States

I found myself awake at 4:00 AM the other morning. Rather than starting to worry about the state of America, the environment and the world in general, I decided to see if I could mentally list all the states in alphabetical order. I’m not a game player, but I do love maps and have visited every state. This seemed a better way to lull myself back to sleep than thinking about depressing stuff.

By the time I had managed to get the states in their alphabetical alignment, I noticed some interesting trivia. It also occurred to me that this exercise would be a good game for grade school children. There is no time for geography in today’s curriculums, and I find this regrettable.

So here’s the short quiz I would devise about the first letters of the states’ names.

1. Which two letters tie for being the initial letter of most states? Hint: They each have eight states.

2. Which two initial letters start the names of three states?

3. Three alphabet letters start the names of four states. Which letters are they?

4. Four initial alphabet letters start the names of two states each. Name the four pairs.

5. Eight letters get only one state. Who are the loners?

6. And last, the losers. Seven letters are stateless. Which are they?

Stay tuned. The Democrats might bring about some changes to this game. I totally agree with these words on the District of Columbia license plates: End Taxation Without Representation.

Here are the answers:

1. M and N

Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana

Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota

2. C and O

California, Colorado, Connecticut

Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon

3. A, I, W

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas

Idaho, Illinois, Indians, Iowa

Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

4. K, S, T, V

Kansas, Kentucky

South Carolina, South Dakota

Tennessee, Texas

Vermont, Virginia

5. D, F, G, H, L, P, R, U

Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah

6. B, E, J, Q, X, Y, Z

Every child should have a United States puzzle map. This one has been with us for many years.

 

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