America Quiz

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Patna rice, a long-grain rice from Bihar, was the first Indian rice cultivated in America as Carolina rice. It influenced American rice markets and was widely exported to Europe and Britain before the Civil War. Patna rice is less aromatic than Basmati but highly valued.

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English colonies in America (1607-1651) were divided during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms; older colonies like Virginia, Bermuda, Maryland, Barbados, and Antigua were Royalist, while newer Puritan settlements like Massachusetts supported Parliament. Bermuda had a unique government structure with a House of Assembly since 1620. Maryland passed the Toleration Act (1649) ensuring religious freedom. Virginia became a crown colony in 1624. The Navigation Act (1651) introduced mercantilism. Jamaica was captured by England in 1655, becoming a base against Spain. The New England Confederation formed in 1643 as a defensive alliance.

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Approximately 60% of Indians in North America are Gujarati, with around 940,000 Gujaratis living there, forming the largest Indian-origin community in the region.

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Dr. Srinivas ‘Bobby’ Mukkamala has been elected as the first Indian-origin president of the American Medical Association (AMA) in its 178-year history. He will serve as the 180th president of the AMA, the largest association of physicians in the United States. Dr. Mukkamala, an ENT specialist from Michigan, has led the AMA Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force. He has advocated evidence-based policies to address the overdose epidemic in the U.S. He graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School and completed residency at Loyola University, Chicago.

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Gandikota V. Rao was from Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh.

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Vinai K. Thummalapally was the first Indian American U.S. Ambassador, appointed to Belize.

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Dabeeru C. Rao, born 1946, founded the Division of Biostatistics at Washington University School of Medicine and is a noted statistical geneticist.

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Raj Reddy, born in Andhra Pradesh, won the Turing Award in 1994 for contributions to large-scale AI systems.

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Indian-origin rapper and singer-songwriter Raja Kumari won an American Music Award (AMA) 2025. She was nominated at the 51st AMA held in Los Angeles for the song from Arcane League of Legends: Season 2. This made her the first Indian-origin musician ever nominated for an AMA. The song Renegade (We Never Run) was a collaboration with Stefflon Don and Jarina de Marco. It was nominated under the Favourite Soundtrack category. She was chosen for the song as the film character is Indian, and she represents Indian culture with powerful music.

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Recently, Colombia officially joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) during a meeting of Latin American leaders in Beijing. Colombia’s capital is Bogotá. It is called the “Gateway of South America” because it connects South America with Central and North America. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also called One Belt, One Road (OBOR), plans to build many roads, railways, and ports across several countries. It aims to boost China’s economic leadership by creating infrastructure in nearby regions. The initiative is known as the “21st Century Silk Road.”