1. “Pennsylvania,” a female figure representing the Commonwealth by sculptor Roland Hinton Perry, stands atop the Capitol dome. a) True b) False
2. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was founded by Englishman William Penn who was seeking a haven in the New World for persecuted members of the Society of Friends – also known as Quakers. a) True b) False
3. During the Civil War, several Pennsylvania cities, including Carlisle, Chambersburg and Harrisburg fell to the Confederate forces before the Union soldiers held Gettysburg in a battle that turned out to be a major turning point in the struggle to save the Union. a) True b) b) False
4. In 1940, Pennsylvania opened the first high-speed, multi-lane highway in the United States – the Pennsylvania Turnpike – setting the pattern for modern super-highways throughout the country.
a) True b) False
5. Pennsylvania’s Coat of Arms – the state’s best-known symbol – features a shield crested by an American Bald Eagle, flanked by lions and adorned with a ship, a plough, three sheaves of wheat, an olive branch and a cornstalk with the words of the state motto below the symbols.
6. The azalea – the favorite flower of former Pennsylvania Gov. Gifford Pinchot – was named the State Flower on May 5, 1933.
7. The chorus of “Pennsylvania,” the State Song, is “Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Blessed by God’s own hand, Birthplace of a mighty nation, Keystone of the land.”
8. Cameron County in Pennsylvania is named in honor of Simon Cameron, the 26th secretary of war of the United States and a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania.
9. The Schuylkill River and Schuylkill County were named after the Dutch word for “hidden stream.”
10. It takes Capitol clockwinder Bob Martz two full days each week to walk 12 miles winding each of the Capitol’s original clocks because they are located in so many of the Capitol Complex buildings. He gives each clock mechanism seven full turns – one for each of the 24-hour periods in the upcoming week.
11.Harrisburg has served as the Commonwealth’s State Capital since the state legislature passed an act in 1810 that made the borough – now city – the headquarters for the state government.
12. Members of the public may enter the State Capitol Building and/or view sessions of the state legislature only at the invitation of a state representative or state senator.
13. There are 203 members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives with each representing approximately 60,000 residents.
14. Pennsylvania had the first emancipation statute in the United States with the passage of the Pennsylvania Gradual Abolition Act of 1780.
15. The following were first manufactured in Pennsylvania: hookless fasteners, jeans, mustard, printer’s ink, root beer, wallpaper and folding beds.