Folk Housing Quiz
This page is designed to test students seeking to practice their observations skills through a self-quiz over elements of common folk housing in North America.
The upper tiles contain links to galleries of folk landscapes associated with major folk regions in North America. The lower row of tiles contain links to housing in smaller folk regions or ethnic folk enclaves in North America.
You can read more about regional folk housing and ethnic folk landscapes in Steve Graves' text Introduction to Human Geography: A Disciplinary Approach. Chapter 2: Culture and Cultural Practices has a section on folk landscapes.
Below you will find a short quiz to help you learn or refresh your skills identifying folk architecture / landscape features.
Photo Gallery Links
Folk Architecture
Here are a few points to keep in mind as you look at folk building practices:
- Folk architecture was built by untrained construction crews working largely from collective ideas about design features.
- Folk architecture uses local resources because long-distance transport of materials was not feasible during the folk era (prior to the age of rail)
- Folk architecture often features design elements that were designed to cope with local climate conditions. Consider the following:
- Size and placement of chimney
- Size and design of porches
- Thickness of walls and basic building materials
- Pitch (steepness) of roof
- Position / orientation to surface (raised, embedded)
4. Subsequent "style" features that might be masking original design features or house type.
Flash Card Section
The images below feature examples of prominent folk house types.
Click on the right/left arrows for each photo to reveal a "flash card" with a list of defining characteristics of each building.
In what region of the country would you find this house?
In which states is this house type common?
What are the building materials?
What does the placement of the chimney suggest about climate?
What does the pitch of the roof suggest about climate?
What does the porch suggest about climate adaptations?
Click on the photo to activate the image carousel and view the flash card.
In what region of the country would you find this house?
In which states is this house type common?
What are the building materials?
What does the placement of the chimney suggest about climate?
What does the pitch of the roof suggest about climate?
What does the porch suggest about climate adaptations?
Click on the photo to activate the image carousel and view the flash card.
In what region of the country would you find this house?
In which states is this house type common?
What are the building materials?
What does the placement of the chimney suggest about climate?
What does the pitch of the roof suggest about climate?
What does the porch suggest about climate adaptations?
Click on the photo to activate the image carousel and view the flash card.
In what region of the country would you find this house?
In which states is this house type common?
What are the building materials?
What does the placement of the chimney suggest about climate?
What does the pitch of the roof suggest about climate?
What does the porch (or no porch) suggest about climate adaptations?
Click on the photo to activate the image carousel and view the flash card.
In what region of the country would you find this house?
In which states is this house type common?
What are the building materials?
What does the placement of the chimney suggest about climate?
What does the pitch of the roof suggest about climate?
What does the porch (or lack of) suggest about local climate conditions?
Click on the photo to activate the image carousel and view the flash card.
In what region of the country would you find this house?
In which states is this house type common?
What are the building materials?
What does the placement of the chimney suggest about climate?
What does the pitch of the roof suggest about climate?
What does the porch suggest about climate adaptations?
Click on the photo to activate the image carousel and view the flash card.
In what region of the country would you find this house?
In which states is this house type common?
What are the building materials?
What does the placement of the chimney suggest about climate?
What does the pitch of the roof suggest about climate?
What does the porch (missing) suggest about local climate conditions?
Click on the photo to activate the image carousel and view the flash card.
In what region of the country would you find this house?
In which states is this house type common?
What are the building materials?
What does the placement of the chimney suggest about climate?
What does the pitch of the roof suggest about climate?
What does the porch or porches suggest about local climate conditions?
Click on the photo to activate the image carousel and view the flash card.
BONUS: ETHNIC-FOLK HOUSING
With what ETHNICITY is this house type associated?
In which states is this house type common?
What are the building materials?
What does the placement of the chimney suggest about climate?
What does the pitch of the roof suggest about climate?
What does the porch or porches suggest about local climate conditions?
Click on the photo to activate the image carousel and view the flash card.