50 percent of young Americans (info gathered from a respected, albeit small study) cannot find the state of New York on a map. Sad, right?

So, take the San Francisco Chronicle annual Geo Quiz and show off your skills! My favorite questions (and surprising answers, left out for your enjoyment of the quiz):

How many U.S. state capitals are west of Los Angeles?

This building is officially known as the Church of Mary and the Martyrs, but everyone calls it by its Roman name. Which is?

What is the only country named for a precious metal?

How many inhabited islands comprise Japan? a) Four. b) Six. c) Seventeen. d) Six hundred.

And speaking of Japan (SPOILER: Japan is the answer to the following question):

Ringo Starr once filmed a commercial for applesauce in this country, largely because his first name means "apple" in the local language.

I've often thought he'd make an ironic but cutesy pitchman for the ever-expensive Japanese "Stepford apple" -- what I see as the perfectly formed pride of eerily flawless yet tantalizing Nihon fruit. Well, there you go.