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Seven days of questions and answers

Thanksgiving Trivia Answers Archive

Review earlier daily rounds, reveal the correct answer, and use the short explanation to learn the fact behind each question. Page 8 of 12 covers seven completed UTC days.

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Daily round

  1. In which U.S. region is oyster stuffing, made with fresh oysters and breadcrumbs, a traditional Thanksgiving side dish?

    Answer: New England coastal areas

    Oyster stuffing has been a traditional Thanksgiving dish in New England coastal communities and other Atlantic coastal regions where fresh oysters were readily available during the autumn harvest season.

  2. In which European country is Erntedankfest, a harvest thanksgiving festival with church services, parades, and harvest displays, traditionally celebrated?

    Answer: Germany

    Erntedankfest is a traditional German harvest thanksgiving festival, typically observed in October with church services, processions, and displays of the season's crops.

  3. How does the Canadian Thanksgiving tradition differ most distinctly from the American tradition in terms of its historical framing?

    Answer: Canadian Thanksgiving focuses less on a single founding narrative

    Unlike the American tradition, which is closely tied to the 1621 Plymouth narrative, Canadian Thanksgiving draws from multiple historical observances without centering on a single founding event.

  4. Which ingredient is traditionally used as the primary thickening agent in pan gravy?

    Answer: Roux made from fat and flour

    Classic pan gravy begins with a roux—a mixture of equal parts fat (typically drippings) and flour cooked together—which is then whisked with pan juices and stock to create a smooth, thickened sauce.

  5. How much whole turkey per person is commonly recommended when planning a Thanksgiving meal?

    Answer: One and a half pounds per person

    The general guideline is to plan for one to one and a half pounds of whole turkey per person, which accounts for bone weight and provides reasonable portions plus leftovers.

Daily round

  1. In the United States, the tradition of a presidential proclamation setting a specific date for Thanksgiving was established by which president?

    Answer: Abraham Lincoln

    Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation in 1863, during the Civil War, establishing the last Thursday of November as a national day of Thanksgiving, partly influenced by Sarah Josepha Hale's decades of advocacy.

  2. Which explorer's 1578 thanksgiving ceremony in the Canadian Arctic is considered one of the earliest recorded North American thanksgiving observances?

    Answer: Martin Frobisher

    Martin Frobisher held a thanksgiving ceremony on Baffin Island in 1578 after enduring a perilous search for the Northwest Passage, predating many other North American thanksgiving events.

  3. In what year did the Canadian Parliament fix Thanksgiving to its current position on the second Monday of October?

    Answer: 1957

    On January 31, 1957, the Canadian Parliament proclaimed that Thanksgiving would be observed annually on the second Monday of October, where it has remained ever since.

  4. The Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional harvest celebration of gratitude and reunion, is most prominently observed in which cultural tradition?

    Answer: Chinese

    The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival, is a major Chinese cultural holiday celebrating the harvest and family reunion, featuring mooncakes and lantern displays on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month.

  5. On which day of the week does Canadian Thanksgiving consistently fall each year?

    Answer: Second Monday of October

    Since 1957, Canadian Thanksgiving has been observed on the second Monday of October, providing a long weekend for harvest-season observances.

Daily round

  1. What temperature range is known as the food-safety "danger zone" where bacteria multiply most rapidly?

    Answer: 40°F to 140°F (4°C to 60°C)

    The danger zone between 40°F and 140°F is the range in which harmful bacteria can double in number in as little as 20 minutes, so perishable foods should not remain in this range for more than two hours.

  2. What is the primary difference between a sweet potato and a true yam?

    Answer: Sweet potatoes are a root in the morning glory family while yams belong to the Dioscorea family

    Despite the interchangeable use of the names in American grocery stores, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) and true yams (Dioscorea species) are entirely different plants from separate botanical families.

  3. In the United States, Thanksgiving has been recognized as a federal legal public holiday since which decade?

    Answer: 1940s

    Thanksgiving became an official federal legal public holiday when Congress codified it into law in 1941 as part of the resolution that fixed its date to the fourth Thursday of November.

  4. Which autumn phenomenon causes the green pigment in leaves to break down and reveal the yellow, orange, and red pigments beneath?

    Answer: Decreasing day length and cooler temperatures

    Shorter days and cooler autumn temperatures trigger the breakdown of chlorophyll in leaves, allowing underlying carotenoid and anthocyanin pigments to become visible.

  5. The Dallas Cowboys began their annual tradition of hosting a Thanksgiving Day NFL game in which year?

    Answer: 1966

    The Dallas Cowboys played their first Thanksgiving Day game in 1966 at the Cotton Bowl, and except for a brief gap in the 1970s, have hosted one nearly every year since.

Daily round

  1. What is the primary role of the "bloom" (gelatin) found in canned jellied cranberry sauce?

    Answer: It helps the sauce hold its molded cylinder shape after opening

    Jellied cranberry sauce contains pectin (naturally occurring in cranberries) that gels the sauce into its characteristic solid cylinder shape, allowing it to be sliced and served in rounds that retain their form on the plate.

  2. Which department store chain sponsors the oldest annual Thanksgiving Day parade in the United States, first held in 1920?

    Answer: Gimbel's

    Gimbel's department store launched the first Thanksgiving Day parade in Philadelphia in 1920, predating Macy's famous New York City parade by six years.

  3. Which of the following best describes the shared civic purpose of Thanksgiving proclamations in both the United States and Canada?

    Answer: Declaring a day of national gratitude and reflection

    Thanksgiving proclamations in both nations have historically served to set aside a day for collective gratitude and reflection, inviting citizens to give thanks for blessings and prosperity.

  4. The 1621 harvest gathering at Plymouth Colony is commonly described in historical accounts as lasting how many days?

    Answer: Three days

    Primary sources, including a letter by Edward Winslow, indicate that the 1621 harvest celebration at Plymouth lasted for three days and involved both the colonists and Wampanoag guests.

  5. Which Thanksgiving parade, held in a major Midwestern city, features giant character balloons, floats, and marching bands and is broadcast nationally each year?

    Answer: Chicago Thanksgiving Parade

    The Chicago Thanksgiving Parade, first held in 1934 and now called the McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade, is one of the largest Thanksgiving parades in the United States, broadcast nationally each year.

Daily round

  1. In which country did the celebration known as Chuseok, a major harvest thanksgiving festival typically observed in autumn, originate?

    Answer: Korea

    Chuseok is a major Korean harvest festival, also known as Hangawi, celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month with ancestral rites and traditional foods like songpyeon.

  2. The 1621 Plymouth harvest feast is believed to have occurred during which part of the calendar year?

    Answer: Early autumn

    The harvest celebration at Plymouth in 1621 most likely took place in September or early October, aligning with the completion of the New England harvest season.

  3. Which country celebrates Homowo, a traditional harvest festival of thanksgiving that involves sprinkling kpokpoi to honor ancestors and mark the end of a famine?

    Answer: Ghana

    Homowo is a harvest festival celebrated by the Ga people of Ghana's Greater Accra region, commemorating a historical famine and giving thanks through traditional food offerings and ceremonies.

  4. What minimum internal temperature should a whole turkey reach to be considered safely cooked?

    Answer: 165°F (74°C)

    The USDA advises that poultry must reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) as measured with a food thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, wing, and breast.

  5. Green bean casserole, a common Thanksgiving side dish, was invented by which company's test kitchen in 1955?

    Answer: Campbell Soup Company

    Campbell Soup Company home economist Dorcas Reilly created the green bean casserole using cream of mushroom soup, green beans, and crispy fried onions as a simple dish that used ingredients most home cooks already had.

Daily round

  1. Squash varieties commonly used in Thanksgiving dishes such as pumpkin pie and butternut squash soup belong to which plant genus?

    Answer: Cucurbita

    Pumpkins, butternut squash, acorn squash, and other common Thanksgiving squashes belong to the genus Cucurbita, a group of vine-growing plants in the gourd family.

  2. What is the traditional base ingredient of cornbread in Southern American cooking?

    Answer: Cornmeal, often with little or no wheat flour

    Traditional Southern cornbread is made primarily from cornmeal—often with buttermilk and little to no wheat flour—resulting in a denser, more intensely corn-flavored bread than Northern-style versions that use more wheat flour.

  3. Which U.S. president declined to issue Thanksgiving proclamations, citing concerns about the federal government encroaching on religious matters?

    Answer: Thomas Jefferson

    Thomas Jefferson, a strong advocate for the separation of church and state, chose not to issue Thanksgiving proclamations during his presidency, believing such proclamations exceeded constitutional authority.

  4. What is the function of a roasting rack when cooking a turkey in the oven?

    Answer: It elevates the turkey so hot air circulates underneath and the bottom does not boil in drippings

    A roasting rack lifts the turkey above the bottom of the pan, allowing ambient oven heat to reach the entire bird and preventing the underside from sitting in and steaming in its own juices, which promotes more even browning.

  5. Which U.S. president first issued a nationwide Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789, calling for a day of gratitude and prayer?

    Answer: George Washington

    George Washington proclaimed November 26, 1789, as a day of national thanksgiving to acknowledge the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and the establishment of the new federal government.

Daily round

  1. How long can refrigerated Thanksgiving leftovers typically be safely consumed before they should be discarded?

    Answer: 3 to 4 days

    Food safety guidelines recommend consuming refrigerated leftovers within 3 to 4 days; after that, the risk of bacterial growth increases even under continuous refrigeration.

  2. Which of the following Canadian provinces does NOT recognize Thanksgiving as a statutory holiday?

    Answer: Nova Scotia

    Nova Scotia, along with New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, does not designate Thanksgiving as a statutory holiday, although many employers choose to observe it.

  3. Which Native American tribe historically cultivated the Three Sisters planting method of corn, beans, and squash together, a technique central to New England harvest traditions?

    Answer: Iroquois

    The Iroquois and other Haudenosaunee peoples developed the Three Sisters companion planting method, in which corn, beans, and squash support one another's growth in a single mound.

  4. At the first NFL Thanksgiving game in 1934, which team defeated the Chicago Bears in a matchup hosted by the Detroit Lions?

    Answer: Detroit Lions

    The Detroit Lions won their first Thanksgiving Day football game on November 22, 1934, defeating the Chicago Bears 19-16 before a sold-out crowd at the University of Detroit Stadium.

  5. Which governor general of Canada issued the 1879 proclamation that began the tradition of annual national Thanksgiving observances?

    Answer: The Marquess of Lorne

    The Marquess of Lorne, Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883, issued the 1879 proclamation designating a national day of thanksgiving on November 6 of that year.