Brainteasers + States 1

Homophones

100

(a) A sleeping place on a ship or train

(b) The act of being born; origin

berth / birth

200

 (a) Equipment for controlling a horse’s head

(b) Relating to a bride or wedding ceremony

bridle / bridal

300

(a) To surrender territory or rights formally

(b) The reproductive unit of a plant

cede / seed

400

 (a) A combination of musical notes sounded together

(b) A length of rope, string, or flexible wire

chord / cord

500

(a) To bring out or evoke a response

(b) Forbidden by law or social custom; illegal

elicit / illicit

Water, water everywhere

100

in trouble

In hot water

200

try something cautiously

Test the waters

300

be logical or valid

Hold water

400

quiet people often have complex personalities

Still waters run deep

500

make something more confusing

Muddy the waters

The US states

100

• The easternmost state; West Quoddy Head is the first place in the U.S. to see the sunrise
• Produces about 90% of America's lobster supply

Maine

200

• Contains Las Vegas, the "Entertainment Capital of the World," which has more hotel rooms than any other city on Earth
• The driest state in the U.S., receiving an average of only 9 inches of rainfall per year

Nevada

300

• Known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" (actually has 11,842 lakes over 10 acres)
• The source of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca; the river flows 2,340 miles from here to the Gulf of Mexico

Minnesota

400

• Home to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis (founded 1845) and the national anthem—Francis Scott Key wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner" while watching the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814
• The Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States, produces more blue crabs than anywhere else in the country

Maryland

500

• The most densely populated U.S. state and home to the first official baseball game (Hoboken, 1846)
• Thomas Edison's laboratory was in Menlo Park, where he invented the phonograph and practical electric light bulb

New Jersey