40 Thanksgiving Trivia Questions and Answers for Teens

1. The Wampanoag name is usually translated as 'People of the' what?

2. Tisquantum (Squanto) amazed the Plymouth colonists in 1621 because he could already speak which language?

3. In which year was the Mayflower Compact signed aboard the ship?

4. Sarah Josepha Hale, who wrote letters to presidents for years urging a national Thanksgiving, was famous as the editor of what?

5. Critics in 1939 nicknamed the holiday 'Franksgiving' after which president moved it one week earlier?

6. In 1939, how many states observed Thanksgiving on November 23 while another 23 chose November 30?

7. The Wampanoag language belongs to which large Native language family of eastern North America?

8. Before settling at Plymouth, the Mayflower first dropped anchor off the tip of which cape?

9. In which year did the Mayflower cross the Atlantic to New England?

10. Sarah Josepha Hale's quest for a national Thanksgiving lasted about how long?

11. From 1921 to 1931, Canadian Thanksgiving shared its date with which commemoration?

12. Today's commercial Thanksgiving turkeys descend mainly from birds first domesticated in which region?

13. Chuseok, often called Korean Thanksgiving, is a harvest festival from which country's culture?

14. At China's Mid-Autumn Festival, people share which round treat under the full moon?

15. Which island territory of Australia holds a Thanksgiving celebration, a custom credited to an American trader who lived there in the 1800s?

16. In the U.S., the day right after Thanksgiving is famous for huge store sales and is nicknamed what?

17. Since 1934, which city's pro football team has hosted a home game on almost every Thanksgiving?

18. What kind of fruit is the etrog carried during Sukkot?

19. Why is tryptophan called an essential amino acid?

20. Which classic side dish did Dorcas Reilly create in a company test kitchen in 1955?

21. Potatoes for the mashed-potato bowl were first domesticated in which part of the world?

22. Nutmeg, the spice dusted on pumpkin pie, originally came only from islands in which present-day country?

23. Turkey legs and thighs are dark meat mainly because of a protein that helps busy muscles store what?

24. According to the USDA, a whole turkey is safely cooked when its thickest parts reach what temperature?

25. In most U.S. grocery stores, the orange root labeled 'yams' is actually what?

26. Traditional mincemeat pie filling, long before modern versions, contained which surprising ingredient?

27. What is an adult male turkey usually called?

28. Which sense is relatively poorly developed in wild turkeys?

29. Where do wild turkeys usually spend the night?

30. Where are a wild turkey's eyes positioned, giving it a very wide field of view?

31. A wild turkey's gobble can sometimes be heard from about how far away?

32. What sense helps migrating monarch butterflies stay on course when clouds hide the Sun?

33. Botanically speaking, a pumpkin is which of these?

34. Why do cranberries float when growers flood the bog at harvest?

35. Three teens brought pie, rolls and relish, one item each. Zoe brought pie, and Kai did not bring rolls. Who brought the rolls?

36. What is the most Thursdays any November can have?

37. Plymouth, where the Mayflower passengers settled, is in which present-day U.S. state?

38. In which year did NBC's continuing national television run of New York's major Thanksgiving parade begin?

39. According to Edward Winslow, for about how many days did the 1621 harvest celebration last?

40. Winslow wrote that Massasoit came to the 1621 celebration with about how many men?