The city and one of its rivers share the name Des Moines.
46. Wisconsin. Wisconsin has Superior along its north and Michigan along its east. Michigan also touches both lakes, so the question specifies the state west of Lake Michigan.
47. East North Central. East North Central consists of the five Midwest states nearest the lower Great Lakes. It is one of two divisions within the Census Midwest region.
48. West North Central. The seven West North Central states form the Midwest’s western division. Illinois and the other four eastern Midwest states belong to East North Central.
49. Lake Michigan. Indiana Dunes is on the southern shore of Lake Michigan. Indiana has a short lakeshore even though most of the state lies inland.
50. Minnesota. Minnesota extends from Iowa in the south to Canada in the north. North Dakota borders Canada but does not reach Iowa.