On October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland dedicated the Statue of Liberty. Since that time, the statue has welcomed ships entering New York Harbor and has been seen as an iconic and universal symbol of freedom.
The quiz below, from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio, provides an opportunity for you to test your knowledge of the history and symbolism of Lady Liberty.
1. The State of Liberty was a gift to the people of the United States from the people of what country?
A. The United Kingdom
B. France
C. Germany
D. Russia
2. What piece of Lady Liberty was displayed in Philadelphia during the nation’s centennial in 1876?
A. Crown
B. Head and crown
C. Right arm and torch
D. Left arm and tablet
3. French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue, but who was responsible for its interior structural elements?
A. Gutzon Borglum
B. Daniel Chester French
C. August Saint Gaudens
D. Gustave Eiffel
4. The statue’s right arm and torch have been closed to the public due to safety concerns since 1916. What caused the statue’s structural weakness in this area?
A. An explosion from a nearby bombing
B. Corrosion
C. Wind damage
D. An earthquake
5. Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus” was written in 1883 as part of a fundraising drive to complete the statue. When was her immortal line “Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” added to the statue’s base?
A. 1886
B. 1903
C. 1917
D. 1920
6. We know her as the Statue of Liberty, but what was the name given to the monument by the sculptor?
A. Goddess of Liberty
B. The Sacred Fire of Liberty
C. Liberty Enlightening the World
D. Liberty on the March
7. Which president designated the Statue of Liberty as a national monument?
A. Franklin Roosevelt
B. Theodore Roosevelt
C. Ronald Reagan
D. Calvin Coolidge
8. Which prominent American led the fundraising effort to raise $100,000 — more than $2.3 million in today’s dollars — to complete the statue?
A. Andrew Carnegie
B. Mark Twain
C. Thomas Edison
D. Joseph Pulitzer
9. Which president signed the legislation making nearby Ellis Island part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument?
A. Lyndon Johnson
B. John F. Kennedy
C. Franklin Roosevelt
D. Ronald Reagan
10. The Statue of Liberty sits on Liberty Island. What was the island called before a 1956 act of Congress changed its name?
A. Roosevelt Island
B. Bartholdi Island
C. Bedloe’s Island
D. LaGuardia Island
ANSWERS: 1-B, 2-C, 3-D, 4-A, 5-B, 6-C, 7-D, 8-D, 9-A, 10-C
