Mountaineers Fall Jeopardy

Fall Holidays

50

The holiday that lands on October 31st each year.

Halloween

100

Which month contains the first day of fall

September

150

What is a holiday celebrated by Canadians and Americans on different days?

Thanksgiving!

In Canada it is on October 9th, while here it will be on November 23rd

200

What is the name of the day where people shop some of the best deals of the year? 

Black Friday

250

Which month contains the last day of fall?

December

300

This holiday honors people who fought for our country

Veterans Day

Fall Activities

50

This fall activity involves a squash, a scoop, and a carving knife. 

Pumpkin carving

100

These are made for fun but also to scare off birds from damaging or eating crops

Scarecrow

150

This activity can involve pitching, roasting, grilling, fishing, and telling stories.

Camping

200

On how many continents can you grow pumpkins?

a) 1

b) 3

c) 4

d) 6

6!

No matter where you are in the world, you'll be able to find a pumpkin (unless you plan to visit Antarctica). These squash grow on every single continent except the southernmost one. The top producers of pumpkins include China, India, Ukraine, the United States, Egypt, and Mexico. And, fun fact, the top pumpkin-producing U.S. state is Illinois.

250

What are the two most common food items that families/friends most commonly go out and pick during September and October

Pumpkins and apples

300

Which of the following fall activities can promote heart health?

a) visiting a haunted house

b) eating candy corn

c) watching scary movies

d) carving pumpkins

a&c

Some medical professionals believe that an innocent scare now and then (say while visiting a haunted house or watching a scary movie) can, in fact, promote heart health. 

Michael Castine, cardiologist at Ochsner Medical Center, explained that when scared, a person's adrenaline triggers the blood vessels to contract and re-direct blood toward the heart and lungs, in a "flight or fight" response. The result? "This can train your heart to pump more blood with every stroke—increasing your cardiac output up to eight times its resting capacity," Castine explained.

Fall Jokes

50

Why do trees hate going to school?

Because they're easily stumped 

100

How do you fix a pumpkin?

With a pumpkin patch

150

What kind of vest do you wear in the fall?

Har'VEST'

200

Why shouldn’t you tell a secret in a cornfield?

Because the corn has ears

250

How do trees get onto the internet?

They 'log' in

300

What do you get when you divide the circumference of a jack-o-lantern by it's diameter?

Pumpkin Pi

Fall Food

50

What is the most popular fall fruit, that comes in over 2,500 varieties in America alone

Apples

100

What is the most common main dish served at Thanksgiving?

Turkey

88% of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation eat turkey on Thanksgiving.

150

What is one of the most popular baked pastry dish that can be made with either fruit, meat or vegetables.

BONUS: What is America's favorite type of this dish?

Pie

BONUS: Apple. The clear winner for the United States as a whole was (not surprisingly) apple pie with more than 27% of sales going to the traditional flavor.  

200

Popular seasonal drink flavor served in the fall that came about in 2003 from Starbucks. Today, Starbucks reports over 20 million are sold in latte form each year

Pumpkin spice

The pumpkin spice flavour profile has been around for centuries. The earliest-known “pumpkin spice” reference dates back to a British recipe from 1675 with pepper, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Other recipes also contain ginger and/or all spice

250

A sticky treat made specially during Halloween and fall harvest (Hint: it is served on a stick)

Candy apple

300

A pumpkin is made up of approximately how much water?

A. 65%

B. 75%

C. 90%

C. 90% Pumpkins are 90% water

Fall Random

50

Which country invented bobbing for apples?

a) America

b) Australia

c) England

d) Germany

England

Apple bobbing, also known as bobbing for apples, is a game often played on Halloween. The game is played by filling a tub or a large basin with water and putting apples in the water. Because apples are less dense than water, they will float at the surface. Players (usually children) then try to catch one with their teeth. Use of arms is not allowed, and the hands are often tied behind the back to prevent cheating.

100

This fluttering fella is the only insect that migrates up to 2,500 miles for nicer weather

Monarch butterfly

The Monarch butterfly dislikes winter so much that it’ll fly South from America/Canada to the warmth of Mexico and parts of California at a speed between 12 and 25 miles per hour

150

The one type of tree that never loses it's leaves or color (Hint is in the name)

An evergreen tree

200

True or False: Autumn babies live longer

True

Although the days might be getting shorter, those born in Autumn could live longer, according to a study carried out by the Journal of Aging Research. The study found that 30% of US centenarians born during 1880-1895 were born in the Autumn season.

250

How many countries call it fall instead of autumn?

a) 1

b) 3

c) 5

d) 7

1.  USA

The season was originally just called harvest and autumn came around much later in the 1300s, according to CNN. When English poets started using the phrase “the fall of leaves” it became very fashionable to call the season fall. But by the mid-1800s, after the split of the colonies from England led to language change,  England reverted back to Autumn and the American upstarts retained fall. 

300

Besides pies, what were pumpkins also used for in the old days? Pick two

a) remove freckles

b) cure snake bites

c) soothe a tooth ache

d) help fingernails shine

A & B) To remove freckles and cure snake bites.

Fall Facts

50

How many varieties of apples are there worldwide?

A. 2,500

B. 5,200

C. 7,500

C. 7,500 types in total.

There are about 2,500 varieties grown in the US and 7,500 varieties grown worldwide.

100

This animal forgets about the majority of nuts they bury, which helps regrow forests.

Squirrels
Throughout the fall, squirrels spend their days collecting and "caching" nuts, meaning they hide the tasty treasures away in spots where they hope to find them later. One 1998 study by the University of Richmond found that squirrels fail to recover up to 74 percent of the nuts they bury, which is likely responsible for oak forest regeneration.

150

Americans buy enough candy during Halloween week to fill six ____.
A. Titanic ships

B. Football Fields

C. Grocery Stores

A. Titanic ships
On Halloween, we spend an estimated $9 billion on it. In fact, according to Vox, "If you took all the candy that's sold during Halloween week and turned it into a giant ball … it'd be as large as six Titanics and weigh 300,000 tons."

200

The smell of the first rain of the season has a name.
A. Petrichor

B. Monsoon

C. First Fall

Petrichor is that Earthly smell released by the first rain after a dry spell.

Petrichor is the term coined by Australian scientists in 1964 to describe the unique, earthy smell associated with rain

250

Which one of the words below is associated with the sound of wind in the trees and rustling leaves.
A. Psithurism ( (pronounced sith- err-iz-um) 

B. Praire

C. bract

A. Psithurism
The sound of leaves and trees rustling in the wind is considered one of the most satisfying noises of the season. And the next time you hear it, you'll know it has a name: psithurism, which comes from the Greek word psithuros, meaning whispering (the s is silent).

300

The largest pumpkin pie ever weighed nearly ____ pounds.
A. 3,700

B. 2,500

C. 1,000

A. 3,700
According to Guinness World Records, the pie measured 20 feet in diameter, weighed 3,699 pounds, and required 440 sheets of dough. It was made by the New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers in Ohio in September 2010.