Texas Trivia

Mission San Antonio de Valero

Don't ask me how, but somehow I lucked into a job writing trivia questions. Over the course of my trivia stint I wrote questions on all sorts of topics including musical groups, TV shows, celebrities, cooking, NFL and Arena football, NBA teams, math, and more. I was given a topic, a number of questions to write, and a deadline. I did research online and at the library. At the time, I commuted to work, taking the bus a half hour each way every day. I’d read and jot down questions during the commute, then type them up when I got home.

A year passed and I didn’t write any trivia questions. Then suddenly, I got another assignment. This time I was to write 200 questions on Texas history. The San Antonio mission immediately sprang to mind since I’d recently travelled there. So I started re-reading my pamphlets and tour information, then got online and did some more research. Writing 200 questions wasn’t easy, and neither were the questions I wrote. But I enjoyed reliving my trip to San Antonio and some of the things I learned while I was there.

Here are a few sample questions. If you’re a history buff, you’ll know them. If not, good luck guessing!

1.   In the Battle of the Alamo, 189 defenders held the Alamo against 4,000 Mexican troops for how many days?

a.    99

b.    13

c.     3

d.     6

2.     Who established Mission San Antonio de Valero in 1718?

a.      Father  Antonio Oliveras

b.      Father Joseph San Pedro

c.      General Santa Anna

d.      William B. Travis

3.     The San Antonio River was named so by Spanish explorers for what holiday?

a.      Feast Day Of Saint Anthony

b.      All Saints Day

c.      Cinqo de Mayo

d.      Summer Solstice

4.       Texas outlaw Clyde Barrow and his brother were arrested for possession of what stolen items?

a.      Lanterns

b.      Horses

c.      Diamonds

d.      Turkeys

Answers:  1b, 2a, 3a, 4d