Need to break the ice over Thanksgiving Day dinner?
Bone up on your Turkey Day trivia while testing your knowledge of this uniquely American holiday with our Thanksgiving quiz. Let's get started!
A. Plymouth, Massachusetts
B. Jamestown, Virginia
C. Albany, New York
D. St. Augustine, Florida
E. Providence, Rhode Island
Answer: A. Although all the other answers are names of some early settlements in North America, the pilgrims from the Mayflower landed in 1620 in Plymouth, Mass., and that's where they celebrated the first Thanksgiving feast the following year.
A. 95%
B. 90%
C. 83%
D. 70%
E. About 62% -- Only Americans who identify as Caucasian.
Answer: C. According to Statista, 83% of Americans celebrated Thanksgiving in 2023. Ninety percent of Americans celebrate Christmas, and 70% celebrate Halloween.
A. 100,000
B. 400,000
C. 4.5 million
D. 46 million
E. None. Nobody likes that stuff.
Answer: B. About 400,000 tofu turkeys are consumed during the holidays. All plant-based turkeys (including those made from wheat gluten and garbanzo beans) sold at holiday time amount to 4.5 million, while the number of real turkeys sold just for Thanksgiving totals 45 million.
A. 20 mph
B. 10 mph
C. 2 mph
D. 100 mph
E. No one knows; speedometers had not yet been invented.
(Need a hint? Check out the video clip.)
Answer: C. The Mayflower averaged only two miles (3.2 kilometers) per hour during its historic voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. The voyage took 66 days, from the ship's departure on September 6, until Cape Cod was sighted on November 9, 1620.
A. They're traditional Pilgrim food.
B. They're all foods native to the Americas.
C. They were all brought over on the Mayflower.
D. They can fatten people up quickly.
E. They were George Washington's favorites.
Answer: B. Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie are all dishes native to the Americas and introduced to European arrivals to the New World.
A. North America
B. Africa
C. South America
D. Asia
E. Europe
Answer: D. Asia is the world's largest producer of sweet potatoes, with China alone contributing about 80%. The tubers are also a major crop in India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
A. In 1876, on the collegiate level
B. In 1920, with the recently formed NFL
C. In 1934, with the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys
D. In 1953, between the Lions and Green Bay Packers
E. Football is not a Thanksgiving tradition.
Answer: A. The first Thanksgiving football game was played back in 1876, when the Intercollegiate Football Association began hosting its championship game on the holiday. The NFL was formed in 1920, and the Detroit Lions began playing every Thanksgiving starting in 1934. A second game, hosted by the Dallas Cowboys, was added to the roster in 1966. In 2006, the NFL added a third game to the Thanksgiving lineup, featuring rotating teams. (If you answered E, you must live under a rock.)
A. Mashed potatoes
B. Green bean casserole
C. Cranberry sauce
D. Sweet potato casserole
E. Stuffing
Answer: B. Iowa is one of only two states that claims green bean casserole as its favorite. (The other is Ohio.) But mashed potatoes are the overall national favorite, preferred in ten states. Alas, cranberry sauce is no state's preference. In fact, it's one of the most disliked Thanksgiving foods, along with green bean casserole and (surprisingly) turkey.
A. True
B. False; there’s no connection between the country and the bird.
C. False, but there is a connection between the country and the bird.
D. False; in Turkey, the bird was called “Indian chicken.”
E. Both C and D.
Answer: E. The large bird doesn’t actually hail from the country Turkey, but there is a connection. During the Ottoman Empire, a bird called the guinea fowl was imported to Europe by Turkish traders. So, Europeans began to call these birds "turkeys," but in Turkey, they called the bird “Indiana chicken.” It’s also known by many other monikers worldwide. Check it out:
Now that you're a fount of Turkey Day trivia, you'll know just how to bridge those awkward moments around this year's holiday table.
Sources:
Featured Image: Adobe, License Granted
Statista
Mashed
CNN
National Geographic
Mental Floss
Zippia
International Potato Center
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