Can You Ace This State Capitals Quiz?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around participants sharing their experiences and scores from a state capitals quiz. The focus is on the challenge of not only identifying the capitals but also their geographical locations within the states. Participants reflect on their performance, comparing scores and errors, and discussing the difficulty of the quiz.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants report low scores and high average errors, indicating difficulty in placing capitals accurately, such as one participant scoring 6% with an error of 554 miles.
  • Others express surprise at their performance, with one noting they scored 20% despite not recognizing many city names.
  • A participant from the UK mentions their low score as an excuse for unfamiliarity with U.S. geography.
  • Several participants share their scores and average errors, with a range of performances from 4% to 92% accuracy.
  • One participant reflects on the challenge of distinguishing locations in the Northeast due to cluttered visuals on the quiz interface.
  • Some participants suggest that the quiz could serve as a teaching tool for geography, with one noting improvement over multiple attempts.
  • There are humorous remarks about the quiz's difficulty and the confusion over certain state capitals.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express a shared experience of difficulty with the quiz, but there is no consensus on the effectiveness of the quiz as a learning tool or the best way to teach state capitals.

Contextual Notes

Participants' scores and errors vary widely, indicating differing levels of familiarity with U.S. geography. Some mention specific challenges related to the quiz format, such as visual clutter affecting their performance.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in geography, educators exploring interactive learning tools, and those curious about U.S. state capitals may find this discussion relevant.

G01
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See if you guys (from the states anyway) know your state capitals as well as you think. Here's the catch, do you know where they are in the state??

http://www.addictinggames.com/50statecapitals.html

My score:

66%
Avg. Error 30miles
296sec
 
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You really did that on your first pass?

My first pass:

44%, Average Error: 166 miles, 278 seconds.

- Warren
 
Sad, 6%

Error 554 miles

252 secs
 
I'm surprised I did so well since I didn't even recognize a lot of the names of the cities or know exactly where certain states are. Luckily some states are so small it was easy to get 'close enough'. I got 20% (10/50) in 411 sec & my avg error was 333mi. Not bad for a Canadian. :-p I doubt that very many Americans could get 10/13 Canadian provinces/territories. :rolleyes:
 
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10% avg error 741 miles. :smile: I'm from the UK that's my excuse.
 
44%, 133 miles.

I would have done better than that when I was in fifth grade. Of course, I dropped the star once which gave me about a 2000 mile error in one shot (I put Boston somewhere in Western Canada).
 
Last edited:
Kurdt said:
10% avg error 741 miles. :smile: I'm from the UK that's my excuse.

yeah but i doubt very many people would know what the heptarchy is.
 
Well, that was embarrassing.
 
fourier jr said:
yeah but i doubt very many people would know what the heptarchy is.

I doubt most British people will since its ancient history. Naming the counties would be comparable.
 
  • #10
Oy...though I lost a few points up in the Northeast even knowing where they belonged because it got so cluttered, I couldn't even see where the states were once a few stars were placed. I'm pretty hopeless with western square states. :-p

24%
Average error 220 mi
12 perfect out of 50.
 
  • #11
30%
average distance error 91 miles
time, forever
15 perfect.

Alaska Blew my distance mileage, your mileage may vary.:smile:
 
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  • #12
I gave up when my average error got up past 2000 miles.
 
  • #13
Capitals complement the lower case, and capitols house ill repute.
 
  • #14
chroot said:
You really did that on your first pass?

My first pass:

44%, Average Error: 166 miles, 278 seconds.

- Warren
That was my second attempt, sorry! I forgot to mention that. Yeah First attempt I was somewhere around 40% and 165 miles of error. (I'm learning, at least!)

Here's another one for placing the states themselves:

http://www.addictinggames.com/50states.html

On this one, my first score is: 92%, Error 14 miles 254s
This one was a little bit easier.
 
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  • #15
G01 said:
That was my second attempt, sorry! I forgot to mention that. Yeah First attempt I was somewhere around 40% and 165 miles of error. (I'm learning, at least!)

Here's another one for placing the states themselves:

http://www.addictinggames.com/50states.html

On this one, my first score is: 92%, Error 14 miles 254s
This one was a little bit easier.

Yeah, easier if they don't give you states like Kansas first! The first few that had to just go *somewhere* in the middle are what threw off the rest of the score.
88.23% 27 mi average error
 
  • #16
70%
Average Error 79 miles
352 seconds

First try. (and that was with a stupid mistake of confusing Columbus with Columbia)

What do I get?

I PROMISE that I didn't even glance at the huge map of the US that is right in front of my computer screen.

Edit: I meant behind the computer screed, on the wall, and the names of cities are so small I had lean forward and squint to read them. I mean I would have had to, if I did, but I didn't. Except for Oklahoma City, which is written larger than most and is right in my line of sight whenever I glance up. But I knew that one anyway. Can we call it a "D"?
 
Last edited:
  • #17
86%, 8 miles, 591 seconds.
 
  • #18
I think that was kind of dumb. I know all my capitals but I just don't know the exact geographical location inside each state. Jeez.
 
  • #19
20 perfect; avg. 124 miles. (JT is God!)
 
  • #20
22%; 253 miles.
 
  • #21
this is ridiculous, i can't even get them in the right state most of the time
 
  • #22
Alright, I picked up this game again after a while and on my fourth attempt (overall):

78% Avg Error:12 miles

I'm definitely getting better, maybe this is the way they should teach states and capitals to grade schoolers?:rolleyes:
 
  • #23
Nice game, as I love geography. Score=4%, Av. Error= 402 miles, Time 714 sec. Only 2 perfect cities= Jackson and Indianapolis, funny thing cause I didn't even know that Jackson was the capital of Mississippi.
 
  • #24
That was actually fun. 26% av error 227 miles, 515 seconds.
 

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