She's a grand ol' flag

                                 June 14 is an important date in American history.  Really, can any "Seinfeld" aficionado worth his salt ever forget that on that date in 1987, Kramer and Newman were spat upon, not by Keith Hernandez, as originally thought, but by Mets reliever/jokester Roger McDowell from behind the bushes on the gravelly road after a Mets-Phillies game at Shea, ruining their day?
                                 June 14 is important for many other reasons.  On that date, sandpaper was invented in 1834, the U.S. Army was established in 1775, and "The Gong Show" premiered in 1976.
                                 Of course, June 14 is best known, not for the abrasiveness of 12-grit sandpaper or the zaniness of a TV program featuring comical, no-talent acts, but for Flag Day, when Americans commemorate the adoption of Ol' Glory as our national symbol.
                                 Everyone knows the flag has 50 stars and is red, white and blue.  But what do you know about the flag beyond what most second-graders do? 
                                Lets find out, as we salute this cherished symbol of freedom :

1. When was the first flag approved by the Continental Congress?
a) 1775
b) 1776
c)  1777
d) 1812
2.  What did the first U.S. flag have?
a) Thirteen stars and 13 stripes
b) Thirteen stripes and "Don't Tread on Me"
c) British Union Jack and 13 stripes
d) Mustard stains from George Washington's hot dog
3. Who designed the first flag with stars and stripes?
a) Francis Hopkinson
b) Betsy Ross
c) Martha Washington
d) Christian Dior
4. What is the blue part of the flag called?
a) Field
b) Canton
c) Union
d) All of these
5. Who made the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the "Star-Spangled Banner"?
a) Betsy Ross
b) Mary Pickersgill
c) Martha Washington
d) Sears Roebuck
6. How many stripes on the flag are red?
a) Six
b) Seven
c) Eight
d) Nine
7. How many rows of stars are on the flag?
a) 7
b) 8
c) 9
d) 10
8. What does flying the flag upside-down represent?
a) Distress
b) You're not an American citizen
c) Disapproval of governmental policies
d) You need to see an ophthalmologist
9. Which is the only state to formally observe Flag Day?
a) Pennsylvania
b) New Jersey
c) Maryland
d) Massachusetts
10. What does a vexillologist do with flags?
a) Makes them
b) Repairs them
c) Studies them
d) All of these
11. Which president proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day?
a) Woodrow Wilson
b) Calvin Coolidge
c) Harry S. Truman
d) William Howard Taft
12. Betsy Ross was the widow of which Revolutionist?
a) Francis Scott Key
b) John Ross
c) John Hancock
d) John Lennon
13. When the flag is hung vertically, where should the canton be?
a) Upper left
b) Upper right
c) Lower left
d) Lower right
14. Why do flag patches worn on a uniform's right sleeve often show the canton in the right corner?
a) To balance the flag on the left sleeve that shows the canton in the left corner
b) So when the person wearing it looks down, the blue field appears on the left side
c) To give the canton the highest, or front, position of honor
d) When the flag is a patch, it makes no difference
15. How should a wornout flag be disposed?
a) Bury it
b) Burn it
c) Drop it into the sea
d) All of these
16. When a flag passes during a parade, you should:
a) Salute
b) Bow
c) Put hand over heart
d) Applaud




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Answers :  1. c  ; 2. c  ; 3. a  ; 4. d  ; 5. b  ; 6. b  ; 7. c  ; 8. a  ; 9. a  ; 10. c  ; 11. a  ; 12. b  ; 13. a  ; 14. c  ;  15. b  ; 16. c