Fall Basics
What is the traditional centerpiece bird roasted for most American Thanksgiving dinners?
Turkey
What do leaves do in the fall that gives the season its other common name?
They fall off the trees
What furry, long-tailed backyard animal spends the fall gathering and burying acorns for the winter?
A squirrel
What is the name of the friendly, polite ghost who lives in Whipstaff Manor and just wants a human friend?
Casper
What long, cozy piece of fabric do you wrap around your neck to shield it from cold autumn winds?
A scarf
What is the Irish folklore name for a carved pumpkin lantern, named after a mythical man who tricked the devil?
Jack-o-lantern
As fall turns into winter, do the days get longer or do they get shorter?
Shorter
What do many birds, like geese, do when they fly south to warmer places for the winter?
Migrate
In the 1993 Halloween fantasy comedy film Hocus Pocus, what is the first name of the eldest and leader of the resurrected Sanderson sisters?
Winifred
What kind of sturdy footwear do people wear in the fall to jump in muddy puddles or piles of leaves?
Boots
What is the numerical date of the autumn holiday known as the Pagan New Year, which heavily inspired modern Halloween traditions?
October 31st
What word means a plant or tree sheds its leaves every year instead of staying green all winter?
Deciduous
What microscopic, six-legged parasitic mite larvae are notorious for attaching to dogs (and humans) in tall autumn grass, causing intense red bumps and severe itching?
Chiggers
In It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, what does Charlie Brown famously get in his trick-or-treat bag instead of candy?
A rock
Often associated with crisp autumn weather and plaid patterns, what soft, warm woven fabric can be made from cotton, wool, or synthetic yarn?
Flannel
Originating from an old superstitious European belief about witches transforming into animals, which specific pet is commonly feared as a sign of bad luck during autumn?
A black cat
What primary green plant pigment breaks down during autumn daylight shifts, revealing hidden yellow and orange carotenoids?
Chlorophyll
Millions of Monarch butterflies undertake an incredible multi-generational autumn migration from North America to overwinter in the mountain forests of which country?
Mexico
The 1989 drama Dead Poets Society starring Robin Williams is famously set at a conservative Vermont boys' preparatory academy during which academic term?
Autumn semester (Fall term)
Featuring a belted waist, double-breasted front, and weather-resistant cotton gabardine, what classic autumn coat was originally created by Thomas Burberry for military officers in WWI?
Trench coat
Before the pumpkin became the standard canvas in America, people in the British Isles carved jack-o'-lanterns out of what rigid, purple-and-white root vegetable.
Turnip
What is the exact astronomical moment when day and night are approximately equal length?
Autumn equinox
Why do Canada geese fly in a distinct V-formation during their autumn southward migration?
To reduce aerodynamic drag and conserve flight energy through upwash drafting.
The iconic romantic walk through an autumn-hued, leaf-strewn Central Park occurs in which classic 1989 romantic comedy?
When Harry Met Sally...
Originally worn by 19th-century polo players, later adopted by naval seamen, and popularized in autumn fashion by French sailors and existentialists, what garment features a high close-fitting rolled collar?
Turtleneck