Holidays and festivals in the UK and US - the answers

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UK holidays and festivals 1

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1. On what day do they make pancakes in the UK?

a) Shrove Tuesday​

 

2. What is the name of the day that is after Christmas Day?        

b) Boxing Day​

 

3. On which day do the British set off fireworks and have bonfires?

​c) 5 November​

 

4. One night is celebrated in Scotland to remember the life of a famous writer. What is this night called?

d) Burns Night

 

5. On which day would you give someone you like very much a special card?

b) Valentine’s Day​

 

6. What do people traditionally do at Halloween?

c) Dress up in scary costumes​

 

7. What do people usually do on the first day of the fourth month of the year?

a) Play tricks and jokes on people​

 

8. Which saint is remembered on March 17th?

d) St. Patrick

 

9. On which Sunday do people say ‘thank you’ to their mums?

a) One Sunday between 2 March and 3 April​

 

10. What day do the British usually give each other chocolate eggs?

b) Easter Sunday

 

11. On which day at Christmas do British people traditionally give each other presents?

b) Christmas Day​

 

12. When the clock strikes midnight on December 31 and the New Year begins, what song is traditionally sung?​

d) Auld Lang Syne

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US holidays and festivals 1

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1. Epiphany is celebrated on ?

b) Twelve days after Christmas Day​

 

2. What date in May marks the formal celebration of the Allies’ victory in Europe during World War II?         

b) May 8​

 

3. What holiday is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November (and is followed by Black Friday?)

d) Thanksgiving

 

4. When is Palm Sunday?​

b) The Sunday before Easter​

 

5. What is the name of the civil rights’ leader who is celebrated with a federal holiday in January?

a) Martin Luther King Jr​

 

6. The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November is what?

c) Election Day​

 

7. Labor Day is a day that celebrates people who work in the US. When is Labor Day?

c) The first Monday in September​

 

8. Which US president officially proclaimed Mother’s Day a national holiday in 1914?

a) Woodrow Wilson​

 

9. What animal is recognised as a symbol of a possible longer winter in February?

b) Groundhog​

 

10. What day is also known as Shrove Tuesday?

a) Mardi Gras​

 

11. What occasion in November, also celebrated in India, is also known as the ‘festival of lights’?

​c) Diwali​

 

12. Which of these events in the US is also formally celebrated in Ireland?

d) St. Patrick’s Day

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UK holidays and festivals 2

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1. St. Patrick’s Day is a big occasion celebrated in which country in the UK?

b) Northern Ireland​

 

2. What day of the week is traditionally a bank holiday on two days in May and one day in August?

a) Monday​

 

3. On November 5, Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up which famous London landmark?

d) The Houses of Parliament

 

4. What is the first name of the Scottish poet who is celebrated on 25 January?

​b) Robert​

 

5. How many days are public holidays over the Easter period in the UK (not including Sunday?)

a) Two

 

6. On what day of the week is Mother’s Day celebrated on?

c) Sunday​

 

7. Which of these holidays is NOT on a fixed date?

a) Mother’s Day​

 

8. Why is December 26 called Boxing Day?

d) In the past, tradesmen would collect Christmas boxes of money and presents as thanks for good service

 

9. When is the traditional Christmas dinner served?​

c) The afternoon of the 25th​

 

10. And what is traditionally served at Christmas dinner?

d) Turkey

 

11. Some people use the leftover vegetables from the Christmas dinner, along with the chopped meat, to eat on the day after Christmas Day. What is this dish called?

​b) Bubble and Squeak​

 

12. On what day are there races where competitors have to throw cooked food from a pan into the air and it lands back in the pan, and is made of flour, eggs and milk?

​d) Shrove Tuesday

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US holidays and festivals 2

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1. Whose birthday is on February 12?

b) Abraham Lincoln​

 

2. Mother’s Day is a fixed day in the United States. When does it take place?​    

c) The second Sunday in May​

 

3. What day was originally known as Decoration Day?

a) Memorial Day​

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4. What is Ascension Day?​

b) The day that is forty days after the resurrection​

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5. Union General John A. Logan designated a day, which became the last Monday in May, as what?

a) Decoration Day/Memorial Day​

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6. The first Sunday in December is known as…?

b) Advent

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7. On 14 June, President Truman signed a bill calling for this day to be a holiday, but only Pennsylvania celebrates this. What day?​

b) Flag Day​

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8. The third Monday in February is…?​

b) Washington’s Birthday​

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9. Christopher Columbus’ landing in the new world is recognised on…?

a) The second Monday in October​

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10. When is Independence Day celebrated?​

d) July 4

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11. What was Veterans Day previously known as?

a) Armistice Day​

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12. Which of these events in the US is also formally celebrated in the UK?​

c) Good Friday​

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Quizzes and exercises   UK Part 1  US Part 1  UK Part 2  US Part 2  Home

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