All Hallows Eve
Before pumpkins became the standard, what root vegetable was traditionally carved into jack-o'-lanterns in Ireland and Scotland?
A) Turnip
B) Sugar beet
C) Parsnip
D) Potato
A) Turnips
What was candy corn originally called?
Chicken Feed
All spiders are venomous.
True or False
True
All produce venom to catch prey and defend themselves but not all venom is strong enough to hurt or kill a human.
Finish the lyrics from "Monster Mash": "I was working in the ____ late one night, when my eyes beheld an eerie sight."
Lab
What is the specific name given to the full moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox?
The Harvest Moon
What is the baking term for cooking a pie crust completely before adding the filling (often done with pudding or cream pies), usually requiring the use of ceramic beads or dried beans to keep the dough from bubbling up?
Blind baking
Which U.S. city holds the record for hosting the world's largest Halloween parade?
A) Salem, Massachusetts
B) New Orleans, Louisiana
C) New York City, New York
D) Sleepy Hollow, New York
Answer: C) New York City, New York.
The Village Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village draws over 50,000 costumed participants and more than two million spectators annually.
What candy bar was named after the Mar's family horse?
Snickers
Spiders swallow their solid food (prey) whole.
True or False
False
They drink it.
They inject digestive enzymes into their prey to liquefy its insides, then drink the liquid.
Finish these lyrics from Thriller.
Darkness falls across the land / The midnight hour is close at hand / Creatures crawl in search of blood / To terrorize _________
Y'all's neighborhood
Monarch butterflies are famous for their massive autumn migration. Which country do millions of them travel to for the winter?
Mexico
While "cow pies" are something else entirely, what specific sweet pie is officially designated as the state pie of Texas?
Pecan pie
In the 1993 Disney Halloween favorite Hocus Pocus, the Sanderson sisters are accidentally resurrected by a teenager in Salem, Massachusetts. What specific object does he have to bring the witches back from the dead?
A) Spell Book
B) Candle
C) Cauldron
D) Broom
B) Candle
Which sweet treat was invented by a dentist?
Cotton Candy (Candy Floss in the UK)
William Morrison
Spider's blood is red.
True or False
False
It is actually blue.
Human blood is red because it uses iron to transport oxygen, but spider blood uses copper which causes it to turn blue.
Finish the lyrics from "This is Halloween": "This is Halloween, this is Halloween. _____ scream in the dead of night."
Pumpkins
The "Cornucopia" is a classic symbol of the autumn harvest. What does the word literally translate to from Latin?
Horn of Plenty
Celebrated annually on March 14th because the date matches the first three digits of a mathematical constant. What is this unofficial holiday commonly called?
Pi Day
In 1938, a famous Halloween night radio broadcast caused widespread panic among listeners who mistook a fictional play for a real Martian invasion. What was the broadcast titled?
A) The Day the Earth Stood Still
B) The War of the Worlds
C) Invasion of the Body Snatchers
D) The Night of the Living Dead
B) The War of the Worlds.
Directed and narrated by Orson Welles, the radio drama adapted H.G. Wells' novel into simulated breaking news reports.
Which candy bar’s name comes from a slang word for a clumsy person?
Butterfinger
Spiders must shed their entire exoskeleton in order to grow larger.
True or False
True
Because a spider’s outer shell is hard and rigid, it cannot grow with them. To get bigger, they must literally crawl out of their old skin in a process called molting.
Finish these lyrics from the "Addams Family": "Their house is a _____ where people come to see 'em. They really are a scream."
Museum
The Honeycrisp apple, a favorite for autumn apple picking, was developed by the horticultural science department at which US university?
The University of Minnesota
Sweet potato pie is a beloved Southern holiday tradition. In the early 20th century, a famous scientist and inventor published a list of over 100 uses for the sweet potato, including a popular recipe for sweet potato pie. Who was he?
George Washington Carver
What common Halloween imagery originated from the medieval European witch trials, where women who brewed ale carried this tool as a sign of their trade?
A) Cauldron
B) Pointed hat
C) Broomstick
D) Black Cloak
Answer: C) A broomstick.
Female ale-brewers (alewives) hung broomsticks outside their doors to signal fresh beer was available. The image merged with witchcraft lore over centuries.
Pop Rocks candy contains tiny pockets of a pressurized gas trapped inside the sugar. When the candy melts on your tongue, the gas escapes, creating the famous popping sensation. What specific gas is trapped inside?
Carbon dioxide
Spiders can be found on every single continent on Earth.
True or False
False
Spiders are found on every continent except Antarctica. It is simply too cold and lacks the insect prey needed for them to survive.
Finish these lyrics from Ghostbusters. If you're all alone, ---------- ---------- -------------
And call (Ghostbusters!)
Pick up the phone.
To Autumn" is one of the most famous poems ever written about the season, starting with the line "Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness." Which English Romantic poet wrote it?
John Keats
To give chocolate cream pies a richer flavor profile and prevent the chocolate from tasting flatly sweet, bakers frequently add a tiny amount of what ingredient to intensify the chocolate?
Espresso powder (or instant coffee)
Which country is widely recognized as the birthplace of modern Halloween traditions?
A) Scotland
B) England
C) Ireland
D) Wales
C) Ireland
Halloween originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain in Ireland over 2,000 years ago. Irish immigrants later brought many of these customs—including carving jack-o'-lanterns and costume disguises—to North America during the 19th century.
What was the first individually wrapped penny candy in the United States, introduced in 1896?
Tootsie Roll.
Female black widow spiders always kill and eat the male after mating.
True or False
False
The myth comes from observations in laboratory cages, where males couldn't escape. In the wild, males usually survive to mate another day.
Finish these lyrics from The Rocky Horror Picture Show"?
"There's a light.
Over at the ______ place.
There's a light.
Burning in the fireplace
There's a light, a light
In the darkness of everybody's life."
Frankenstein
When is fall in the Southern Hemisphere?
A) September 1 – November 30
B) June 1 – August 31
C) March 1 – May 31
D) December 1 – February 28
C) March 1 – May 31
A classic vintage Icebox dessert, the Grasshopper Pie is famous for its fluffy, mint-green filling. What specific cream-based, mint-flavored alcoholic liqueur gives the pie both its signature color and its distinct flavor?
Crème de menthe