American Wild West Quiz (With Answers)
Adele Cosgrove-Bray is a writer, poet and artist who lives on the Wirral Peninsula in England.
Learn All About Cowboys and the Wild West
This fun, free quiz is a great addition to costume parties, school, youth groups, summer-time picnics, or theme days at nursing homes.
Homeschoolers may also find this quiz a useful starting point for further research, as its questions cover Native Americans and settler history, as well as more contemporary Western films and country music.
Bring a bit of the Wild West to your next party with these interesting trivia questions!
Complete the Western Film Title
| Title | Missing Word |
|---|---|
A Fistful of _______ | Dollars |
Butch Cassidy and the _______ | Sundance Kid |
The Magnificent _______ | Seven |
Rio _______ | Bravo (Grande is also an acceptable answer) |
The Man Who Shot Liberty _______ | Valance |
Once Upon a Time in the _______ | West |
The Outlaw Josey _______ | Wales |
True _______ | Grit |
High _______ | Noon |
The Good, the Bad, and _______ | the Ugly |
A Man Called _______ | Horse |
Dances With _______ | Wolves |
Did you know that cowboys wore spurs on their boots?
Questions About Pioneers, Settlers, and Cowboys
| Questions and Answers |
|---|
What was a chuck wagon? |
The wagon which carried food supplies and cooking utensils. |
What were Dutch ovens? |
Cast iron pots with lids, in various sizes so that they could be stacked one on top of the other or used separately over an open fire. |
What was the main type of bread cooked and eaten by cowboys, gold prospectors, and pioneers? |
Sourdough. |
Which type of bread did Native Americans teach settlers how to make? |
Cornbread. |
What is another name for The Devil’s Rope? |
Barbed wire, used by ranchers to fence-off prairies. |
Many cowboys believed that the use of barbed wire heralded the end of what? |
The Wild West. |
What was a running iron? |
A ring or flat iron used to draw brand marks—as opposed to a ready-made branding iron shaped as a stamp—used by cattle rustlers to quickly mark stolen cattle. |
What time of the years did cattle round-ups usually take place? |
Spring and Autumn. |
If a cowboy was dressed in woolly chaps, what would he be wearing? |
Leggings made from wool to keep their legs warm in the winter. |
What did cowboys wear on their heads? |
A stetson or sombrero. |
What was a pommel slicker? |
A long waterproof coat which kept both the rider and the saddle dry. |
Dried animal skin cut into long, thin strips then plaited was known as what? |
Rawhide. |
Name the famous breed of cows used on many ranches. |
Longhorn. |
Name the star or disc-shaped object attached to a cowboy’s heel |
A spur. |
Why did Rochdale cowboys have trouble with their spurs? |
They didn’t fit on their clogs. |
Which British comedian wrote the song “Rochdale Cowboy”? |
Mike Harding. |
How Well Do You Know Western Actors?
| First Name | Last Name |
|---|---|
Gene | Autry |
Smiley | Burnette |
Gary | Cooper |
Olivia | de Havilland |
Evelyn | Finley |
Glen | Ford |
Gabby | Hayes |
Rita | Hayworth |
Randolph | Scott |
John | Wayne |
Peggy | Stewart |
Roy | Rogers |
Burt | Lancaster |
Yul | Brynner |
Before the arrival of the Europeans, North America was populated by millions of American Indians.
Test Your Knowledge of American Indian History
Where did the Apache Indians live? |
In the southwest deserts; mainly in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. |
How many American Indians were there before European settlers arrived? |
Between 10 and 18 million. |
How many different languages were spoken by Indians in North America alone? |
Approximately 296. |
What did the Plains Indians invent to aid communication in the face of so many diverse languages? |
Sign language. |
Name some typical traditional tools used by American Indians. |
Bows, arrows, clubs, tomahawks/axes, and spears/lances. |
List the different types of dwelling traditionally built by American Indians. |
Tipi, wigwam, huts on stilts, igloo, wattle and daub, adobe, longhouse, grass-covered round huts, dug-outs with arched grass or hide roofs, and wooden plank houses. |
Between 1618 – 1619, what wiped out up to 70% of Indians? |
Smallpox. |
Which animal, brought to America by Spaniards, changed the lives of the Plains Indians? |
Horses. |
In which infamous battle was General Custer defeated? |
The Battle of Little Big Horn. |
Which famous Indian Chief was originally named ‘Slow’ when his name was translated to English? |
Sitting Bull. |
Which was Chief Sitting Bull’s tribe? |
Sioux. |
What was the forced relocation of the Cherokee Nation in 1838 called? For an extra point, explain why. |
The Trail of Tears, because so many died on the journey. |
What was the name of the religious dance that became popular on the reservations when all hope of survival seemed lost? |
The Ghost Dance. |
How many American Indian tribes exist today? |
There are 562 federally recognized tribes—though others are still trying to win legal recognition. |
How many Indian Reservations still exist? |
314. |
What Indian Chief’s name is shouted just as a person is about to do something brave or rash? |
Geronimo. |
Which Country Artists Sang These Hit Songs?
| Song | Artist |
|---|---|
Stand by Your Man | Tammy Wynette |
Crazy | Patsy Cline |
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry | Hand Williams |
I Will Always Remember You | Dolly Parton |
Ring of Fire | Johnny Cash |
Coal Miner's Daughter | Loretta Lynn |
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain | Willie Nelson |
Behind Closed Doors | Charlie Rich |
I Can't Stop Loving You | Ray Charles |
Faded Love | Bill Wills & the Texas Playboys |
Mama Tried | Merle Haggard |
Hank Williams was one of the most influential country music stars of all time.
Answer More Southwestern-Themed Questions
| Questions and Answers |
|---|
Who held two Aces and two 8s when he was shot dead playing poker? |
Wild Bill Hickok. |
What was a hand of two Aces and two 8s known as following Wild Bill’s death? |
The Dead Man’s Hand. |
How many people were killed in the gunfight at the OK Corral? |
Three. |
In which city was the OK Corral? |
Tombstone, AZ. |
What was William Frederick Cody more usually known as? |
Buffalo Bill. |
Why were Spaghetti Westerns so named? |
They all had Italian producers. |
Who played the main role in the film “Calamity Jane”? |
Doris Day. |
What did the 49’ers do in California? |
Pan for gold. |
Why was Dodge City’s cemetery called Boot Hill Cemetery? |
Because so many of its inhabitants died with their boots on. |
Name the outlaw gang run by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid |
The Hole in the Wall Gang. |
What was the Lone Ranger’s horse called? |
Silver. |
© 2011 Adele Cosgrove-Bray
Comments
Hyper on September 24, 2018:
I don’t get it to many q.
Adele Cosgrove-Bray (author) from Wirral, Cheshire, England. on February 12, 2013:
You make a good point, there, Allen; I'll amend that phrasing.
Allen on February 11, 2013:
In the section of country songs, you listed the artists who made the songs popular, not necessarily the people who wrote the songs. "Crazy" was written by Willie Nelson and "Ring of Fire" was written by Johnny Cash's wife June Carter-Cash. Some of the others such as "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain" were both written and made popular by the songwriter. Others on the list may or may not have been made popular by the songwriters themselves. I'm not certain without doing more research. The Dolly Parton song that she wrote and made popular is "I Will Always Love You," not "Remember" as listed. And the song "Faded Love" was made famous by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, not Bill Wills.
FloraBreenRobison on September 10, 2011:
I knew most of these answers in various sections. In the entertainment categories I knew them all. The section where I knew the least was the Pioneers and settlers.
