Answers off the map on Nevada Day quiz

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Monday, Oct. 30, 2006 | 7:27 a.m.

Nevada's state bird is the roadrunner. Or maybe the bald eagle. No - wait - it's the blue jay!

Reno is the largest city, followed by North Las Vegas. The Legislature meets every six months, and the lieutenant governor is a dead ringer for Elizabeth Taylor.

A decidedly unscientific sampling of shoppers at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets - across from the Clark County government center - turned up some interesting answers in a 10-question quiz, conducted by the Sun in honor of Nevada Day - which falls on Tuesday but was celebrated on Friday.

Passers-by were asked how much they knew about the state's history, geography and people, and at least one youngster proved politically current.

When shown six photographs of public officials, third grader Ohemaa Dixon immediately pointed to the Republican candidate for governor.

"That's (Jim) Gibbons!" she announced.

Her surprised mother, Kristi Asante, asked how she knew that.

"I saw him on a commercial with the cocktail waitress," Ohemaa explained.

Don Chambers, who accompanied Asante and her daughter on Friday's excursion, could only shake his head.

"It shows you what kind of trouble he's in, when an 8-year-old is keying in on that," said Chambers, an executive with the Urban Chamber of Commerce.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman was the most familiar face on the page, even among some Canadian visitors. One woman suggested it was a picture "of a really old Steven Spielberg."

Visiting from Toronto, Aaron Kirsch and Alana Blumfald did fairly well on the quiz, despite an admitted lack of knowledge about both Nevada and American history.

When asked who had been president when Nevada earned its statehood, Blumfald hazarded a guess - "Benjamin Franklin?"

Actually, it was Abraham Lincoln. But to be fair, how many Nevadans would know who in 1864 was the governor of what was then called the Province of Canada? (Answer: Charles Stanley Monck.)

Locals and visitors alike struggled with the state's geography - variously placing the Silver State alongside Colorado, Texas and Mexico. Yes, these were adults.

Samantha Nieves of Henderson admitted she had no idea of the state's population. But, she said, "Does anybody know? It's growing and growing and growing!"

From among the six photographs, locals quickly picked out Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dina Titus. One man coyly showed his political stripes.

"That's Gov. Titus," said Joe Premack, who retired to Las Vegas seven years ago from Chicago.

Premack was less decisive about the importance of the mountain bluebird.

"I don't know the state bird of Illinois, why should I know Nevada's?" Premack said.

Clark County Commissioner Lynette Boggs McDonald was relatively well-known by quiz takers - but perhaps for reasons she would rather avoid. Those who identified her often did so in connection with a pair of controversies surrounding her - her District F residency status and her involvement in an Arizona land deal.

While passers-by struggled with the open-ended questions about Nevada politics, most seemed confident when asked to identify photographs of Nevada movers and shakers.

"That's Paul Newman," said six-year resident Ana Flores, pointing to a grinning Wayne Newton. "I know that for sure."