ProCon’s U.S. National Anthem Quiz
- Question: The poem on which the national anthem is based was set to the music of which song?
- Answer: The poem was set to the music of “To Anacreon in Heaven,” a popular British drinking song that was also used as the anthem of the Anacreontic Society, a men’s amateur music club in London.
- Question: When did “The Star-Spangled Banner” officially become the U.S. national anthem?
- Answer: Popularized throughout the 19th century as a patriotic song, the anthem didn’t officially become the country’s national song until Pres. Herbert Hoover declared it so with the signing of a bill on March 3, 1931.
- Question: How did the national anthem grow in popularity during the 19th century?
- Answer: All of these contributed to the anthem’s growing popularity in the 19th century.
- Question: Which athlete popularized kneeling during the U.S. national anthem in protest of racial injustice and police brutality?
- Answer: During the 2016 NFL season, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first sat during the playing of the national anthem and then switched to kneeling during the anthem in subsequent games, inspiring other players to protest in the same manner.
- Question: Which event inspired the writing of the U.S. national anthem?
- Answer: The British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor inspired the writing of the U.S. national anthem.
- Question: What is the significance of the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing”?
- Answer: The song “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is often called the Black American national anthem.
- Question: The U.S. national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” was written during which war?
- Answer: The U.S. national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” was written during the War of 1812.
- Question: Who wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner”?
- Answer: American lawyer and poet Francis Scott Key wrote the national anthem.
© Bob Cullinan/Shutterstock.com
© Bob Cullinan/Shutterstock.com
