Question 1

True or false: Sacagawea was the only woman on the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Accepted Answer

False. She was the only Native woman, but York, Clark's enslaved servant, was also male. However, no other women were part of the permanent party, though they met many Native women.

Question 2

True or false: Sacagawea was the primary guide who navigated the entire Lewis and Clark route across the continent.

Accepted Answer

False. She served as an interpreter and occasional guide in her home territory, but Lewis and Clark relied on maps, compasses, and other Native guides for the full route.

Question 3

True or false: Sacagawea saved the expedition’s journals and supplies when a boat capsized in the Missouri River.

Accepted Answer

True. During a storm in May 1805, a boat overturned, and Sacagawea calmly retrieved important papers, medicine, and supplies that would have been lost, earning Lewis’s praise.

Question 4

True or false: Sacagawea joined the Lewis and Clark expedition as a paid interpreter.

Accepted Answer

False. She was not paid; her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, was hired as an interpreter, and she was essentially brought along as his property, receiving no wages.

Question 5

True or false: Sacagawea gave birth to her son, Jean Baptiste, just weeks before the expedition departed.

Accepted Answer

True. She gave birth in February 1805, and the expedition left in April 1805, so she traveled with a newborn strapped to her back for much of the journey.

Question 6

True or false: Sacagawea lived long enough to see her son become a famous explorer in Europe.

Accepted Answer

False. She died in 1812, but her son Jean Baptiste was later raised by Clark and traveled to Europe with a German prince, becoming a well-known explorer—but she never saw it.

Question 7

True or false: Sacagawea’s name means 'Bird Woman' in the Hidatsa language, not Shoshone.

Accepted Answer

True. Sacagawea is a Hidatsa name meaning 'Bird Woman.' She was born Shoshone but was kidnapped and raised by the Hidatsa, so her name comes from their language.

Question 8

True or false: Sacagawea died in 1812 at Fort Manuel, likely from a fever, and was buried in South Dakota.

Accepted Answer

True. Historical records indicate she died of a 'putrid fever' (likely typhoid) around age 25 at Fort Manuel Lisa, and her grave is believed to be near present-day Mobridge, South Dakota.

Sacagawea Trivia Questions