1. New York City has been called "The Big Apple". Why?

2. This state was once referred to as "the keg tapped at both ends." Name the state and the origin of this nickname.

3. This state's name is thought to have come from an Indian phrase meaning something to the extent of "thicket clearers," "vegetation gatherers" or "tribal town." Name the state.

4. Name the only state in the U.S. that has no official nick name.

5. This state's name is of Russian origin. Name the state.

Answers

1. Big Apple comes from an expression among jazz musicians in the '20s and '30s: "I've made it to the big time. That's the big apple on the tree."

2. New Jersey. Ben Franklin coined the phrase to refer to the requirements that New York and Pennsylvania placed on the Garden State in exchange for allowing Jersey's products to reach one of their ports. The phrase likens this to a beer or ale keg being tapped at both ends.

3. Alabama's name is derived from a Choctaw Indian phrase.

4. Alaska

5. Alaska, which once belonged to Russia. The name is the Russian version of the Aleutian word Alakshak, which means great lands or peninsula.

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