California quiz

1. California is one of four states that have, at one point in their histories, declared themselves to be independent nations. What was the country of California called?

2. What was the first capital of the state of California?

3. Lassen Peak is one of three US volcanoes outside of Alaska and Hawaii that has erupted since 1800. When did it last erupt?

4. California voters chose Arnold Schwarzenegger to replace which governor in the 2003 recall election?

5. Who wrote, “You can take Hollywood for granted like I did, or you can dismiss it with the contempt we reserve for things that we don’t understand. It can be understood, too, but only dimly and in flashes.”

6. In which movie do three Black Hawk helicopters emerge from under the Golden Gate Bridge on their way to save San Francisco from a payload of biological weapons on Alcatraz?

7. After Los Angeles, which is California’s second most populous city?

8. The California mission system was built between 1769 and 1823 for what purpose?

9. For several years, California’s “three strikes, you’re out” law (passed in 1994) was considered by legal analysts to be stronger than those of 26 states that followed. How?

10. Who referred to California’s Mojave desert as “Tierra el Muertos” ("Land of the Dead")?