Monday, December 10, 2007

December Quiz

1. What American state was the first to make Christmas an official holiday?
a. Connecticut
b. Alabama
c. Alaska
d. North Carolina

2. What is the shape of the candy cane modeled after?
a. A fish hook
b. A constellation of stars
c. The cane St. Nicholas used
d. A shepard’s crook

3. What was the name of the Grinch’s dog on "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"?
a. Rudolph
b. Toto
c. Max
d. Cerberus

4. Which star led the Three Kings to Jesus?
a. Star of David
b. North Star
c. Star of Bethlehem
d. Angel Star

5. What was the name of Scrooges' dead business partner in "A Christmas Carol"?
a. Jacob Marley
b. Bob Cratchit
c. Tiny Tim
d. Bill Sykes

6. Where did the real St. Nicholas live?
a. In Holland
b. At the North Pole
c. In Turkey
d. In Germany

7. What brought Frosty the Snowman to life?
a. Pixie Dust
b. An old silk hat
c. A kiss
d. A fresh snowfall

8. When you go Wassailing, what is it that you are doing?
a. Giving out gifts to your friends & neighbors
b. Going out in the woods to cut down your Christmas tree
c. Challenging as many of your neighbors as you can to a snowball fight
d. Going to visit neighbors and receiving goodies!

9. In the movie "It's A Wonderful Life" how do you know that an angel has received his wings?
a. A light flashes
b. It starts raining
c. A trumpet sounds
d. A bell rings

10. Who was the author of "A Christmas Carol"?
a. Hans Christian Anderson
b. Charles Dickens
c. Thomas M. Sawyer
d. Mark Twain

11. What was pictured on the first stamp printed for the Christmas season?
a. Santa Claus
b. An Angel
c. A Star
d. A Rose

12. The poem commonly known as "The Night Before Christmas" was originally titled:
a. The Night Before Christmas
b. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
c. A Visit From Saint Nicholas
d. The Night Visitor

13. At Christmas, it is customary to exchange kisses beneath a sprig of which plant?
a. Holly
b. Mistletoe
c. Ivy
d. Pine

14. Which of these events did NOT occur on Christmas Day?
a. Hong Kong fell to the Japanese in WWII.
b. Ebenezer Scrooge was visited by four ghosts.
c. King Arthur pulled Excalibur from the stone.
d. Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

15. In Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker, the nutcracker's main enemy is:
a. A girl named Clara.
b. The King of Mice.
c. Drosselmeyer the Magician.
d. Dr. Almond

16. Good King Wenceslas was king of which country?
a. Hungary
b. Bohemia
c. Poland
d. Czechoslovakia

17. When was Christmas first celebrated?
a. The year after Jesus was crucified
b. Around 100 AD
c. In the 4th Century
d. 1935

18. Why was December 25th chosen as Christmas Day?
a. That's when Jesus was born
b. To compete with a pagan celebration
c. That's when Christmas trees are in season
d. That's when the Bible says to celebrate it

19. What country did poinsettias originally come from?
a. The U.S.
b. Cuba
c. Mexico
d. Brazil

20. How did Xmas originate as an abbreviation for Christmas?
a. Atheists refused to accept "Christ" as part of the word
b. The early popes were lazy so they tended to shorten everything
c. The Greek word for Christ is Xristos
d. From Latin terminology for any holy day

21. How many reindeer does Santa Claus have?
a. Santa has eight reindeer.
b. Santa has nine reindeer.
c. Santa does not have reindeer. They are really caribou.
d. Santa has a whole herd of reindeer-- we only know about his favorite ones.

22. What comes after '8 maids a-milking' in the song 'The 12 Days of Christmas'?
a. 9 pipers piping
b. 9 lords a-leaping
c. 9 drummers drumming
d. 9 ladies dancing

23. When are the '12 Days of Christmas'?
a. The 12 days before Christmas: December 14 to December 25
b. The 12 days after Christmas: December 26 to January 6
c. The 12 days around Christmas: Christmas Eve to January 4
d. The 12 days beginning with the winter solstice: December 21 to January 1

24. Santa's only female sleigh-pulling reindeer, Vixen, has antlers. True or false?
a. False. Only the male reindeer have antlers.
b. True. Both male and female reindeer have antlers.


25. In the movie 'Miracle on 34th Street', Kris Kringle is hired to play Santa Claus in what large department store?
a. Marshall Field's
b. FAO Schwarz
c. Macy's
d. Gimble's

1 comment:

Andrea said...

Answers:
1. b. Alabama
2. d. A shepard’s crook
3. c. Max
4. c. Star of Bethlehem
5. a. Jacob Marley
6. c. In Turkey
7. b. An old silk hat
8. d. Going to visit neighbors and receiving goodies!
9. d. A bell rings
10. b. Charles Dickens
11. d. A Rose
12. c. A Visit From Saint Nicholas
13. b. Mistletoe
14. b. Ebenezer Scrooge was visited by four ghosts.
15. b. The King of Mice.
16. b. Bohemia
17. c. In the 4th Century
18. b. To compete with a pagan celebration
19. c. Mexico
20. c. The Greek word for Christ is Xristos
21. d. Santa has a whole herd of reindeer-- we only know about his favorite ones.
22. d. 9 ladies dancing
23. b. The 12 days after Christmas: December 26 to January 6
24. b. True. Both male and female reindeer have antlers.
25. c. Macy's