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Quizzes > Geography

U.S. Desert Trivia: Test Your Knowledge

Quick, free US desert quiz with instant results and fun facts.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Terri CarrUpdated Aug 28, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration for desert trivia quiz on a dark blue background

This U.S. desert quiz helps you check your knowledge of the Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Great Basin, with quick facts on wildlife, weather, and landmarks. Answer each question and see your score right away. For a wider mix of topics, try our US trivia quiz or explore American trivia, and history fans can test themselves with a United States history quiz.

Which U.S. desert is the largest by area?
Sonoran Desert
Mojave Desert
Chihuahuan Desert
Great Basin Desert
The Great Basin Desert spans approximately 190,000 square miles across Nevada and parts of surrounding states. It is classified as a cold desert due to its higher elevation and colder winters. No other U.S. desert covers as much territory. Learn more at .
Which U.S. desert is home to the iconic saguaro cactus?
Chihuahuan Desert
Sonoran Desert
Mojave Desert
Great Basin Desert
The saguaro cactus is native to the Sonoran Desert, which covers parts of Arizona and northwestern Mexico. These cacti can live for over 150 years and grow to over 40 feet tall. Their majestic arms create the classic image of the American desert. More details at .
Death Valley National Park is primarily located in which desert?
Chihuahuan Desert
Sonoran Desert
Mojave Desert
Great Basin Desert
Death Valley National Park lies mostly within the Mojave Desert in eastern California. It features North America's lowest elevation at Badwater Basin. The park's extreme heat and unique landscapes are characteristic of this desert region. Visit for more.
Which desert spans parts of Nevada, Utah, and Oregon?
Chihuahuan Desert
Great Basin Desert
Mojave Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Great Basin Desert is the only U.S. desert that stretches across Nevada, Utah, and Oregon. As a cold desert, it has sagebrush habitat and experiences snowy winters. Its vast basin-and-range topography is iconic. See more at .
The Joshua tree is most commonly associated with which U.S. desert?
Sonoran Desert
Great Basin Desert
Chihuahuan Desert
Mojave Desert
Joshua trees thrive in the Mojave Desert's higher-altitude valleys and foothills. Joshua Tree National Park preserves this unique landscape. The trees are a type of yucca and can live for hundreds of years. For more information visit .
What annual precipitation threshold is commonly used to classify an area as a desert?
5 inches per year
20 inches per year
15 inches per year
10 inches per year
Deserts are typically defined as regions receiving less than 10 inches of precipitation annually. This low moisture limits plant growth and shapes unique ecosystems. Some definitions use 250 mm (about 10 inches) as the cutoff. Learn more at .
Which peak is the highest point within the Great Basin Desert?
Wheeler Peak
Mount Whitney
Charleston Peak
Boundary Peak
Wheeler Peak in Nevada rises to 13,065 feet, making it the tallest mountain fully within the Great Basin Desert. Boundary Peak is nearby but is technically a sub-peak of Montgomery Peak. Mount Whitney is in the Sierra Nevada, and Charleston Peak is in the Mojave. See details at .
Which desert spans parts of West Texas, southern New Mexico, and extends into northern Mexico?
Chihuahuan Desert
Sonoran Desert
Mojave Desert
Great Basin Desert
The Chihuahuan Desert covers large areas of West Texas, southern New Mexico, and parts of northern Mexico. It is the largest desert in North America by area of solely hot desert. Its rolling basins and mountain limbs characterize the region. More info at .
The Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada is located within which desert?
Mojave Desert
Chihuahuan Desert
Great Basin Desert
Sonoran Desert
Valley of Fire State Park lies in the eastern Mojave Desert east of Las Vegas. Its vibrant red sandstone formations date back over 150 million years. The park's landscapes are classic Mojave scenery. More at .
Which U.S. desert contains the sub-region known as the Colorado Desert?
Great Basin Desert
Chihuahuan Desert
Sonoran Desert
Mojave Desert
The Colorado Desert is the western lower-elevation portion of California's Sonoran Desert. It includes the Salton Sea and Coachella Valley. The larger Sonoran region encompasses both mainland and Baja subregions. Learn more at .
The surface feature known as 'desert pavement' is most characteristic of which U.S. desert?
Mojave Desert
Great Basin Desert
Chihuahuan Desert
Sonoran Desert
Desert pavement is a layer of closely packed rock fragments found in many arid regions, especially cold deserts like the Great Basin. It forms as finer particles are blown away, leaving stones behind. This process is well documented in western Nevada. For technical details see .
How many U.S. national parks are located entirely within the boundaries of the Mojave Desert?
Two
Four
Three
One
Joshua Tree National Park and Death Valley National Park are both located wholly within the Mojave Desert. Other nearby parks extend into adjacent desert regions. Therefore, the correct count is two. Visit and for confirmation.
Which plant genus is especially abundant in the Chihuahuan Desert and is known for rosette-forming succulents?
Agave
Opuntia
Yucca
Larrea
The genus Agave, including species like Agave lechuguilla, is a hallmark of the Chihuahuan Desert. These rosette-forming succulents store water in thick leaves. They play key ecological roles and have cultural significance. Refer to for more.
The Sonoran Desert is subdivided into which two major ecological regions?
Sonoran Lowlands and Gulf Slope
Great Basin and Mojave
Chihuahuan and Painted Desert
Colorado Desert and Arizona Upland
Ecologists divide the Sonoran Desert into the Colorado Desert in California and the Arizona Upland in Arizona and Sonora. Each sub-region has distinct plant communities and rainfall patterns. This division helps in conservation planning. More info at .
Pleistocene Lake Lahontan, a massive prehistoric lake, was centered in which modern U.S. desert region?
Chihuahuan Desert
Mojave Desert
Great Basin Desert
Sonoran Desert
During the last Ice Age, pluvial Lake Lahontan covered much of northwestern Nevada in the Great Basin Desert. Its remnants include Pyramid Lake and Walker Lake. Climate shifts dried the lake as temperatures rose. For geological context see .
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Study Outcomes

  1. Identify Major U.S. Deserts -

    Gain the ability to name and recognize famous US deserts such as the Mojave, Sonoran, and Great Basin by their defining features.

  2. Recall Key Desert Trivia Facts -

    Memorize engaging desert trivia questions and answers to sharpen your knowledge of unique landmarks, wildlife, and historical events.

  3. Locate Desert Regions on a Map -

    Develop the skill to pinpoint each desert's geographic location across the United States and understand their relative positions.

  4. Differentiate Desert Ecosystems -

    Understand the distinct climates, flora, and fauna that characterize each famous US desert, from arid flats to rugged canyons.

  5. Analyze Desert Trivia Questions Strategically -

    Learn how to break down multiple-choice and open-ended desert questions to improve quiz performance.

  6. Apply Desert Knowledge in Conversation -

    Confidently share fascinating desert trivia in discussions and social settings, turning what you've learned into engaging storytelling.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Defining American Deserts -

    In US desert trivia questions, understanding official classifications is key: the Smithsonian and NOAA define deserts as areas receiving less than 250 mm of annual precipitation. A simple mnemonic - "DRY" (Deficit of Rainfall Year”round) - helps you remember this threshold for any desert trivia quiz. Knowing this baseline fact sets you up for success on famous US deserts questions.

  2. Mojave Desert Highlights -

    The Mojave Desert, the smallest of the four major North American deserts, is home to Badwater Basin in Death Valley, the lowest point in North America at - 86 m ( - 282 ft) according to the USGS. This desert trivia fact often appears in quiz questions about extremes in elevation and temperature. Remember: "Mojave = Minimum Elevation Marvel" to link its name with record”breaking stats.

  3. Sonoran Desert Biodiversity -

    Famous US deserts trivia often spotlights the Sonoran Desert for its iconic saguaro cacti, whose arms can live up to 200 years (Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum). A helpful tip for desert trivia: think "Saguaro Stars in Sonoran" to recall both the species and region. Its unique bimodal rainfall pattern also makes it one of the most biologically diverse deserts on earth.

  4. Mnemonic for the Four Major Deserts -

    Quiz takers love quick recall tricks, so use "Big Monkeys Swing Coconuts" to remember Great Basin, Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. This upbeat phrase keeps your memory sharp for any desert trivia question about US desert regions. Mnemonics like this are backed by cognitive research from educational psychology journals to improve long”term retention.

  5. Iconic Landmarks & Elevation Extremes -

    US desert trivia often asks about landmarks such as Death Valley's Badwater Basin and Great Basin National Park's Wheeler Peak (4 000 m). The National Park Service and USGS provide official elevation data - essential for trivia accuracy. Associating each landmark with its exact elevation helps you nail any geography-focused desert questions.

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